Fallen Feo Lives!

Well I suppose nature is more compassionate than we might previously have thought. Fallen Feo has been struck vigorously with the lucky stick. Not only is he still alive but seems to have more feathers and putting on some weight.
Indeed he is actually being taken care of by what I assume are his parents. Who else would try and help something like Feo? I have seen the female sneaking up on the nest and dropping down to drop off a snack for Feo on many occasions. I also see a male around watching and shrieking out the danger call. He is usually a good distance (100 ft) away and up high in a safe place when he does this shrieking. It is pretty effective I suppose. This appears to be his sole function as a parent and I must say he does it well. But the female comes and goes with surprising regularity. She stops up on the roof next door first. Then she flies over to the fence on the West side. Then when the coast is clear moves to the ledge just above Feo. She then walks that ledge from tip to tip, all the way to the East then the West side. Once the ledge is secure she stops over the top of Feo's new position. She looks at him intently for about a minute. Feo , of course responds to this. He pokes his little head up and opens up a mouth that you would swear was from a different animal. It is as if his whole head turns inside out to make the mouth target big enough for mom to see. No sound, just a big gapping mouth that needs to be satisfied. Mom of course does the motherly duty. She darts down to the nest and feeds the little guy beak to beak. She is only there for a quick stop then off to gather more grub.

It seems the tree hugger in me is healthier than I thought. I actually find myself curious and protective. I don't want anyone to bother the nest. It is right next to my truck and in order to get past it you have to walk withing 2 feet of Feo's little nest. This concerns me and I have thought of other locations more suited but moving him again might be asking too much from the lucky stick powers. I should have found a better place for him at first but I was just sure he would be dead by morning so I didn't look too hard for a new site. So I find myself guarding the nest. I scold Priva (Dad's dog) if she gets too close. I stay clear as much as I can. Today when Sandy came over I actually thought to ask her to keep her voice down. I didn't ask her cuz for Sandy that is like telling her to shut up which in turn would be like cutting off one of her arms. Just rude so I refrained.
It appears Feo has a chance of survival here. The nest is still in place but I don't know whether it will hold up if he gets to be a great big fat guy. I didn't think to tie the thing down or anything. Maybe I should get some zip ties and secure it? Hate to seem him fall again. Then he would be the Fallen Fallen Feo. Not good.

The Saga lives on.
Update in 2 more days.

Good deeds

So we got this crazy ripen wind out of the South a few days ago. It was the super strong and out of the wrong direction. Our usual wind is from the East or Northeast. Any strong winds only come from the north or West. Diving conditions are still good as long as you don't too far offshore where it gets pretty choppy.
Anyway, I have this long skinny palm tree in my back yard which you would think could bend over and hit the ground if the wind blew hard enough. It is loaded with coconuts which make it sway even farther than normal. I try to park my truck as far away as possible to avoid insurance claims do to rogue coconut damage. I think the insurance company has an exemption and wouldn’t pay anyway.

This big wind apparently caught the local wildlife off guard as well because I found 6 inch bird nest on the ground next to my truck and a rogue coconut. It was a pretty nice nest and fully intact. I looked at it for a few minutes admiring the craftsmanship and detail of the weave thinking "I wonder if the birds had home owners insurance and would that be covered or exempt in the fine print of the policy?" Feeling sad for the birds which would need to start the construction anew I tossed the nest in a pile of leaves thinking they might use the materials to rebuild.
As I turn around to get in my truck I notice my Dad's dog Priva, licking something on the ground. Further investigation and my keen sense of curiosity revealed it to be a baby bird. The thing looked to be about 2 weeks old. It's eyes were not open, it was a little smaller than my fist and had a couple straggly indications of future feathers sticking out of its scrawny wings. It could not move itself much. Lying on the brick floor with a big dog licking it was surely not where it would have preferred to spend the afternoon. I picked it up and gave it the once over. Ugly thing, damn!!!! Mother birds are amazing to be able to look after a creature that nasty looking. Oh My God! If you were to create a horror movie villain from a nightmare it would have prettier features than this bird.
However being the tree hugger, nature lover, in a good mood kinda guy that I am I felt sorry for it. I was sure it was in dire condition. What do to? Leave on the ground to fend for itself (cruel), Feed it to Priva to end it's suffering? (she wouldn't eat it), smash it with a shovel to end its suffering? (maybe), find a shoe box take it in the house and learn to regurgitate partially digested worms to feed it? (not likely), search the net for baby bird rearing techniques? (probably have a lot there) climb up the palm tree of eternal peril to return said baby monster to its parents? (not going to happen).
In the end I picked up the discarded nest and put the little guy inside. I looked for a place off the ground yet close to the palm tree in hopes that the parents might find him. As I drove away I figured he would be dead in a few hours and it would not be a pleasant death. But nature is cruel and perhaps so am I.
Low and behold 2 days later the little beast is still alive. I have not seen anyone tending it and pretty sure Priva's worm regurgitation skills are lacking, so I assume the parents are in stealth mode taking care of him.
Hum... interesting nature story. Beats the hell out of caged camel at the front door stinking up the place. Why not do my first nature documentary.
So without further ado I humbly present to you The Fallen Feo.

