Quarantine Diaries: Sun and salt

Quarantine Diaries: Sun and salt

Quarantine photo diary: From 03.15.2020

Ian and I wanted to get out of the house and move our bodies. The tide was at high noon, so I lathered up in reef safe sunscreen and put on a large hat for extra SPF. Ian picked up our paddle boards, and we head to the mostly empty beach.

We had to check first. We wouldn’t have gone if there were lots of people around… social distancing at work.

After much excitement and barking, we decided to let Yodi come with us. It was her first swim in about a month! She has just a few more days to go to complete her heart worm medication before we can start re-introducing her to higher levels of activity. She was a total champ, and only used moderate energy when she jumped in the water for a swim. She seemed to know that she wasn’t supposed to be swimming too much too hard, so she got back on the board after a few minutes at a time. She looked so happy!

Last week, we had record setting hot temperatures in American Samoa… 92 degrees. The king tides (meaning higher high tides and lower low tides) also occurred at the same time. The reef flat was exposed to the scorching midday sun so I was nervous to see how the coral looked when we jumped in to cool off. Thankfully, it didn’t look too bad! There was definitely some bleaching in the shallower flats, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed they stay resilient for the rest of the summer.

What are you doing for your quarantine weekends?

 

My home on the reef

My home on the reef

My home on the reef.

I had come home from work and the tide was high and the sun was low in the horizon.

It was one of those days where the weather is just right, and the water is inviting you in. 

Shiny

Coconut Point sunset

DaFins

*sighs* marine debris *smh*

dip dive

staghorn coral village

underwater home

porites

clarity

perspective

wish upon a starfish

it was a blur

do you see it?

moray eeeeeeel

ready for his closeup

always love these views

a diverse environment

Summer’s coming

Summer’s coming

The tradewinds are calming down.

It’s bittersweet to know that summer is on its way.

I’ll miss the windy breeze blowing in from the beach to keep us cool at home. 

At the same time, I’m looking forward to flat seas and getting in the water more. 

We went out last week and the wind had just come down from 30 knots to a more manageable wind speed for swimming at the beach. Our friend’s daughter, Eve, was out playing with her friend when saw us heading out and asked to come snorkeling with us. She went without fins, and did surprisingly well swimming against the current. I’m so happy to get back in the water and see my fish friends again.

Dear summer, more days like these, please.

I’m a LifeProof Ambassador!

I’m a LifeProof Ambassador!

I’m a LifeProof Ambassador!

 


 

 

The Back Story

Remember how I lost my phone at the Nu’uuli waterfall several weeks ago? You can read that story here.

[Cliff notes: We narrowly escaped a flash flood and I’ve been a bit traumatized to go back to find it.]

I figured it was a goner at that point, thinking it would have been swept away by a stream or hidden deep in the muddy rainforest.

Well, 2 weeks later, my co-worker Val and I went back to show some visitors to the waterfall, and Val found my phone! I was so excited and relieved.

I inspected the phone and saw some mold behind the home button screen (it was an iPhone 6s so the home button has a small clear flimsy film that keeps the button from getting wet). I wasn’t keeping my hopes up that it would turn back on, and I had already ordered a new iPhone which was on the way. But just in case, I bought a small bag of rice, pulled off the LifeProof case and tucked my iPhone in the bag of rice. I went away to Apia for the long weekend, leaving my phone behind still sitting in rice.

Cut to a few days later… Ian and I just got back from our long weekend trip. I was putting my stuff away, and saw the bag of rice that contained my iPhone. Not thinking too much about it, I plugged it in to the wall charger, and saw that it was charging. I felt a little spark of hope, and showed it to Ian. He said to keep it charging and see what happens. It could have a damaged screen, or the buttons might not work, or maybe the camera wouldn’t flash, or the audio might just not work anymore. I wasn’t holding my breath… I went back to my usual lounging around and decompressing after time traveling. But then, a couple of hours later, I went back to check on the phone, and it was all charged up and seemed to be working like nothing even happened! Like, a technological Frankenstein!

Now that it’s working completely normally, I must admit. I low-key kind of knew that my phone was going to survive because it was in the LifeProof case.

I was going to go back to the waterfall the day after the flash flood but I felt a bit scared to go back. And then I was gonna try going back with Sara and Chase a few days later after work, but it was raining and again, I was still a bit terrified. I might have also been a tad bit lazy, but that’s besides the point. However, I knew better than to keep my hopes up after finding it 2 weeks later. I love my LifeProof case, but like I mentioned before, I thought it was a goner. So you can imagine how incredibly stoked I was to see it come back to life!

My friends jokingly told me I should reach out to LifeProof to get sponsored. Instead, I did what all millennials with an instagram account do, I posted on instagram and tagged LifeProof (in hopes they would see it). Well, they did! Someone at LifeProof messaged me asking to be a brand ambassador, and I was like YES! We corresponded on emails and yeah, I’m a LifeProof Ambassador now!

