Report from el Presidente

Official Sea Squad Report
From the desk of the President:
1.This summer Sea Squad will have scheduled dives. Sea Squadders will be
encouraged to catalog animals and plant life seen. Time and water visibility
etc
2. This summer Sea Squad will have a minimum of four beach partys.
3.Sea squadders are encouraged to feel good about themselves. You are part
of a CARING team.
4. Get in shape now. Sea Squadders are encouraged to do physical training.
Swimming.walking, running, free weights and aerobics are great ideas to make
your snorkeling this summer more enjoyable and safer.
5. Buy your gear now. Be prepared for summer. Mask, snorkel, fins, and a wet
suit are a must. I wear two wet suits plus a hood,bootys and gloves and I am
warm in the water.
Snorkeling is a wonderful experience and with friends its even better! Keep
this list and get ready. This summer is going to be great.
Sincerely,
MonkFish

3/20 Sea Weed

Exceptionally low tides have faciliated seaweed foraging this week. At Cooneymus I found bladderwrack, also known as rockweed, and collected a quantity of Irish Moss. According to Wild Man, Steve Brill, expert forager, bladderwrack must be cooked for an hour to be tenderized. I am going to try adding it to my lentil soup tonight, although my roommate Megsy does not have high hopes, commenting that it smells like something died in our house. The Irish moss is drying out. Once it turns white I will make the pudding blancmange with it, although I am tempted to make it this weekend for the Block Island Poetry Project teachers so they can get a true taste of the island. Today the tide was the lowest I've ever seen it off Ccopacatty's, one of the squad's favorite dive spots. With a pair of rubber boots,one could have walked to Guano Rock. Eel grass beds were exposed, as were rocks covered in copious bladderwrack. The real thrill for me, however, was finding several strands of kelp, known in Japanese as the delicious kombu, and one strand of sea lettuce. According to Brill, sea lettuce must be eaten immediately. I'll report later on its flavor and effects. Carol Payne showed me a seahorse she found lying on the beach last Sunday in this location. Today is the Spring Equinox. I look forward to diving with you all soon!
Whitewave

feb 27 2007 Arraial D'Ajuda, Brasil approx. 5pm

After a fun pick up futbol game on la playa with a bunch of italians and one killer brasilian futbol player... we all jump in the water to cool off... im treading water when i get a sharp painful sensation on my left ankle. i feel the burn a little bit further up again and realize i am being stung by a jellyfish. i cant speak italian or portuguese ( the common language was futbol prior to this moment) so i try and ask the guys if they know if there are "jellyfish " in this water... after a bunch of hand-motions and broken spanish they get the point im asking about " MEDUSAs" = italian term for jellyfish. they have no idea and jokingly tell me theres sharks but no medusas... i seriously tell them no, there are, i just got stung, and get out of the water... everyone looks at my ankle as it has swollen red marks all over it. katy tells me to go pee on it...i do not pee on it and say it will be fine. the guys buy a round of beers and i drink mine before we cheers ( im the a#%shole cheers-ing with an empty glass) and look down at my ankle a half hour later to see it perfectly back to normal... jellyfish cant hurt me! beer cures everything.
SpongeDiver

Sebastian Florida

IrishMoss and I had a great trip down to Florida. We saw plenty of wildlife with our heads above the water, and I was able to snorkel for a short time at Bathtub Reef in Stuart. Excellent dive spot for sure, and I thank MonkFish for his recommendation. Make sure you hit Bathtub at low tide.
I've included some photos and we're anxiously waiting for reports from three of our members that have ventured to the Caribbean.

GuitarFish