After the dive, briefing everyone is in quiet anticipation
that we are going to be diving in current, as we are told that we will drop in
using a negative entry, to get down as close to the coral, as quick as we can,
remembering to prioritize equalization. They might have stated instead that we
were going to be dropping into raging river of water and that we would
defiantly qualify for an adventure merit badge afterwards!
You hit the water and it shocks you, as it is cold and
moving fast, with everybody and everything fining hard to stay in one spot, in
this boiling fish soup of thousands of fish. All are waiting for lunch, some
will become lunch, as a buffet of nourishment comes whizzing by, as it passes
from the depths to the shallows, 18 to 25 meters above us. The only break you
get is if you move behind big rocks and ledges to keep yourself from being
directly blown on by the undulating water maelstrom. This is where the Indian
Ocean and Pacific Ocean collide, in a shimmering, mist like haze, a result of
the different water salinities constantly mixing, in a packed major aquarium's
worth of fish species.
The cast of fish here is amazing, a huge napoleon wrasse is
holding court in attendance are black travel’s, mahi mahi and his sentinels, a matching pair of white
tip reef sharks, swarming around are hundreds of reef fish, blue runners,
snappers, surgeon fish and the small and agile damsels, angelfish and tangs. With
currents this strong, you can only stay for a short while, as everyone is
straining to keep their breathing under control.
People that have experienced not being able to pull enough
air from their regulators can strongly empathies with people that have been
water boarded, as you have the same physiological - psychological sensations of
not getting enough air, and the air that you are getting is wet.
Almost anticlimactic is when the eagle ray and turtles make
their appearance, which would be the main highlight of any other dive. After 10
minutes or so of watching the turtles and the mantas, we are dangling in the
water column, suspended like oversized puppets, off gassing at 5 meters, each
wondering if we will get to do this great of a dive again
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