Decompression Redemption: The Day I Died in a Volcano

Diving in Laguna de Apoyo

I became a certified open water diver over ten years ago. I completed my two open water dives between the Santa Barbara coastline and the Channel Islands after I relocated to California for a new job. My final certification dive was highlighted by an adult harbor seal who swam around me as I ascended the rope back to the boat at the end of the dive.

A look back at the Santa Barbara Coastline

The seal circled around my legs, then once more around my waist before stopping directly in front of me - her head only a few inches from the front of my mask. She hovered in front of my body for what seemed like an eternity. Her eyes were dark in color, but maintained a tone of softness as if she was just as curious about me as I was of her - which I can only imagine was the case.

Humpback whales surfacing in the waters near the Channel Islands

My arms instinctively went around her waist but I was still a bit cautious to pull her any closer than the few inches currently separating her blubbery skin and the soft material of my wetsuit. However, she then leaned in and kissed the tempered glass of my black framed dive mask. Clearly embarrassed, she turned and escaped into the shallow waters surrounding the island of Santa Cruz.

As the weeks turned to months and the months turned to years, I slowly watched the time pass since my certification dive and the stolen kiss from my aquatic mistress. Ten years would pass before I would once again do a safety check with a dive buddy, and it would take place on the small Caribbean island of Utila off the east coast of Honduras. I was a bit scared when I began my first descent into the warm tropical waters to begin my refresher course. I bobbled around a bit until I gained control of my buoyancy and slowly began to re-learn what it's like to live underwater.

A sunset on the island of Utila

Squirrels, angels, and spotted drums would be just a few of the many types of colorful fish that would scurry around as bubbles would escape my mask. Giant crabs and black colored coral would pass by my field of vision as I swam through rock caves and over small shipwrecks during my six dives on the island. Rays of sun piercing the shallow waters and clouds of sand after an eel would scurry past - these are the scenes that can make up the underwater world. I was glad to be back.

The balcony of The Peace Project Hostel on Laguna de Apoyo

Once I left the island, I assumed it would be a while until I would strap on an aluminum dive tank again. Although I had redeemed my ego by literally diving back into this hobby, I wasn't sure when I would plan to take that giant step again. So when I arrived at the edge of Laguna de Apoyo - a twenty-two thousand year old dormant volcano in the middle of Nicaragua - and learned that my hostel shared a building with a dive shop. It was an easy decision to schedule a day of diving in a volcano.

My tent site while staying near the dive shop

My dive master, Elois, gave me and my dive buddy, Braedon, a brief introduction to the unique wildlife that exists inside of the ancient crater that has been filled with water since its last eruption. Cichlids, lizard fish, sardines, and enormous schools of freshwater fish engulfed us as we traversed the steep rock walls of the inclined slopes of the ancient caldera. As the tiger fish parents protected their babies from predators, we found exposed vents where warm water and gaseous bubbles were still escaping from the grasps of the underlying, albeit dormant, magma chamber deep below bottom of the lake.

Schools of dish swarm near the dive site

Our second dive was more pragmatic. We stayed in the shallows and used our increased allowable bottom time to pick up trash that had accumulated in the soft bottom algae that covers most of the lake bottom. In a relatively short period of time, trash can be consumed by the algae and almost disappear from sight, with the top of a bottle or the strings of a forgotten shoe as the only evidence of the foreign object stuck in the muck.

Thankfully Braedon had a camera with him!

My lips were smiling and my soul was happy when we returned to the dive center to clean our gear and sip some coffee with my new friends. As the afternoon continued, however, I would get one more opportunity to strap on my tank and go underwater. Another instructor, Michaela, was finishing a Rescue course for a local diver, and they were in need of some help. They needed someone to rescue.

At the bottom of Laguna de Opoyo

Now on my third dive of the day, I found it quite comical that someone would find themselves in my position - one that requires me to pretend to be unconscious, while breathing compressed air at the bottom of a lake in a twenty-two thousand year old volcano crater. The trainee finally reached the point of his checklist to bring me back up. Once at the surface, he inflated my BCD and continued his checklist of items to "save me" properly. 

I hope it's not another ten years before my next dive. I'll make sure that's not the case.

The entryway to The Peace Project Hostel

A big thank you to The Peace Project Hostel and Volcano Divers for allowing me the unique opportunity of diving in a volcano, and making this part of my trip in Central America even better. The Peace Project is a NGO that fosters community development and educational opportunities. I was fortunate enough to spend a day in one of their classroom with the students, not too mention all the workers are just great people with whom to spend a few days. If you don't mind waking up to monkey's throwing mangoes onto the top of the metal roofed buildings, then I highly suggest planning to stay here for a few nights and supporting the organization.You can check out their website thepeaceprojectnicaragua.org for more information. 

