Hello from Kosrae, Scuba Diving in Micronesia, Update 7
Eric Keibler Jul 31, 2014
We left Chuuk five days ago and already the memories of ship wreck diving have faded, replaced by visions of fish and corals. We are staying at the Kosrae Village Eco Resort. It is definitely different coming from a live aboard dive boat to a land based resort and then throw in the Eco-lodge aspect and we have had a big shift.
The diving is done off small catamaran style boats that are 10 minutes away in the harbour (not a big one since there is only room for about 8 boats). Kosrae has a system of buoys around the island which is a mixed blessing. On one hand it has helped to minimise the damage to the reef from anchoring but on the other, it makes,it easier for the fisherman to tie up and fish on the reef. As a result, the reefs, especially those near the harbour are devoid of fish life. This is not to say that there are no fish but there are no large fish not schools of fish other than some very small ones.
Moving away from harbour, the fish populations increase but there are still no large fish in many spaces. We only spotted one large grouper. Thankfully there were sharks, barracuda, small jacks and wahoo on the reefs away from the harbour.
The one thing that really sets Kosrae apart from other Pacific destinations are the hard corals. Large stands of stag-horn coral, lettuce corals, pillar corals and other species cover the reefs as far as the eye can see. From twenty feet to one hundred twenty feet the corals are alive, healthy and growing.
Life here is pretty simple but the meals are not. Locally grown or locally produced is the key. Fresh tuna sashimi and salads with mangrove crab are beautiful additions to the grilled wahoo and tuna. The smoked fish is different but is perhaps a little “too smoked” because it over powers the delicate tastes of the fish.
Thursday was a big day in the restaurant… The frozen food container had arrived and was unpacked. Bacon, ham and beef were now available for meals. But the big thing was that ice cream was once again available! Hot fudge Sundays were back on the menu as was Rocky Road ice cream, Bruce’s favourite flavor.
Everyone has had a surprise or two in their cottages. Spiders and geckos are the norm but there were some unusual findings as well. I found that small ants like to shave, having attacked my shaving oil; Eric found that the small crabs really like having their mouths washed out with soap especially the melon soap from Chuuk. On another night he found his bathmat alive and moving as a hermit crap snuck under it and was lurking about the bathroom. During one shower, Cheryl found herself as an exibitionist for a large land crab who seemed intent on joining her in the shower.
Of course nothing can top Susan’s story. It seems she was joined in her bathroom by a large fruit bat. Known locally as flying foxes, Katrina describes them more as the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. Imagine the surprise of stumbling into the bathroom in the middle of the night and finding a nocturnal visitor come through the door. Yes, the bat was so startled by Susan’s appearance that it hid in the shower stall until she left. It was then able to sneak out and flee. To warn his friends, he left the bathroom light on in unit three so no other bat would have to be scared.
We have only a few more days of diving here but we also have some adventures coming up. Two trips by canoe through the biosphere region, some archeological site tours and some handicraft shopping.
So, until the next update…
