It's hard to believe that a month has already gone by. I could only hope that the next 5 months are just as special.

Work continues to be interesting and progress is steady. The hatchery is our main priority, as it must be completed in 3 weeks time. It is very time consuming work but all the pipework has been laid and filters installed. The tanks will arrive in a couple of weeks. We will grow algae, brine shrimp, and breed several species of fish. I have also been spending much time working with students during their excursions to mangroves, rocky shores, and sandy shores. The junior high students (grade 8) are very witty and incredibly grateful for what we do. At the end of each excursion, a representative student personally thanks us. I have also been researching marine studies topics such as mangroves and seafood processing in order to put together lessons for students. Tomorrow I will buy 6 clownfish (like Nemo) and start breeding them in our aquarium room.

Last Saturday I finally did my first dive. It was part of an annual harbour clean-up, so we collected rubbish on the seafloor next to the breakwater. It was a pretty awful dive to say the least. In visibility that was no more than 2 meters, trying to keep an eye on my dive buddy made it near impossible to look for any rubbish (or sea creatures for that matter). All the while, the swell had built up and it was a struggle to keep from being slammed against the concrete blocks of the breakwater. The highlight was pulling out a shopping trolley (cart). After the dive, all the participants received gifts and enjoyed a barbie (barbeque).

Another first was finally using my surfboard. I went with a work mate and the Christian surfers group to a Saturday barbie and surf. I stayed where I could stand and tried to ride the small breakers but I wasn't able to stand up without keeping my hands on the board. The rip current was really strong and it took a lot of effort to keep from being swept out (the good surfers use the current to catch a ride back out after surfing a wave). The barbie afterwards was really fun and relaxing and I finally got to kick around a soccer ball (it had been way too long). All the popular surfing beaches have really big grills for public use. On Sunday evening I went to their church, which was really cool. The service was more like a rally for God, the building (not like a church at all with only metal chairs set up) complete with a stage and huge video screens. The band was really good and the priest was more like a motivational speaker. The people that go are all younger and really cool.

I also went for a surf last Friday with a few others right after work. We took off from work a bit early a walked to the beach right nearby. It was heaps of fun and I finally stood up for a few seconds (I was using a huge malibu board which was a little like standing on a boat). I can imagine how awesome it must be to be able to ride an entire wave. It will be a long time before I experience it.

I still get up every morning for sunrise even though it gets earlier and earlier. I always run into the same people doing their morning routines (the early risers are are always the friendliest as a general rule). There have been some spectacular sunrises. The fisherman have gotten use to and expect my presence every morning. I got a real treat one morning from the fisherman who had just returned on a prawn trawler. They cooked the prawns on board and kept giving me handfuls to eat right there. They were so sweet and the best seafood I've ever had.

Last Sunday I went out with a commercial handlining fisherman both as part of my research and for fun. We left at 2:00am and traveled about 30km out to (a 3.5 hour boat ride) the edge of the continental shelf. We caught several bar cod (one weighting 17.5 kilos), about a dozen gemfish, and a couple ocean perch. Our catch was worth about $400-500 (though we barely broke even with the cost of petrol). I took sea sickness tablets as a precaution and thank god I did. However, with the tablets, the rocking of the boat and the humming of the motor, I couldn't stay awake for more than hour-long periods and took several long naps. The life of a fisherman is nothing to envy though the money can be quite good.

The people coming through the hostel continue to be really interesting. Incredibly, I have yet to meet another American. There have been mostly Canadians, Germans, Brits, Swedes, Japanese, and Australians. It has become easy to generalize about the people of each nationality. The Brits and Australians have a great sense of humor while the Swedes and Germans especially are all business. I recently met a couple of hilarious British girls. I have never had a conversation with any of my Japanese roommates, as they seem more intent on their video games and cell phones. Interestingly, in meeting all these people from different nationalities, I can't distinguish between accents from English speaking people anymore.

There are many things to look forward to. Starting Wednesday of this week I will be spending a week at a lab up north sorting some samples collected at remote islands in the Southern Ocean. Apparently the surfing and fishing is great. Also, as soon as the water visibility clears up my work mate said he'd take me spearfishing. I haven't had the opportunity to take any underwater pictures, but I will post some others hopefully tomorrow.

Until next time!