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Part 4: Bikinis, blunders and further baldness On the fourth day we dived at Elephant Head. Mary and I came round a boulder and spotted Richard heading in the opposite direction. We waited for Paul to appear... and waited... and then just as we starting to think that the whole buddy thing had eluded them again, we realised we were looking at the other bald guy, in a black and blue wetsuit just like Richard's. We felt compelled to follow him, but managed to tear ourselves away. By then the fashion competition was hotting up. Simon's artfully shredded skin shirt looked trendier every day and Trevor seemed to have packed for a week of clubbing. Meanwhile Nadia was displaying an apparently endless selection of bathing suits. Initially she only wore one or two each day, but when Ann and Melissa started bringing out their reserves, she increased her suit-swapping frequency. By the end of the five-day trip, we had about 25 bikinis tied to the rail. On behalf of all the men, thank you ladies. If one of you accidentally grabbed Jase's red thong when you were packing your gear, he would appreciate getting it back. Speaking of Jase, those of you who have dived with him will know he has little patience for the incompetence and absentmindedness the rest of us display. Okay, maybe it's just me, but I am happy to report I saw Jase blunder on this trip. Once while we were getting kitted up to dive, I saw Jase pull his wetsuit up to his thighs, then peel it off again so he could remove his regular, non-diving shorts. Most of us like to do that before we start battling with our wetsuits. It was a very minor blunder, but a blunder all the same. Since I am a loyal dive buddy, I will not point out that Mary's tank separated from her BC three times during the trip. [And I won't tell them about the time you tried to hide behind me during a triggerfish encounter - Mary.] I also have no intention of mentioning an incident that occurred during a hike to the top of Similan Island #4. The trail was steep and there were several spots with ropes to aid the climber. I can't print most of the remarks that emanated from (Princess) Ann's lips as she scrambled up and down, but she did squeak loudly when she slipped and landed on her royal rump. Too bad the paparazzi weren't on hand for photographs. We never did solve the mystery of the bald guy, but we suspect it may have been Richard's alter ego. Richard certainly seemed to be aware of his presence: whenever we were playing cards, he was always waiting for another player who didn't exist. We just assumed he was daft, but perhaps there was another explanation... All in all, it was a wonderful trip. The boat and crew were excellent. The food was very good and there was always plenty of it. We had a great group of people who got on well. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone... but with one caveat. Never, ever follow a bald guy you do not know. |
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