| Olga Shakalova The Saipan Experience |
| Christmas 2009 |
| The Jade Lady cruise |
| The Diving |
| The Sakalova Clan |
These 4 pictures were
taken by someone else.
I'm not sure who though.
taken by someone else.
I'm not sure who though.
The Grotto Adventure
On one fine February morning Mark James and I decided to go diving. No one else joined us on that day, so two of us went.
Being newly scuba certified did it to me: I felt all the excitement in the world about diving. Didn't matter to me where we went,
what the weather was like and how many people were at the dive site. Our choice fell on one of the most beautiful dive sites
available on the island - Grotto. It is a cave, located 120 steps down, with tunnels connected to open water. Divers must jump
off a rock, descend to 30 feet depth, and scuba out of a hole into open ocean. Wonderful place I must admit: vast areas of
pristine coral, abundance of sea life, mesmerizing blue depths….with one trick: it is hard to get out of the water….sometimes…
even if you are an experienced diver. The waves do seem a bit harsh, but nothing unusual for my divemaster buddy. So we
jump in, have fun, swim around, and come back to the surface. The waves got bigger, crashing against the rocks. There is a
rope, one end of which is attached to the buoy and the other to the rock. That rope is the only hope I’ve got to be able to pull
myself up and on the rock standing. However, that day God had a different plan for me. The rope broke at the buoy while I
held on to it and the waves took me and my dive buddy across surrounding rocks. Mark, knowing all the right things to scream
in such situation yelled “Olga, DO NOT LET GO OF THE ROPE! Do not let go of the rope… I repeated in my head… trying really
hard not to be swept back into the roaring water. Do not let go of the rooooooooope…. For a few seconds we were at the mercy
of very mighty power. Eventually some stars shifted in the sky: Mark quickly gained stability, pulled himself up and hauled me
as well. Whew! We were safe…I was saved! On top of rock…with only scratches on our knees and my minor emotional trauma. I
have not been at that dive site ever since. I know I will some day.
Do not let go of your rope, divers!
On one fine February morning Mark James and I decided to go diving. No one else joined us on that day, so two of us went.
Being newly scuba certified did it to me: I felt all the excitement in the world about diving. Didn't matter to me where we went,
what the weather was like and how many people were at the dive site. Our choice fell on one of the most beautiful dive sites
available on the island - Grotto. It is a cave, located 120 steps down, with tunnels connected to open water. Divers must jump
off a rock, descend to 30 feet depth, and scuba out of a hole into open ocean. Wonderful place I must admit: vast areas of
pristine coral, abundance of sea life, mesmerizing blue depths….with one trick: it is hard to get out of the water….sometimes…
even if you are an experienced diver. The waves do seem a bit harsh, but nothing unusual for my divemaster buddy. So we
jump in, have fun, swim around, and come back to the surface. The waves got bigger, crashing against the rocks. There is a
rope, one end of which is attached to the buoy and the other to the rock. That rope is the only hope I’ve got to be able to pull
myself up and on the rock standing. However, that day God had a different plan for me. The rope broke at the buoy while I
held on to it and the waves took me and my dive buddy across surrounding rocks. Mark, knowing all the right things to scream
in such situation yelled “Olga, DO NOT LET GO OF THE ROPE! Do not let go of the rope… I repeated in my head… trying really
hard not to be swept back into the roaring water. Do not let go of the rooooooooope…. For a few seconds we were at the mercy
of very mighty power. Eventually some stars shifted in the sky: Mark quickly gained stability, pulled himself up and hauled me
as well. Whew! We were safe…I was saved! On top of rock…with only scratches on our knees and my minor emotional trauma. I
have not been at that dive site ever since. I know I will some day.
Do not let go of your rope, divers!
Olga's parents do
the Banzai Bash!
the Banzai Bash!
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Olga and her parents
came over on
Mother's day and
spent some time
relaxing. Atsuko and
Scott also brought
over Atsuko's mom
and dad so the
mom's played dress
up Japanese style
with the Kimono that
Atsuko gave to
Tammy.
Later in the evening
we stopped my Mark
Robertson's to say
goodbye to Olga who
was heading back to
San Diego and her
parents who were
headed back to
Russia.
Every one was having
a nice time and they
played with Mark's
bowls which made a
noise that is
supposed to be
soothing but for me
was like fingernails
on a chalk board.
came over on
Mother's day and
spent some time
relaxing. Atsuko and
Scott also brought
over Atsuko's mom
and dad so the
mom's played dress
up Japanese style
with the Kimono that
Atsuko gave to
Tammy.
Later in the evening
we stopped my Mark
Robertson's to say
goodbye to Olga who
was heading back to
San Diego and her
parents who were
headed back to
Russia.
Every one was having
a nice time and they
played with Mark's
bowls which made a
noise that is
supposed to be
soothing but for me
was like fingernails
on a chalk board.