Ill take pictures every couple days and keep you posted of Fallen Feo's progress.
If the story turns out sad it is not my fualt. Please don't aleart PETA and rat me out saying Scubatony is a torturer of ugly wildlife. I am but a humble observer now and nature will tell the tale from here.

test map

View Larger Map

I am hoping that this map shows up and I can use it to keep my locations plotted during my trip. Ill put my post up and include this Google image of where I am . I wish I could find a way to mark it with a pin or something but I will just zoom into the best spot on the map in order to mark my position during my trip.

Cozumel haps

It is a windy day here in Cozumel and according to Lyle it may snow. I am skeptical on that still but who knows. Global warming is coming right?
The island is booming with spring breakers roaming around consuming mass quantities of assorted alcohol and generally adding a rowdy energy to the island.
The diving has been sweet lately. Had some really great folks visiting from Colorado last week. Bill and Nicole were tons of fun on the boat and Kara (from Canada) made some good photo ops on the dive boat. Carlos and I have been really busy lately. This is my first chance to rest in the last 3 weeks so I thought I would write a little update.
On a business note, it looks like Scubatony.com is getting a really nice new face lift soon. The new site is just beautiful. It will maintain the same easy feel of navigation while integrating new graphics and more, more, more pictures that are in a sideshow format to view. Also hoping to have some nice video space integrated as well. Of course I will make the announcement when the site goes live. Anyone think of anything that they would like to see on the site now would be a good time to let me know.











I am hoping to start a new adventure this summer. I recently (thanks to Sandy and Lyle for working out the deal in Colorado) bought an 06 Kawasaki KLR 650. It is a rugged jeep of a motorcycle. Hard hauling, hard hauling tried and true piece of Japanese engineering that is basically unchanged for the last 15 years. It is simple in design and amost indestructable. This indestructability is why I chose it becuase I will be pushing it and myself to the limits of our endurance on the haul road of Alaska. The heading is Prudo bay on the Arctic Ocean. I need to get up there before the weather gets ugly in September then ride all the way down the Pacific coast of the States, into Baja Mexico and back to Cozumel before high season starts. Most of the trip is still up in the air but if I am lucky and can work out all the details, get all the gear, make arrangements here and get underway before August 1st. If I can pull it off expect this blog to be full of activity for the trip, assuming there is internet connection above the Arctic circle.

Wilma part 8

10:27 PM Tuesday night Cozumel. Wilma is long gone but her legacy lives on and on.

Wind is light out of the North and there are a billion bright stars shining down on us.

Well, where to begin. It seems the last 48 hours have lasted even longer than the first 48 hours while Wilma was beating us into submission! We gave up a long time ago but she just kept on throwing punches. Where was the referee on this match anyway? So much has transpired! Encarna and I have gone through just about every emotion you can think of. We have laughed, and cried and yelled and fallen apart to the point where we thought we could not go on.

The biggest thing right now is the exhaustion. We have done so much physical labor that we have called the “The Wilma Diet Plan”. All the ladies in the states should try it. It is guaranteed to leave you trim and fit. It started during the storm when we could only sleep a few hours if that. Combine that with nervous, scared, panicked anxiety that keeps your stomach from sending hunger pains and the constant running around moping up and saving valuables and “Voila”, you just lost an inch around the waist!

So on Sunday we take a little hike up north to check on friends and loved ones that are isolated from town. We can’t take the car because there is this little lake we have to cross. The lake is 2-4 feet deep and it is about 1 km long. If ya throw in the fact that the crocodiles are known to frequent the area the journey becomes very exciting. We did not see the crocs. nor feel them beneath our feet, but the smell of that water made up for it. Pewww...

