San Juan del Sur

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua: surfer's paradise and unsavory tourist trap. Anyway, I got to do 2 shallow dives around some large rock formations there. Despite the visibility being mediocre and the current being fickle and confusing, I saw plenty of interesting things: small, ubiquitous neon blue sponges, incredibly clumsy pufferfish, big, delicious-looking lobsters, and a few moray eels that looked rather grumpy. With the current going every which way, it's a wonder I never bashed my brains out on a rock while staring at something. Oh, I also saved my buddy's tank from escaping its strap. He was thankful because breathing is nice.

The second day at San Juan was spent having a leisurely breakfast and hanging out at the sparsely populated Playa Yankee. No, I am not making that name up. Why was it so sparsely populated, you ask? Apparently somebody was hacked to death with a machete there recently. But hey, is that really going to stop a group of stupid 20-somethings? Of course not. Anyway, here's some photos from the beach.

I love the cacti here.

Typical Nicaraguan bush

That must be the machete killer over there.

Stuck my camera in a tide pool for the hell of it, and somebody got curious.

Finally, a bonus video from the hostel where I stayed. I think they had a nest inside the roof, and they weren't too pleased with our presence.

A Few Unrelated Things of Note

Just a quick update with what I've been up to. For the most part, I've been racking up the dives for my Divemaster certification. There are other requirements to take care of as well, including stamina evaluations, skill demonstrations, a written final, and an underwater mapping project. I've also done enough deep dives (one to 120 ft!) to obtain a Deep Diver specialization. Unfortunately, taking pictures at that depth isn't really feasible. I also got to visit the market in Masaya for the first time - but again, no pictures. Taking something expensive like a camera to the market is asking for it to be stolen. I'll soon be going to the beach town of San Juan del Sur for a couple of days of diving, so I'll see if I can finally provide some pictures as requested. Hopefully the impending rainy season can hold off for a bit.

One other item worth mentioning - there's a decent chance I'll be starting grad school in spring 2012! Dr. Ryan Earley runs an Integrative Animal Behavior lab at UA which does a good bit of work with the cichlids of Nicaraguan crater lakes. I'm not sure on all of the specifics yet, but apparently he needs another grad student for a research assistantship, and my dive skills and familiarity with Xiloa fit the bill quite nicely! I wasn't sure if I wanted to mention this before all the details have been ironed out, but it's just too darn exciting to wait. If this pans out, I'll probably come home to the US for most of August, then return to Nicaragua until near the end of 2011. I don't know what to call this other than luck, so I can't believe my luck!