Ryan's Journal

"My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?" — David Mitchell

Se llama Gabi Loco

Posted from Cozumel, Mexico at 9:09 pm, June 19th, 2011

“My name is Gabriel, but you can call me Gabi Loco”. Those ominous words began our morning dive. “Gabi Loco” was our divemaster, and due to the weather suggested we dive nearby where visibility would be a bit better and we could watch him chase lion fish. An hour later, with a spear filled with seventeen lion fish in tow (remember: they are bad) Gabi Loco earned his tips by providing a free lunch for his six person dive team. The scary thought is that even after spearing nearly twenty lion fish, there were easily another fifty hanging out in the area we dived – without divers trimming their numbers they really would take over the reef.

The remainder of the day’s activities included a second dive, a lunch of lion fish tacos, and a run in the hotel’s sauna gym with a three-plus foot long iguana watching from a ledge outside of the window. The day concluded with our dive friends and Arturo, the hotel restaurant owner, enjoying a Mexican barbecue, many drinks, and more than a few laughs. Sadly, tomorrow is our last day of diving before we return to Cancun and fly home on Tuesday.

Gabi Loco and a Lion Fish

Gabi Loco showing off the poisonous spines of one of his many victims. They are pretty fish, but very bad for the reef. Photo by Audrey.

A spotted moray snacking on Gabi Loco’s string of speared lion fish. Video by Mark Hahn.

1 response to “Se llama Gabi Loco”

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