All there is to do

I am discovering all the things that Kwajalein has to offer. I am currently enrolled in a scuba diving class and we are about half way through. This past Monday we diving off one of the beaches. Since we live on reef there is great diving within 200 feet of the island. We just walked right into the water till it was deep enough and put our fins on and dove down. It is amazing how clear the water was. We could see about 60 ft horizontally. We swam from coral head to coral head looking at all the different fish and aquatic life that was just 40 feet below the surface. The corals were small but full of life. The bigger fish would swim away as we aproached and the small fish moved around in schools and looked at us just like we looked at them. There are so many different types of fish and the coral looked just like all the ones I have seen on tv or in movies. What I found amazing was that In just one hour I had a great time and was not really that tired. I was wearing about 70 to 80 lbs of gear but it was like the weight was not even there. I was so weightless and free. Scuba diving is one of the best things that I have ever done and did not completely exhuast myself doing it. I am looking forward to some deeper dives. I have heard that there are a lot of wrecks out in the big pond. We are allowed to dive down to them and look around. These are ships that have been underwater for 40 to 50 years. They were used for testing with nuclear weapons on an island not too far from here. I have been told that there is nothing but great diving all over this place. Other than the wrecks all the good stuff to see is 80 feet and above. I can't wait to get my certification and go see what lies beneath the waters.


Deep sea fishing is another weekend hobby that many have here on Kwaj. I have been out fishing twice, the first trip was an exciting one. We found a group of birds that were feeding on small bait fish on the surface. If the small fish are on the surface that means that there are bigger fish below them feeding as well. We drug our lures through the fish and both poles hooked something at the same time. I was on one pole and I had hooked a Yellow Fin Tuna fish. It swam straight down for 200 yards. I thing that I put too much pressure on the line and the fish snapped the lure right off the end of the line. What a bummer!!! My boss told me that the fish weighed about 75 lbs. It is possible to go fishing for just 40 dollars here, and that was with a three man crew. I don't know of anywhere else in the world that someone can do that. This place is a lot of fun and has so much to offer that it is almost impossible to get bored.

If someone were to get bored on this island then they are in the wrong place, thats how I feel about Kwajalein. The things there are to do here are things that I have always wanted to do, and now I live in a place where most of those things are just something to do on the weekends. Thats all for now. I hope to talk to you all soon.

Life in Paradise

Well I finally made to the tiny piece of land that is now my home away from home. The trip out here was a long one and it started in Lubbock when i was chosen for the random search at the security check point. Then in Houston it was about a mile in a half from the terminal that i arrived at to the one i was leaving from. Then i get on the plane and there is some sensor that was out and we had to sit on the plane for two hours before it was fixed. I made it to Hawaii and had a goood time there. I got up at 330 the next morning and was checked in at the airport at 430 and then found out that my plane was delayed. I spent 8 hours just roaming around the airport and lugging a very heavy bag around. It was a very long day.

Alright, enough complaining. The flight into Kwaj was a scary one. I had a window seat and was looking out the window as the pilot was coming in for the landing and hoping that land was coming soon. We just kept getting closer and closer to the water, finally a small peice of land came followed very shortly by a runway. When they opened the door of the plane i instantly felt the humidity. It was like nothing i have ever felt. I got off the plane got my bags and put my them in my new room and then went had some burgers at a house right next to the Pacific Ocean. The first couple of days were different, i didn't know where anything was and certainly didn't know anyone but i quickly learned that everyone around here is very friendly. I found out how to get to the golf course and I am already a member a have play several games since i got here. You would think that with the small size of the island there would be a whole lot to do but I have yet to try everything there is to do. Slowly but surely I will try everything that Kwaj has to offer.

I went all over the island one afternoon a took a whole lot of pictures of things that are on the island. I thought I would share them with you.

This the view of the sunrise out my window, I know what some of you are thinking and yes i was actually up before the sun. That is my bedroom and office area. That was day one and it is already messy.

That is about all the kitchen I need right there.The name of the road my building is on. This road is our "main street." It runs the length of the island and everything branches off this road.

This is a shot of Lagoon road.This is a Yellow Tip Shark. They come into the marina when the fishermen come in to clean their fish. I have been told that they are not mean at all. I don't really care to find out.Our always crowded parking lot.This is the Kwaj pet turtle. He probably weighs around 200 lbs. The definition of the island life is: Everybody has time. So hang loose and take care of yourselves. Talk to ya'll soon.