We started the day with an unusually rough ride to Tintamarre. J.P. handled the boat with panache as we headed into the swells and we arrived unharmed. At our dive site, we moored at the tugboat and descended down the line. At the wreck we found a stingray hiding in the sand and several unusually large Porcupinefish. After exploring the wreck we headed to the nearby reef where we saw both Smooth and Spotted Trunkfish as well as the similarly-shaped Scrawled Cowfish.

For our second dive, we returned to Sec de Grand Case. Our first sighting was a large Barracuda patrolling the reef. We also saw a Stingray swimming. I had an exceptional encounter with a Scrawled Cowfish. I first spotted it swimming a bit above the reef and it was almost white in color. As I approached it, it approached me curiously, almost touching my camera lens. It swam down to the reef and promptly darkened to camoflauge itself.

Upon returning, we set out for the best restaurant in the world, Rene’s Boucherie. Madam J had the steak tartare as usual and I had the Entrecote. Neither of us could resist the sauteed potatoes, which are truly a miracle of cuisine. After a leisurely lunch, we returned for E.S.S. off the beach in Grand Case. The visibility was poor, but we were able to see some interesting shells on the sandy bottom.

A special treat for the day was our night dive at Creole Rock. We set out at sunset with the full moon above us. Below the waves we encountered a great many sleeping fish, some encased in bubbles of mucus as an undersea bed. Our dive began with many Spiny Lobsters, and ended with a Spanish Lobster, walking along the sandy bottom, a first for both of us. I employed a special system of giant rubber bands to affix my dive light to my strobe, which was a very useful arrangement. Our one disappointment came when we all turned our lights off on a sandy patch: there were no phosphoresent creatures tonight. Still, we returned very satisfied.

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