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Sorry to all that I have been a little lax in posting recently. I have gotten a few little nasty-grams and "where are you"s :-)

I have been feeling a little off, just a little head cold but it has been making me a little more tired than normal and bed has looked much better than the keyboard.

Yesterday was spectacular. We are now at Swains Island, one of my favorite in the places we visit (Maug in the Marianas is a close second). As I have described to many before, Swains is one of those idyllic south pacific islands. A donut ring of an island, Swains is encircled by a snow-white beach with the pink crests of its coral reef breaking the surface 50 yards off shore. Once used as a coconut plantation, hundreds of palm tree still arch out over the beach. The whole island is a rough circle not half a mile in diameter.

The oceanography team spend the morning deploying some instruments on the west side of the island and then had time of a spectacular drift dive in the afternoon. Swains has some of the clearest water I have ever experienced with visibility of 200 ft not unheard of. It is like diving in a hugh aquarium with new fish swimming by every second. When we returned to the ship our team that when on shore had already returned and were greeted with fresh coconuts, cracked and ready for drinking.

You couldn't ask of a more idyllic place.