Near Perfect Storm

Near Perfect Storm: Last night proved to be very interesting. We had small group of people that decided to go night diving again. It was lightening in the distance but no one seemed concerned so we left the dock about 6pm to get an early start. We planned on visiting a site called Aquarium which is one of the better dive sites in Utila. About half way there a rain squall suddenly hit us. The boat captain continued on however and indicated it would blow through quickly. When we got to the mooring buoy the seas were pretty rough and we tried to put the rope on the tiny little eye hook on the buoy several times. It got really rough and we had to put on our scuba mask just to see a little bit. We were blinded by the rain and strong wind. It got so bad we coudn't even see the buoy after about the 4th try.

We had 2 guests on board and they were a bit scared and cold from the rain so they climbed into a small compartment at the front of the boat that is used for keeping things dry. There is also a "head" up there but it doesn't work. The place is really dirty and nasty but they climbed in anyway.

The boat captain couldn't see either so he just put the boat into a tight turn so we'd stay in the area. Unfortunately it continued to get worse and the boat was rolling more than any of us would like. Gear was coming loose and racing across the deck. The captain decided to head back although I'm not sure he knew which way was back. We came across another boat that had divers in the water that appeared to have broken loose from its mooring. We all stood on deck with our lights and masks and attempted to spot the divers underwater. We finally saw their lights and they were right near their boat so we assumed they were okay.

It calmed down just a touch so we found another buoy with a very large eye loop and attached to it. The instructor with 2 students advised the students to stay on board and the rest of us decided to go diving anyway. It was very strange. Because the rain and wind made us very cold, the ocean water was like being in a hot tub. It was almost too warm. We quickly descended and of course under the water everything was calm and we proceeded to dive. I think we were at Ron's Wreck. We went diving as a group and all got lost together. I can't believe 3 instructors and 2 divemaster trainees would get lost but we did. We came up about 50 yards or more from the boat and we had to swim back. I think this was the most difficult swim I've ever had. For a while, I thought someone would have to rescue me. I was just so tired but if you stopped swimming the wind and current would carry you further from the boat. Needless to say I hope I never see another dive like that.