Monday 10 November Life's a Dream

Sometimes there's a chance encounter which changes everything. We had one such moment a week ago. We'd anchored at Frewin island once more to have internet access and wondering where we (that's Jack and Sandy Zorana and us) where going next. The four of us had had a good dive at the Five Rocks site and with two weeks to go until we need to clear out we needed a plan.

As it was getting to dusk a large catamaran joined us in the bay.

The next morning David spotted two big cats sitting on the top of the catamaran called Life' A Dream. He called hello and showed the man on board our kitten. There was an exchange of pleasantries, English man on the cat, called Mike, spotted our dive kit hanging to dry and immediately asked if we'd like to join him and his wife diving that day. He explained they had a local dive guide on board, a compressor to fill tanks and lots of room. From that first hello, look we've got a cat too, we've ended up spending the last 8 days together diving the best sites of the Dampier Straits and dining together at night.

never spill a drink on a cat

Arif fills air tanks

Mike and Sharon

Chilling out between dives

Mike and Sharon are most welcoming,most generous people you could meet and the most fun. Jack and Sandy did the diving too and David and Jackie of Brigadoon came for snorkelling.

I've now seen many wobbegong sharks,always sleeping under rock ledges, huge schools of fish, some pygmy seahorses, mantas at Manta Sandy site and many more too numerous to mention.Sometimes there's a chance encounter which changes everything. We had one such moment a week ago. We'd anchored at Frewin island once more to have internet access and wondering where we (that's Jack and Sandy Zorana and us) where going next. The four of us had had a good dive at the Five Rocks site and with two weeks to go until we need to clear out we needed a plan.

As it was getting to dusk a large catamaran joined us in the bay.

The next morning David spotted two big cats sitting on the top of the catamaran called Life' A Dream. He called hello and showed the man on board our kitten. There was an exchange of pleasantries, English man on the cat, called Mike, spotted our dive kit hanging to dry and immediately asked if we'd like to join him and his wife diving that day. He explained they had a local dive guide on board, a compressor to fill tanks and lots of room. From that first hello, look we've got a cat too, we've ended up spending the last 8 days together diving the best sites of the Dampier Straits and dining together at night.

Mike and Sharon are most welcoming,most generous people you could meet and the most fun. Jack and Sandy did the diving too and David and Jackie of Brigadoon came for snorkelling.

Wobbegong shark

I've now seen many wobbegong sharks,always sleeping under rock ledges, huge schools of fish, some pygmy seahorses, mantas at Manta Sandy site and many more too numerous to mention.

From the Dampier Straits we took a trip in to Kabui Bay and dived the pass with Arif as the guide. Diving in the pass is an interesting thing with the currents ripping through, slowing, stopping momentarily (or not) and then switching back the other way. We had the current change half way through our dive and it was fortunate to have good surface cover because we finished where we started and not at the end of the pass as we'd expected.

Diving was only half the story. When we weren't in the water we were socialising on Life's A Dream. Sharon is a fantastic cook and no matter how often we tried to take our turn, the most we achieved was making a contribution. However, one night we did mange to have all over to Jackster for a pizza night.

Tonight was the final party on Life's A Dream. Sharon served a fabulous curry, Mike kept us topped up with beer and wine, stories shared, David told jokes and then the goodbyes. But as cruisers there's always a chance meeting somewhere along the line. David and Jackie are returning to NZ in Brigadoon. Mike and Sharon need to be in Manado in just over a week to collect guests and Zorana and Jackster are heading to Sorong to clear out from Indonesia destination Palau.

A happy chance meet up with Life's is almost a certainty because they live in Singapore and we'll be passing that way next year. And all this sparked from an early morning hello across the water.

From the Dampier Straits we took a trip in to Kabui Bay and dived the pass with Arif as the guide. Diving in the pass is an interesting thing with the currents ripping through, slowing, stopping momentarily (or not) and then switching back the other way. We had the current change half way through our dive and it was fortunate to have good surface cover because we finished where we started and not at the end of the pass as we'd expected.

David and Jack forced to eat cake

going through Kabui Pass

Diving was only half the story. When we weren't in the water we were socialising on Life's A Dream. Sharon is a fantastic cook and no matter how often we tried to take our turn, the most we achieved was making a contribution. However, one night we did mange to have all over to Jackster for a pizza night.

Tonight was the final party on Life's A Dream. Sharon served a fabulous curry, Mike kept us topped up with beer and wine, stories shared, David told jokes and then the goodbyes. But as cruisers there's always a chance meeting somewhere along the line. David and Jackie are returning to NZ in Brigadoon. Mike and Sharon need to be in Manado in just over a week to collect guests and Zorana and Jackster are heading to Sorong to clear out from Indonesia destination Palau.

A happy chance meet up with Life's is almost a certainty because they live in Singapore and we'll be passing that way next year. And all this sparked from an early morning hello across the water.  Sometimes life really is a dream.

sunset in Kabui Bay