"Hope springs eternal in the human heart" - well, we did not have to "hope" for anything diving today: it was all delivered to us on a regal platter and in seemingly unlimited abundance.
Dive #1: Magic Point: This dive proved to be a memorable dive for numerous reasons. The water column above us was sprinkled liberally with so many fish. Intersecting schools of different species produced a unique tapestry. Above us, below us, and all around us, we experienced the perpetual issue of not knowing where to look (something I have previously complained about and think about a lot). Each of the three-dimensional quadrants had something going on, together with a conundrum of choice. Highlights from this dive included: King fish teasing us to look nowhere else; a mesmerising school of Old Wives; a cave filled to the brim like some glorious and vey expensive cake (I am still under the influence of Carli's delicious cake from last night) - a cave full of Stripeys, Pomfrets, and Long Fin Pike, one species layered above the other; Bulls Eyes quite clearly gossiping to each other like the famed 'Banksia men'; different species of shark; Red Rock Cod; friendly and inquisitive Blue Gropers, and, to round things off, an impressive Giant Cuttlefish (amongst other things). I should mention here that David saw a Lionfish as well (I told him "It's not a competition", but only because I did not see the Lionfish). During this dive, dolphins could be heard, which is not surprising since they cavorted directly above us (sort of the icing on our scuba cake) which is a forceful and necessary reminder to always look around (including above) whilst diving!
Dive #2: The Gap: Seals sat on top of a rock ledge and stared at us as we passed by - incredulous that we would not stop the boat to say hello - not understanding whether sea conditions would allow us to moor there today. We did swing in close to where they were, and quickly realised that the Gap was going to be a better option on this particular day. And we knew we would be back to the seals soon. This time last year, more precisely Valentine's Day, those same seals provided an unbelievable scene (more than once) of an amorous pair of seals kissing each other passionately, whilst they made a slow motion corkscrew spiral towards the surface: a better Valentine's scene is hard to imagine. "Hope" in this context is superfluous. We did not need to imagine anything - it was happening before our very own eyes. This scene contained all that is beautiful about diving and more.
Highlights from today's dive included: an unusually large Australian Cownose Eagle Ray; marvelous sponge gardens; several nudis; a topography worthy of further exploration; a Crimson Wrasse; a sweet monogamous couple of Black Reef Leatherjackets; a pair of Old Wives, to continue with the theme of monogamy in the sea; a Comb Wrasse, and an over excited male Herring Wrasse. - arguably as excited as we were to be there.
All of our diving was completed under a glorious blue sky and the infectious enthusiasm of Nick and Struan. This concentrated prism of pure pleasure underwater as well as budding friendships (new and old) on the boat were all motives to dive today. And they were also compelling reasons to scuba dive again soon. The Latin motto "seize the day" really should really be updated to "seize any moment to explore the hidden world under the sea" - or, I do concede, a more succinct phrase to capture the essence of this. If you take that advice, you can be assured that you will be amply rewarded as we were today.
Eric
Photos by Shelley Xia