Volcano Divers is located in the same building and is the only Padi Certified dive shop for Laguna de Apoyo. The underwater photo credits go to my dive buddy, Braedon, who was there for his honeymoon. 

Cheers!
Dustin

Me and my pink fins

Omotepe: Where the Evacuation Plan is the Other Volcano

He walked on the bus with a machete...

...his name was German (pronounced "Erman"), and he also had a few coconuts for sale. He tried to sell me one but I had just purchased a bag of chicken parts from another vendor. I was also riding in a traditional Bluebird school bus that was pimped out with chrome bumpers, neon lights, and iconic business decals such as Bose, Apple, and Nike. This experience is common while traveling on local buses throughout Central America. Be prepared to be woo'ed by a plethora of middle aged men trying to entice you to take their particular school bus. Some days this situation may seem daunting, but other days it makes you feel like the prettiest girl at the ball. The ball, of course, being a crowded bus station.

After I left Leon I headed south towards the popular ex-pat town of San Juan Del Sur. I originally had no intention of visiting this small surfer town as it seemed that it was merely a party place known exclusively for its "Sunday Funday" festivities. In fact, other travelers tried to convince me this was the original location for such activities, but I made sure to let them know that folks in Iowa have been drinking on Sundays for decades. 

To be sure, that's pretty much all that exists in this town - westernized bars and an affinity for the American dollar as opposed to the Nicaraguan cordoba. That is not to say the natural beauty of this location does not amaze as the town sits in a small cove protected from the waves with hills on all sides. However, if you're looking for more than a party then it's probably time to move on after a few days. My advice would be to stay in one of the smaller beach towns up the coast or the Naked Tiger Hostal just outside of town. 

San Juan was the furthest south I planned to go, which was only a few miles from the border of Costa Rica. After a few nights and some photos next to the Jesus statue, I hopped a bus and headed back north to San Jorge, a small town with ferries to the island of Omotepe in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, however some maps call it Lago Cocibolca. Made up of two active volcanoes - Volcan Maderas and the larger Volcan Concepcion - Omotepe has only a few small roads surrounding both peaks and although it is fresh water, sharks have been known to enter the lake from the outlets connected to the surrounding oceans. Good thing I found this out after four days of swimming, huh?

The crown jewel of activities for travelers to embark on while visiting the island is to hike one of the two volcano peaks. To clarify, some would not refer to these volcanoes as "active." However, like most of the volcanoes in Nicaragua, previous eruptions have occurred only within the last few decades, and this geologist will call any volcano that has erupted within the last century as "active." That being said, I hiked up Volcan Maderas which happened to be the less active by comparison.

Most guides recommend you allow 8-10 hours for a round trip hike, and depending on your hiking ability, group size, and fitness level I would agree with that estimate. My guide and now friend, Sergio, had different intentions, however. Once he discovered that I had hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, he took it upon himself to use me as a training partner. Every year there is a marathon on the island where runners will summit both peaks over the course of the race and Sergio had the goal of completing the race the following year.

 

As we double timed the pace, we passed howler monkeys and beautiful flora that glistened in the mist of the previous two days of rainfall. We made it to the caldera (the specific name given to craters formed after volcano eruptions) in just under three hours. What makes Maderas a little more appealing than Concepcion is the small lake that sits in the crater, and as soon as I saw that body of water I shed my clothes and went for a swim. 

The rest of my time on the island was spent relaxing at the Tiki Bar, a small hostal that won't pop up on any Google search, a place I only found because my first shuttle driver happened to know the family. Pigs, chickens, dogs, turtles, and giant toads all seemed to call this place home. The family - Evelyn, Louis, and Christian - were a wonderful group and if you're on the island I suggest finding this place which is located along Playa Santa Cruz between the two peaks.

There are plenty of places to stay throughout the island, and though it may be tempting to just stay in the port town of Moyogapla because of the high prices of cabs and shuttles, I highly recommend staying in one of the smaller towns (If you're up for a bus ride it helps decrease the cost). Once you're settled, you can rent a scooter or motorcycle and explore the island more freely on your own. Make sure to take photos, however, as many people have been forced to pay erroneous fees and charges by the rental places upon returning the vehicles.

Sergio and I continue to exchange small messages even though I am back in the States. I hope someday to make it back so we can tackle Concepcion. Until then, I suppose I'll have to keep my hiking legs in shape. Thanks for reading! I'll be back again with the some more of my time in Central America. Cheers!

