The Night Dive Part 2

 So it was dark now, the wind was subsiding, and we were gearing up for our night dive. The moon was not quite full but it was still bright. Once again I was the first to hit the water, I was very excited to see the underwater world in the dark. For those of you that are unfamiliar with diving, we did have lights, and we also had glow sticks attached to our tank valves so the instructors could keep track of the divers. I knew in seconds that this was not going to be like anything I have done up to this point in my life.

 Descending down the anchor line to the wreck through the army of non-stinging jellyfish, was the most surreal experience of my life. When the jellyfish crossed paths with the light beams it was mesmerizing. The best way I can explain it is that each one had what appeared to be 4 different electrical currents running through it, with each current being a different color. Humans will never be able to come close to recreating the beauty that our oceans do!

 Being the first one on the wreck again, and also knowing that the sharks were there, I was very alert and the jellyfish were not on my mind anymore. I scanned in every direction to make sure that nothing was sneaking up on me. Atlantic Spadefish were covering the Hyde. I had absolutely no idea that this species of fish got so large. They were everywhere, and they were not shy, I guess they knew that we would not eat them but the Sand Tiger Sharks that were hunting certainly would.

 Our group of six divers explored the wreck, this time not going all the way to the bottom, we stayed on the deck of the wreck. To my dismay I only saw one shark on this dive, but they were there! As a group, we covered our lights and let our eyes adjust to the dark. From a depth of around 65 ft. you could make out the moon, which I thought was amazing. Waving your hands around produced the phosphorescence, a very psychedelic effect.

 Heading back towards the anchor line we swam through a school of Spadefish that created a blackout, or I guess a fish out. One of the larger ones swam into my mask and almost knocked it off. The fish were everywhere, I actually felt bad, because we were guests in their house, and shining lights all over the place. Time to ascend now...

 I'll never forget breaking the surface and seeing the moon, stars, black sky and ocean. Truly a special experience! The 18 mile trip back to Wrightsville Beach was perfect, I was hoping that it would never end, but then I ran out of beer! Back at the Bridge Tender Marina we unloaded all of our gear, and beers started flowing again. Almost like an angel appearing from heaven Chris walked down the dock with a Pizza from Slice of Life. I can say with confidence that those 2 slices of pizza were the best I have had since I moved away from New York 8 years ago.

 If swimming with sharks at night sounds fun or just diving in general, please contact Aquatic Safaris & Divers Emporium. You won't regret it!

http://www.aquaticsafaris.com/

                            

The Night Dive Part 1

So last Thursday, May the 20th, I did something I never thought in a million years that I would do. I got on a boat and headed 18 miles offshore to go diving with sharks at night. I went on the Aquatic Safaris 1, a 48' Island Hopper. Leaving the dock at 5:30 pm, I was a bit nervous. This dive was to be part of my Advanced Open Water PADI certification. The plan was to do the first dive before it got dark, which was to be a deep dive. After an hour long surface interval and watching the sunset over the ocean we were to do our night dive.

 The dive site was the Hyde, which was sunk by the NC Division of Marine Fisheries as part of the artificial reef program in 1988. Built in 1945 as an ocean going hopper dredge, the Hyde is 215' long. It's primary purpose was to keep waterway open for naval vessels. Being built during wartime it is one of the few dredges to have armor and gun crews on it. The Hyde saw service in the Atlantic and Pacific. Now she rests in 85 feet of water sitting upright making it one of the most spectacular dive sites in the area.

 Our first dive was planned to go to the sand, which my computer clocked at 82', then swim around the deck of the ship before making our way back to the anchor line and slowly surface. The visibility was in the 60 foot range. Immediately entering the water you could see the top of the structure from the surface 55' below. I was the first to get down the anchor line and get to the wreck. The amount of life was incredible! I was in awe! Waiting for the rest of our group I scanned the area for what I knew was there but no sighting yet. Once the rest of the divers joined up with me, we swam over the edge and dropped down to the sand. Brad showed us how the light does not penetrate enough to make out colors. He shined his light on the side of the wreck which lit up the corals in beautiful colors. 

 Heading for the stern of the ship we were greeted by a massive school of Amberjacks. The fish were all 20 lbs. and up! After letting the school pass we turned the corner and swam behind the stern, immediately I saw a Gag Grouper. Then gazing right I saw my first Sand Tiger Shark. He wasn't too big maybe four feet. He was beautiful, so graceful and calm. Unforgettable!

 Having to get to a shallower depth before we went into decompression time, we went up to the deck of the ship, which was around 60'. More sharks were waiting. Again amazingly graceful and calm, they did not seem to be bothered by us strangers at all. I hovered over the biggest one, which was maybe 6', for what seemed like an eternity. Sharks are the most misunderstood creatures on the planet. The beauty of these animals is incredible. I will never forget looking into the eyes of what used to be my greatest fear, and dare I say enemy...

 Upon surfacing we discussed our experiences, watched the sunset, and got seasick. Night was upon us. Time to go back underwater with the sharks. