still here on the boat but not exactly adrift at sea. we're actually in a cove and there's a small rural town just around the corner. there's a dive site below us and it's called the daryl laut. the daryl laut is actually a wreck dive popular to divers kasi there isn't a lot of current kasi nga we're in a cove and therefore this part of the sea is sheltered from the humongous waves of this season.

i know it sounds weird so i will tell you the story of the daryl laut. according to people who've been around here for forever, the daryl laut was once a floating hotel. it's 140 feet long and 40 feet wide. its patrons were usually italians and japanese and it did great business staring december 1979 up to the middle of 1980 (the year i was born, gasp!)

the name daryl laut was derived from the malay words meaning "from the sea." according to a person who used to work there, the floating hotel was actually a barge sporting 14 well-appointed cabins complete with all the amenities, and even a bathtub.

in june of 1980, tragedy struck and the floating hotel sank to the bottom where it now lies. although all of the people on the hotel were saved, the actual cause of its sinking remains uncertain. the crew said that the daryl laut was struck by lightning and so sank 90 feet below.

on a happier note, the skeletal wreck is now home to hundreds of fish and other sea creatures. a sea turtle is occassionally seen roaming the area and large batfish ply the wreck in schools. *sigh*

i see bubbles far away. it means the divers are ready to board the boat. mr. boatman, fire away!