So after 2 hours travel time pushing our bicycles we made it to the first house (La Golondrina) we were looking for. It was a long trek and we were beat. We arrive to find the house is hurt badly but in better shape than the other four neighbors which were basically gutted. No one was staying in any of these places as they had all been boarded up and evacuated long before our visit from Wilma. La Golondrina is about 150 feet from the ocean without any protection except the storm shutters so we had expected the worst. It is a 2 story town house that had a beautiful garden and a spectacular view. We arrived to find that the house was largely in tact. The storm shutters were all good except for the main sliding glass doors on the bottom floor. They were gone and the glass doors were broken down. The other problem which the storm shutters had no protection for was that the neighborhood was under 3 feet of water which meant the house was really wet. I suppose underwater would be a better description. It was so wet that there were fish and crabs swimming around in the living room and kitchen. The back door was pushed in and water was trickling through into the kitchen and seeping up from the drains. Our first concern was to get the water level down but that would mean draining the whole neighborhood. We did not have any pumps or generators but we did find a pick and shovel that the owner Lyle, had in his wonderful tool supply. During the storm a huge pile of sand and seaweed and debris had piled up and made a damn just outside the sliding glass doors. It was 7 ft high 15 ft wide and stretched across all the yards for about 200 ft. This damn damn was now blocking the water from returning to the ocean. The water was going to need some help. So we cut a canal about 12 feet long and 7 feet deep through the damn of debris so the water could escape. As the water cut through it made the canal larger and larger and we helped it by trimming along the sides to widen the ditch. Within 2 hours we had a pretty good canal going and the pressure of the water was helping cut through even faster. Now this canal cutting is hard work. In fact we both were completely exhausted with blistered hands and soggy feet but it was worth it. Now the fish and crabs had a path and most of them took advantage of it and headed back to sea.

We were tired and it was late but we had to check on Nicole and guests at Casa Viento before night fall. She was just up the street and when we arrived we were greeted with open arms. We were the first visitors they had seen since before Wilma. They weathered (all pun intended) the storm well and were in good spirits with a lot of work ahead of them. Nicole said they saw the eye for almost 2 hours and have video and pictures of it. We exchanged stories and information on how the island had fared and what was going on but it was getting dark and we needed to return soon.

When we got back to Golondrina we decided it was too late to return through the lake zone so we stayed at Golondrina for the night. Sandy and Lyle were wonderfully prepared for this event. Lyle was visiting his house but had caught a plane out of here on Wednesday before the storm but he left the place well stocked. We set up for the night with candles and got dinner ready. Pasta and caned tomato sauce never tasted so good. I was exhausted physically and mentally. I had a moment at sunset to walk out to the water and sit down. I had not sat all day. As I sat down on the rocks and looked out across the still angry sea I lost it. I started thinking about the series of events that Encarna and I had been through and I started to cry. It was like a little package of trash I had been storing in my soul had to be taken out. It felt good to get rid of it. I cried hard for about 15 minutes with Encarna by my side. They were the most satisfying tears of my life.

That night we spent drinking good gin and eating like kings. There was a steak in the freezer that was still cold after almost 72 hours. We shared it and loved it. We went to sleep completely spent with candles all around the room and a river going through the kitchen down stares. If it were not for all that was going on it would have been a very romantic evening.

So the “Wilma diet plan” is not an easy automatic diet plan. You can’t just take a pill and expect results. It is a plan that takes many joined events. You need a big hurricane, a beautiful tropical island, a strong sense for preservation and the will to keep going no matter how bad it gets. Make sure you get your doctors permission before starting any diet...

To be continued..........

Wilma part 7

These are the continuing stories I wrote during the madness which is still in progress! We are cleaning and rebuilding. It has been an amazing experience. I have 155 important emails to get through so be patient and I will get to everyone who wrote and wished us well. We are healthy and don’t need anything. We are helping a lot of people that are less fortunate than we are.

Thank you all for your concerns and support!

3:03 am on Friday morning. Still 5 hours away from Wilma's full gale.

The power just went out. I am glad I got to finish my video. I am surprised it lasted this long. Encarna has been sleeping. I am glad. The wind outside sounds like a monster. This monster is hungry. It is chewing and thrashing everything in its path and its hunger grows stronger as does its rage.

I have no way of knowing how hard the wind is blowing other that to say it is at least twice as hard as when I went out at 10:00 pm. The blasts of water are flying past my door in a constant stream. It is hard to describe the intensity of this monster. The streams of water are being moped around on the asphalt like a huge broom is just sweeping it up. I can’t imagine it getting more intense than it is right now.

