Aitutaki, Friday 14th January 2005
There were no other tourist divers just me and Nathan. The first tank I tried had a worn “O” ring and was leaking bubbles slowly. Both dives were average. I may try less weight tomorrow as I felt I could not maintain a horizontal position effortlessly enough, indicating too much compensating air in my BCD, although my vertical buoyancy control was fine. I also descended quite quickly. We took out the smaller boat with greater acceleration. Nathan recalled a story where someone asked if they could smoke dope before going on a dive.
I had the usual burger in the centre of “town” investigated the road on the other side of the runway, swam near the bridge lagoon (between Aitutaki and the next atoll), came back for a strong coffee and coconut cake at Tauono’s in the shaded garden with mosquito coils on the benches. Tauono saw me deep in thought and we had one of those conversations where you immediately click and there is no exchange of conventional bullshit, only fast pure conversation. A couple were buying fruit including Star fruit. I believe the island night is next door tonight and I can faintly hear rehearsals now as I sit in my room. It is a bit early for sunset but I will try and catch it today at around 7.15pm