What does it mean to be a brand ambassador?

In my completely newbie experience, I’ve learned it means pretty much exactly what it sounds like–I rep LifeProof by using their products (which I already was doing before!). The cool thing is that they sent me a big box filled with a bunch of phone cases and a sweet new backpack, and in return I just had to send them a couple of photos that they could eventually use–kind of like as a real-life advertisement. I’m essentially telling my stories about how I use (and abuse) my phone, and how the LifeProof phone case has been a true life-saver! There really is no other phone case I would rather use.

*Just a note, they aren’t paying me to blog about this. I did receive several cases for free though and a backpack (!!!) which I think is very cool. Does this make me an influencer?! LOL the answer is no. I actually hate that word 😛

Snorkeling in Ofu | Part 3

Snorkeling in Ofu | Part 3

A late addition, but I almost completely forgot about these photos I snapped on my last day in Ofu. Taken Jan 8, 2019, on a Canon G7X with housing, while snorkeling in the To’aga lagoon.

My favorite fish

Testing out the camera settings / say hi to Rick and Polly!

Two fish out of water 😉

Porites coral

Acanthurus lineatus

Abudefduf sexfasciatus over porites coral

Fungia coral polyp

Fungia coral polyp

Fungia coral polyp

Cephalopholis argus

Cephalopholis argus

Abudefduf sexfasciatus

Chrysiptera biocellata

Chrysiptera biocellata

Chaetodon citrinellus

Chaetodon citrinellus

Chaetodon citrinellus

Chaetodon citrinellus

More snorkeling / fish photos here and here.

Snorkeling in Ofu – Part 2

Snorkeling in Ofu – Part 2

More underwater living treasures photographed while snorkeling in the shallows of To’aga lagoon during low tide.

I’ll do my best to ID what I can at some point, but comment below if you see any you know!

Ichthyologists, please chime in!

Photos from January 7, 2019.

Thanks to Mareike S. for letting me borrow your Canon G7X and housing, and Rick M. for shooting with me!

View more Ofu underwater pics here.

Snorkeling at To’aga Beach – Part 1

Snorkeling at To’aga Beach – Part 1

The underwater marine life in Ofu is just beyondddd!

I have amassed quite a few photos of fish and coral during our 2 weeks in Ofu. I’m constantly dazed and amazed at To’aga beach and the National Park of American Samoa on Ofu island.

Here’s part 1 of snorkeling photos.

(View more underwater photos here)

I’m still trying to ID all the different fish and coral, so if you know any of these, please let me know in the comments below!

fire coral

Strongylura incisa – needlefish

Oxymanacanthus longirostris

fire coral of some sort

Acanthurus triostegus / Acanthurs guttatus

Chrysyptera taupou

Porites coral

Acanthurus triostegus – convict tang

Porites coral

Acanthurus nigricans / Acanthurus nigroris / Ctenochaetus striatus / Halichoeres hortulanus

Acanthurus guttatus / acanthurus striatus / 

christmas tree worm 

fire coral

Acanthurus triostegus – convict tang

acropora

Chlorurus frontalis

Porites cylindrica??

manini

Snorkeling at To’aga Beach | Ofu Photo Journal

Snorkeling at To’aga Beach | Ofu Photo Journal

Talofa from Ofu island!

We arrived on Thursday, December 27th on the only flight of the week. I’m with Ian and his parents, Rick and Polly. It’s their first time here, and Ian and I have been here before. We’re all elated to be here. We walk off the airstrip directly to the front door of Vaoto Lodge to check in with owner Deborah Malae, and were greeted by familiar faces – our neighbors from Tutuila, Mark and Alice, are also here for the week; and Jamie and Hallie from the Institute of Bird Populations (IBP) invite us over on their truck to Ofu village to check out a kingfisher that they were rehabbing.

Then we head off straight towards To’aga beach, about a 15-minute walk from the Lodge. We lather up in our favorite reef-safe sunscreen, and have a snack on the beach. Ian is the first in the water, as always; and I can tell just by looking at him that the water is perfect. I set up the Canon G7X and underwater housing that my friend Mareike was super kind to let me borrow, and follow behind Rick and Polly and sigh a happy sigh. How lucky am I?!

We snorkel towards an area that science folks refer to as “Pools 300” and that’s where we are met by mounds and mounds of beautiful and healthy porites coral heads and schools of manini (convict tangs) and needlefish, and so much life. My snorkel mask has a constant fogging problem, but Ian uses his magic spit to help clear it up and I hand him the camera to take photos too. I am grateful to be here, feeling alive in Ofu, underwater, and seeing this beauty. Thanks babe!