For now all our defenses are holding up. There is a little trickle of water coming in the back door but it is just the wind pushing it sideways against the door and drips find thier way under it. We have to go mop it up every hour or so. We have lit candles now which gives the room a soothing light. The wick is flickering around but from where the breeze comes I can’t figure. It can not be related to the blast that is happening outside. For now this little concrete bunker is keeping us safe and warm.

If this intensity does not increase we will be okay. Unfortunately I know that it will increase for at least 5 more hours. Which means the island is in grave danger. Not a big surprise but still sad.

I can’t sleep. I am anxious, excited and pensive. Now the hard part begins.

Since I can no longer post these notes I am just going to save them as a running stream. I hope I can send them out soon.

To be continued….

7:29 Saturday evening. The Bitch has moved on. (thank God!)

I have not been able to continue this journal as I had hoped. It seems that Wilma had other plans for me for the last 36 hours. I have been busy and running and going pretty crazy. First of note, the house we rent did very well. The whole time it never let us down. With all the wind and heavy rain we got a great deal of water coming in the windows and under the doors. This meant we were almost constantly moping, toweling and desperately trying to keep the house dry. Water was blowing in under the doors and 5 of our seven windows were leaking substantially the entire time. It got so bad at one point last night (about 1 am) that Encarna and I took turns working while the other got a nap.

At 3:30 on Friday afternoon we had a 30 min break in the action. The eye of the storm apparently came very close to us. We never saw and it never got clear but we did have a slow down in the wind and rain for about 30 min. It was just long enough to go outside and fix a few things that needed work and have a quick bite to eat. Then just as if it had never slowed, it went back into full force gale and rain again.

During the night the tin roof on the carport had seen enough and decided it was going to leave. The wind was at full tilt. I would say well above 100 mph. It was dark and these huge pieces of twisted metal had pulled free and were thinking about eating my truck and motorcycle below. This did not set well with me. I knew I would need that truck later. I had to do something. Encarna was not happy about it but we devised a plan. I would dawn my wetsuit, Keen sandals and full face motorcycle helmet to try to save my truck. Encarna was going to close the door behind me and then go to the bedroom window to watch me. I would move the truck and run back inside as soon as I could and return to the back door to safety. This seemed like a good idea at the time. When we opened the back door it pushed open hard. As I slid the latch on the screen door open it yanked out of my hand and flung against the house. I stepped out and tried to stay on my feet. Luckily there was a wall and house nearby which blocked most of the wind, so I could stay up but the wind was really making it hard to move. As I got to the truck I already had the key in my hand. For a brief second I thought "what if this thing won’t start"? As I opened the door something big and heavy hit the top of my helmet, “good call on the lid” I thought. I moved the car up 15 feet away from the swinging corrugated steel. The door was hard to open because of the wind but that made it really easy to close behind me. I got the truck started and moved it up out of the way of the swinging metal. Then I looked back at my motorcycle and decided I was not going under the swinging metal again. The little Suzuki would have to fend for itself. So I ran back the back door and banged on it for Encarna to open.

That was our plan. Seemed simple at the time. But it did not open. When it did not open I banged again but still no opening occurred. This was a little dis concerning to me. I was starting to get worried because the palm leaved from the house next door were waking the hell out of me as I stood next to the closed door. Finally she opened up and I was most appreciative. It turns out she had never seen me from the window and didn’t know where I had gone. It was a very surreal moment falling through the back door with a helmet on in the middle of a class 5 hurricane at night. We both had to push hard to close the door behind me. I think I won't go out again. Lesson learned.

7:00 am Saturday

When day broke this morning there was an obvious slow down in the wind. It was still blasting but we could tell it was slowing. We were not sure (because we had been cut off from everything since 3:00 am Friday) but we thought that the Bitch (capital out of respect) was moving away. This gave us some hope, which we really needed, that the end was near. It took until 3:00 pm this afternoon before we could even think about leaving the house. It was still probably a class 1 or 2 storm but after seeing the same walls for so long I needed to get out. We dawned our wetsuits, grabbed the camera and headed out.

