The Price of Paradise and Lessons Learned
Today was another good day on C’cou as it marked the day of my first dive since I was here last in 1998. I felt quite clumsy, but Claudia of Carriacou Silver Divers is a very good and patient instructor. We weet to Sandy Island with another guide and a couple, John and Agie (sp?), and while they went on a dive around the reef,Claudia guided me through a few essential exercises; mask clearing, out of air sharing, and buoyancy control.
We thought we had the weights right, but after we entered the water, I could not descend until Claudia added a couple of kilos to my belt and then down we went. Even though I felt rather clumsy, she told me that I did well and within another couple of dives I would be much more comfortable.
Wonderful! Even though this was a short 30 minute dive, I was reminded of the beauty and stunning diversity of coral life, and why Carriacou is called “the island of reefs.” I’m also looking forward to my next dive, tomorrow.
Tomorrow will also mark 1 week since I injured my back – yet again! It was on Thursday last that I helped some folks raise a small sailboat that had sunk at its mooring. She was sitting on the bottom with the gunwales awash, so we were able to remove the lead ballast and being a wooden boat, she kinda floated even full of water.
This way we were able to pull her in closer to shore and bail her out. An earlier search along the beach returned the few deck panels that floated away, but we couldn’t find the tiller. We searched around the area where she sank as the water was only waist deep, but couldn’t find it.
We did find an old ‘lost’ anchor and chain that had been used as a mooring. It was while I was helping a couple of guys pull the anchor up out of the mud and sand that I over exerted myself and likely when I blew out my back again.
The damage wasn’t readily apparent as I was having so much fun… I had never done anything like this and was stoked that I was able to help. My back was sore, but it’s always a little touchy and I didn’t really notice my back had really been damaged until Monday AM when I woke up and could hardly move or get up out of bed.
Not recalling the heavy lifting I immediately jumped to the worse possible case that my back had suffered a spontaneous injury! I was totally freaked out! My back had sabotaged my vacation and I could think of no way that I’d be able to do anything but suffer a 2-day return to the states and home for treatment.
Waking at 4am, in severe pain, unable to move left me plenty of time to worry myself into quite a state. Scared and freaked out, I sent off a few emails to friends and my chiropractor, Dale Jacobson pleading for help. Thankfully, it was even earlier back home; C’cou is now 3 hours ahead of Calif.
My friend and host Dave gave me some advil about 8am and within another hour I was able recall the heavy lifting as the cause to send follow up emails letting folks know that things were not as bad as I first imagined.
Ahhh pain-killer! Better living through chemistry! Yea and verily!
That and lying flat on my back and resting reduced the pain to a manageable level, so I was even able to take a bus into town and pass by the dive shop to ask their advice about diving while recovering form this self-induced back foo.
Max and Claudia are great folks and have been operating their dive shop since 1993 and so knew just about everyone on the island, including Genevieve, a French woman, who does good massage. A quick phone call and I was set for a massage the next day.
Such an amazing place, C’cou, solutions and lessons at easy hand. I should have never strained so hard on that anchor, lesson re-learned … I should have never spend almost an entire Sunday sitting at the laptop doing updates, ‘nother lesson learned … I have many friends here and back home that supported me with exercises and caring concern… and I needn’t freak out at the first sign of trouble.
Ok, that’s enough sitting at the ‘puter for now… don’t wanna forget what I just learned.
