Today we woke up to less than ideal deep water soloing (Deeping or DWS as the guides call it) conditions. It was 60°, cloudy and misting. The water was about 70° so the thought of going in was lovely, but getting out and onto a boat was not. As we munched on breakfast we thought about our options for the day – mainly what to do if we didn’t go deeping for the day. We decided to go ask the guide service about the other activities they offered as the weather looked bad.
When we got to Asia Outdoors we found out about the other options and frankly they didn’t sound as fun. I was rather turned off to the idea of deeping as it was so miserable out but Mera reminded me this was our one chance to go on the trip. She pushed me to go for it and for that I’m thankful.
There were two other guys who signed up for deeping – Michael and Alex. We (Mera and I) piled in a big shuttle with the other climbers and kayakers. From the shuttle we jumped on a big boat and sailed out into the bay. From the middle of the bay we met up with a small boat (6’ wide and 14’ long) and jumped on that. The small boat was a little packed as there was the captain, 3 climbers, Mera, and two guides. We motored to the first crag, “Three Brothers” and the guide showed us the first route.
I really had to pee so I volunteered to be the first to climb. Getting off the boat and onto the rock was the trickiest part of it all. As the day progressed, and the tide went out it got even more difficult. The first climb was a short 5 meter tall 5.8. I shot to the top in about 30 seconds, turned around, shouted “I love Vietnam” before jumping into the water. I was thrilled to pee, and then relaxed enough to actually enjoy my surroundings.
It was just shy of teeth chattering cold. My ankles and knees were purple but the adrenaline kept me warm. The water was greenish grey. There was no breeze. The rock was dry and sharp. The three climbers on the boat provided lots of cheering for one another and laughter. The only other noise was the boat engine that sounded like house music. It was awesome!
We climbed a few 5.10’s at one crag then motored over to another called Hawaii 5-0. There we climbed a long traverse and a few more 5.10’s. At the end we were tired, and the tide was very low, about a meter lower than when we started. So the last climb I did I really struggled to get off the boat and onto the rock.
The climbs were all super fun. It was very freeing to be totally in the moment and focus on the movement without worrying about placing gear, rope drag, clipping bolts, etc. It made all of the climbing feel very “flowy” (that will likely only make sense to any climbers reading this). I had a few foot pops while on overhung routes, but never really got scared as it was just water. The only part of the climb that made the other climbers and I hesitate was letting go at the top. Just two routes allowed you to turn around and jump. The others had no ledges so they required you to push off of the rock then compose yourself mid air into a pencil dive. I was not so skilled at this and smacked my ass and ribs a few times entering the water but it was all still a wildly fun experience.
After climbing was over they took us back to the big boat for lunch then a kayak tour. Lunch was surprisingly good! We enjoyed spring rolls, papaya salad, peanuts, vegetables, rice, and chicken. We ate family style and enjoyed meeting fellow travelers who didn’t climb in the morning.
After lunch we jumped into double kayaks. It was a new experience for us as they had unplugged holes in the bottom. We kayaked around sitting in a warm puddle and learned about the karst topography and local folklore. After “a three hour tour” we landed back at the big boat and started motoring to the bay. It was an excellent day and a wonderful experience. The guides were very professional and friendly, the food was good, and the scenery was amazing. I loved checking a bucket list item off my list and can only hope to return someday to do more deeping!
We got back to the island and were cold so we dropped our stuff at the hotel and headed to a restaurant for hot pot. It is a large pot of boiling broth they put in the middle of the table with a small butane stove underneath and you cook chicken and veggies at the table. We ran into one of the other American climbers we met earlier that day and he sat and had some Thanksgiving hot pot with us. Definitely a great way to end our incredible Thanksgiving of deeping, kayaking and good food!
Mera and Michael Travel 