We were not really prepared for what we saw. The level of destruction was amazing. Power lines were lying all over the place and hanging down from poles. The trees and bushes were just sticks waving in the wind. Every leaf had been stripped clean from the branches. Debris was everywhere. The photos you see on the news don’t compare to the real thing. It really shook us up. As we walked toward the water front every view was more shocking than the last. Every street was packed with debris. Abandon cars were in the middle of the street. Concrete walls had fallen over and littered the streets with rubble. The ocean was still angry. You could see 15 foot waves in the distance. The first thing I looked for from a distance was the sea wall. It was the protector that, if standing I thought would save our water front. As we got closer I could see it was in tact. I had hope for the island. But when we rounded the corner on the water front all hopes were gone. Complete devastation! The buildings for the most part were in tact but they had all been stripped clean and piles of debris were lying around where the sea had left them. There were some people looking through the debris. At first you might think they were cleaning up or helping out. That was not the case. For those of you that know Cozumel you know that 80 % of the water front is jewelry stores, which means that the people sorting through the piles were looting. This brought me down to a very low place but not as low as what I would see next.

The farther we walked the more devastation we saw. Each store looked worse than the last. I felt sick to my stomach and Encarna was not doing well either. Then in the distance something caught my eye. I had an idea of what it might be but was not sure what it was and it looked out of place. I asked Encarna to wait there while I confirmed what I saw. What I saw was pale white, like concrete rubble. There was part of a yellow rain coat attached to it. When I finally got close the naked body of a dead man was more shocking to me than I thought it would be. I had thought that it was possible but had hoped it was not real. He was face down on the street and pale white and swollen from all the water. This image can never leave my mind now.

When I told Encarna what it was she got very scared and nervous and wanted to call her family. As we returned we saw some friends and they said their cell phones still worked. Encarna called and felt better. We visited with them for an hour or so and it was nice to have some friendly contact again. They had found some baby sea turtle stranded on the street and were trying to rescue them. They looked so vulnerable but were still full of life. I hope they make it.

Now it is 8:14 and the wind is still blowing. It is probably still over 50 mph with gust much higher. Seems kinda pathetic after what we have lived through. We know it is the tail of the monster and that it will just keep getting weaker until morning. My friend Adrian said he has seen 6 hurricanes in his 30 years living in Cozumel. Wilma was by far the worst he had ever known. Tomorrow the cleanup will begin. The reality will be better understood and plans will have to be made. They say the power will be off for at least 2 weeks. The power grid seems to be at least 90% destroyed. I have no way of knowing what will happen now. My future here is uncertain but the next few weeks will show me my path. Encarna is not happy about any of this but she stuck by me the whole time. She was very scared but very brave in the face of what she was experiencing. I am sorry that she was here with me but so grateful for her too. My worries for her helped me not worry about myself.

The last 48 hours have been terrifying and exhausting. They qualify as a great adventure but they are not one I would ever like to repeat. I have been waiting to experience my first Hurricane for 5 years. Now that I have seen one first hand I hope to never see another.

No more adventure for a while. I am going to hold Encarna and fall asleep in her safe arms tonight.

Please help

I need pix! If you have any pix of your visits to Cozumel that you like please send them my way. I don't mind if they are big. up to one meg is fine. Hoping to use them in some of my new promo videos. We like to see happy people on vacation having mucho fun.


Please send pix to tony@scubatony.com





DISCLAIMER:
By sending digital photos to Scubatony SA de CV, you agree that they may be used for video clips and promotional material. Expressed or written authorization is neither implied nor denied. You accept that Scubatony SA de CV may transpose any or all digital images in any format required to accomplish said promotional goal, even if that includes looking silly or being set to campy music. Words jumble in my head as I try to be creative. You do hereby pinky swear not to take legal action or otherwise get mad at Scubatony SA de CV for any misinterpreted joke or poor judgment made by Scubatony SA de CV in the creation of such promotional videos. You also acknowledge that if you get famous and Hollywood calls you for a photo shoot, you bestow all credit for such fame to Scubatony SA de CV and further pinky swear to forward ten percent of all moneys or compensation from said Hollywood entity to Scubatony SA de CV forthwith. Whereby Scubatony SA de CV will withdraw from any further promo videos and begin a new career with said Hollywood entity as middle management/creative director.

Wilma part 6

10:25 Thursday night in beautiful windy Cozumel.

9 hours til Wilma looks at us with her big eye!

http://www.cancunmap.com/hurricane.html

I just got back from the waterfront. I think the proper expression here is Wow!!! I have never seen anything like that before. The waves crashing into the seawall are at least 10 feet and the wall of spray that is thrown up is 30-40 feet. The wind grabs the spray immediately and sends it south like a windshield wiper. I would estimate the wind at over 100 mph but don’t trust my judgment. Remember I have very little experience in this.

