Saturday, a group of divers headed out to the Arundo in a two fold trip. First, we were in search of any gear left by our departed friend Yasuko Okada. Second we wanted to hold a brief memorial service for our lost companion. While the NOAA forecast was not good, the conditions could not have been better. Clearly someone up there was looking out for us.
I can not say enough about the kindness and consideration of the captain and crew! We were all still hurting. I still can not write this without tears. Some of us chose not to dive, and everyone understood why.
Thanks to the crew, our tie in was only a few feet from the original. In pairs, we all went over the wreck in separate directions. I went to the end of my inflatable slide reel with no joy. Stefan and Shelly found our target by going over the top of the debris. Back on the boat, plans were made to recover the gear, and mark the location. Rob recovered this on the second dive.
After the dives, we all gathered at the stern to honor our lost friend. Captain Jim started off with a brief reflection, then Rob tried to say a few words of comfort. Both were noble in their efforts, but there are really no words to express our feelings. In silence we put flowers on the water above the resting place of our good friend. With the flat conditions, the flowers formed a blanket on the surface above the site of our departed friend.
Many thanks to Captain Jim and the crew of the GypsyBlood for being so helpful and considerate! They were very helpful and understanding to a group of grieving divers. At the same time, I know they too were suffering!
We were blessed with a beautiful day, and great conditions.
Yasuko, we were also blessed to have met you, we will all miss you!