Gordon and Bob's Excellent Adventure

 West Palm Beach

Gordon and I leave at 6 AM for a dive trip on the East Coast. This is the third time we've done this trip and used the Pura Vida dive operation.

I don't have an underwater camera anymore so I've dug into my archive for a few shots that sort of represent the drift dives in West Palm.

The water temperature is 78 F on January 2nd and the visibility is about 85 feet, both of which are pretty much OK with me.

We can see the Kennedy compound and the Kellogs and Posts. This stretch of Florida Beach is a pretty snooty place. In the 80s they tried to pass an ordinance where the hired help had to wear armbands to get on the island.

Bernie Madoff was a member of the Palm Beach country club. Money doesn't always buy happiness. The following excerpt from the Huffington Post was written just after the Madoff Ponzi scheme collapsed.

People in Palm Beach sort themselves out into the group in which they belong based largely on how much money they have. Even the poorest of the islanders seem to have everything yet joy proves elusive, even for the country club members, because there is always someone richer or better socially connected. Joy is driving out of your 35,000-square-foot mansion in your Bentley and tooling up to the entrance of Mar-a-Lago for your fifteenth ball of the season, the valet parkers salivating at the chance to take your car and the prospect of a twenty-dollar tip. Joy is having a wife younger and thinner than any of the other wives at your table. Joy is subtly announced during dinner that your hedge fund scored 33 percent last year, while that of the arrogant son of a bitch across the table with the fat wife scored only 17 percent.Those with the biggest financial gains generally had their money managed by Madoff. It was an honor having him handle your fortune. He didn't take just anybody. He turned down all kinds of people, and that made you want to give the man even more of your money. When he took your fortune, he told you that he would tell you nothing about how he achieved his returns. He was a god. He had the Midas touch.

Joy is being 71 and still able to climb the ladder into a wildly rocking boat with 100 pounds of gear on your back and fins on your feet. Joy is ending the dive with more air left than the kids.

So the shot below is actually from Puerto Rico...