There is some damage to trees and a bit of debris piling up near the water front but the water is not approaching the buildings yet. There is about 6 inches of water on the main street but it is washing back out as fast as it gets splashed over the wall. There is no one on the street. I heard one person hammering but I could not see where he was. Perhaps he was nailing from inside.

As I walked I found it hard to keep my eyes into the wind. The wind hit my face like little spikes and I had to shield my face with my hands. At times the wind would gust and push me aside. It was not hard to stay upright but it was something I had to concentrate on. If I stayed in the corners of the buildings I was well sheltered from the wind. If I stepped out I felt very vulnerable. I can just imagine a tin can hitting me at that speed. It would hurt quite a bit.

I guess the sum of all this is that I won’t be going out again tonight. I am going to have to give the remaining reports from the confines of my house. It is made of good solid concrete and cinderblock. No worries for us but some others may have some trouble. Many of the homes inland a bit are not nearly as well fortified.

Wind is blasting and we just heard a big bang outside. It has begun and the rest of the evening will be even more exciting. We still have power for now. I hope it lasts.

It is really blasting right now. I think we caught a surge. So far so good!

Ciao 4 now

Tony

Wilma part 5

7:14 pm Thursday Live from Cozumel Mexico!!! Yehaa! 12 hours from “W” Day

http://www.cancunmap.com/hurricane/

I think that will be my last trip to the water front. Encarna called me home this time. The sun has set and with it the last of the lookie loos have sought shelter. The streets are deserted. I counted one pedestrian like me and 4 cars in 30 min. It is really quiet out there except for all the wind noise.

Wind is of course, still building. I would estimate gusts up to 80-90 knots now. I could not get a reading but it is super gusty and at times I felt like thing one, trying to negotiate the middle of the street. But I didn’t really want to walk on the sidewalks as the power lines were giving off a lot of little sparks. Each one made me think the power is the first thing to go here. The waves are slamming into the seawall with a powerful thud! Each wave sprays up into the air a blast of white water reaching 20 to 30 feet over the wall. The seawall is the only thing protecting the high rent district and all the stores on the water front. If it holds those places, we will be fine. If those places are fine, the rest of the island will be able to spring back too. The rain has just started to fall. It is not really heavy yet but it is making a lot of noise because it is driven by some intense wind. Encarna says “there is a nice breeze outside”.

There is a bit of seaweed and debris on the road behind the seawall. There is water building up but it is all draining away well. The water front looks deserted and I think some of the power has gone away. It just looks dark and ominous out there. The clouds are sweeping south pretty fast.

They said the eye is going to be really big and if it hits directly, there will be an hour or so with a clear sky over the whole island. Gotta see that!!

We are going to watch some movies and settle in until the power goes out. I will make some more observations and post them as I can but without going out there, I will be limited to my own perceptions and feelings. I guess feelings are part of hurricane watch too. Right??

Scubatony reporting live!!

Back to you in the studio Wendall!

Wilma part 4

6:05 pm Thursday, 14 hours till the eye makes Cozumel.

She is a big one!

Just back from the water front. Wind has increased quite a bit. Waves are much bigger too. I would have to estimate 6-8 foot swells which may not seem like much but for those of you that know the island, they are huge. I took some more pix. Still no rain to speak of but wind is a steady 40 knots and gusting to 65. Not a problem standing up in it but you really push against it for sure. There is almost no traffic out now but there are still a lot of people in small groups just watching the action. All have smiles on their faces and are wishing each other well. They all know what is going on and still no one can know for sure what is before us. It could really suck by tomorrow a.m. when the eye strikes the easy coast of the island. Luckily because of our coastal alignment and deep water right off shore we are not going to get a huge storm surge like most places. They are estimating about 11 feet. Still sucks for us but not as damaging as you might get elsewhere.

Officials say the effects will be strong for the next 15 hours. The eye is set to cross the top of us which means it could have 2 hours of calm in the middle then slammed again. That would be a good photo up no??

There is some water starting to splash up on the water front but it is less than 4 inches deep and draining off pretty well. The little pier at aquaworld is getting hammered but it seems okay for now. I took a short video clip of the wind but I don’t think I can post anything that large.

Obviously, we still have power and phone but they say they will shut down the power no matter what when the wind gets stronger. I will keep writing and try to post the notes when I can. I hope the phones stay up too. It has been really busy all day with wonderful people wishing us well. Thank you all for your concerns and prayers.

Reporting to you live from Cozumel Mexico, Scubatony.

Back to you in the studio Wendall!