There is always a silver lining. After closing our waterfront store, staff Jorge and Izaura moved into SKBM’s base of operations to lower their living costs. We’ve continued to paddle together and work on creative projects such as making promotional videos and the pilot for an instructional video series.
Friendships have strengthened, paddling skills have improved, and hope stays alive. We even had an opportunity to practice our evacuation skills after an accident on the beach. The experience lent context to our discussions while taking an online risk management course together.
While out there, we’ve had terrific animal encounters, from leaping dolphins to an underwater migration of thousands of inch-long sea hares. Thanks to Jorge’s fishing prowess and kitchen creativity, we’ve eaten well whenever we camp. Moray eels have awed us with their attempts to swallow the resulting fish carcasses whole. The eels will even ride waves up onto the beach looking for more scraps. When they are momentarily stranded, they don’t move very well, and one even let me touch its tail without reacting. It was surprisingly soft and silky. I really don’t recommend this practice, however.