-Dustin

Leon, Nicaragua: A City Among Volcanoes

As he lay in a hospital bed, during which I can only presume he reflected on his decision to ride a bicycle down the side of an active volcano, Eric Barone had just broken the land speed record on a gravel surface. He descended the Cerro Negro volcano in Nicaragua at an astonishing 172 kilometers per her (107 mph), albeit breaking every bone in his body after the bike capsized once it reached the bottom where the slope angle decreases sharply. So, naturally, someone later decided they should charge tourists $30 to slide down the same volcano on a toboggan. I was one of those tourists.

Of the many volcanoes surrounding the small city of Leon on which visitors can explore for a variety of activities (hiking, camping trips, viewing a sunrise), Cerro Negro has a distinct look with it's black ash and gravel slope on what I believe was the eastern side, and a sizable open gap in the mountain on the west that is clearly the result of recent eruptions (the Google satellite map of this area looks amazing!). In fact, if you run your fingers through the gravel at any point while on the rim, you will immediately feel the warmth, nay, heat still emanating from the earth - evidence of the millions of exothermic reactions as a result of the isotopic decay of inner earth elements inside the underlying magma chamber. With this information in mind, I volunteered to be the first person in our group to get down the volcano, and I did so at 55 kilometers per hour. Not record breaking, but fast enough to make you smile the entire time. A big thanks to Big Foot Hostels and Volcano Boarding for a great experience.

As for the city, Leon is filled with many hostels ranging in prices from $6 to $10 per night for a dorm bed, and private rooms anywhere from $15 to $30 depending on your tastes. I stayed at three different spots over the course of my two weeks in the city and I became quite fond of Lazybones for it's laid back vibe, plethora of hammocks, and a swimming pool. Of course there are also hotels, but my three month travel budget would have been drastically cut short if I had stayed at too many of those places.

Most of the lodging spots in Leon also offer opportunities to book most of your other travel needs. Whether it's planning a thee day camping trip or to schedule a shuttle to another city if you're not comfortable maneuvering your way around a Central American bus station (some days I was, others not so much). While relaxing in the city I ate at many small restaurants and discovered a delicious chicken burrito truck near the main square. It's the red truck near the corner. You can also take a walking tour to explore the Museo de Revolucion, cathedrals, and the central square with a small market.

On my first day I visited the ruins of an old church of which the namesake was St. Sebastion. Not only did this present a different type of place to visit in the city, but St. Sebastion was also the name I chose while I was going through the Catholic Confirmation process in high school. Although my current spiritual outlook is not much aligned with the Catholic Church, they still have me registered as Dustin Edward Sebastion Waite (the confirmation name goes after the legal middle name). Sebastion was the patron saint of athletes and once was shot with an arrow and lived. Apparently, at sixteen years old, that was all the reason I needed to choose that name to represent my spiritual well being, and now it was also the reason I explored these church ruins for a few hours in Nicaragua last month. Oh the reasons we do things...

The crown jewel of the city would most definitely be the Cathedral de Leon, a beautiful white building in the heart of the city on which you can walk around the rooftop and get a good view of the surrounding landscape of volcanoes. In order to get up there you need to find the "hobbit" door located on the back side of the building. Not the rear entrance door up the small staircase, but an actual hobbit sized door just a few feet down from that where two tiny Nicaraguan women will sell you a ticket through a locked gate that they refuse to open for some reason. Once you receive your ticket, return to the front side of the building, and along the left side (if facing the front entrance) there will be another small door where a very unofficial security guard will take your ticket, fold it twice, and then clip it with a single hole punch. You will then ascend the small staircase until you reach the bell tower where you will be instructed to remove your shoes and begin your twenty or so minutes atop the cathedral. Although the view from this spot is nice, I was more impressed with my view looking up at the cathedral at dusk time while enjoying a late night cafe at the nearby Restaurante El Sesteo.

With any other time you have I would recommend Buho Books, a small shop owned by a woman from Finland (It may have been Sweden, or the Netherlands, I can't remember), and it is across the street from Glaze, a cupcake shop with air conditioning and free WiFi where you can read your recently purchased book. For me, it was The Polysyllabic Spree, a small collection of book reviews by Nick Hornby. My recap would also be incomplete if I didn't mention salsa dancing on Thursday nights at La Olla Quemada, a small dance bar with a quaint outdoor patio. However, the floor can get filled quick with expert dancers while a plethora of white expat women stare at the floor from all sides refusing to put their dance lessons to use. Seriously, they have all taken and paid for lessons as most will proudly tell you. However, over the course of three Thursday nights I was able to convince only three women to join me on the dance floor for a song. Their loss. I'm a great dancer.

After a few weeks in Leon I decided it was time to move on. I mapped out a route that would take me to the southern part of the country before working my way back north towards Honduras. If you ever make it to Leon, I hope you find the city to be as welcoming as I did. I will return with some details of my time exploring the rest of Nicaragua soon. Thanks for reading!

-Dustin