Cyclone Carlos has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, and the cyclone warning class II has been lifted.
There is still an up-to-date cyclone warning bulletin available, with information about the status and forecast of the storm, and with advice to the public how to cope with the current and expected conditions.
Luckily, the centre of the storm is passing the island to the north/north-west, just touching us with its less violent outer rims.
We had a rough night, still tons of continuous rain, and strong and sudden gusts of wind. Now, shortly after noon, the sun is breaking through just a bit from time to time. Still strong gusts, which cannot surprise considering that the storm’s centre is only about 100km away. I hope we’ll be back to normal soon.
No diving today. Actually, diving itself would not be a problem – no wind and rain under water. :) It’s the rough sea that makes diving impossible. Looking out onto the sea shows nasty waves, with white crowns even far out. The ultimate obstacle is – even if we assume we could make it to the dive site with a bumpy ride and back-roll into the water just fine – to get back onto the boat, with waves and swells of three or more meters. Nothing for the faint of heart.
I remember a dive trip on the Seychelles under such conditions, already a bit into the winter monsoon (May of so, if memory serves). We managed fine, but we were just two of us, and we were ready to take a beating. I was also a few years younger. The waves were so high that we couldn’t see the horizon when we were in the valley between two waves, and the skipper had to manoeuvre the boat skilfully from wave to wave, driving up the crest transversely, then down again on the other side. Exciting. The formerly, or usually, stable and sturdy boat suddenly felt more like a nut-shell. The power of waves is incredible.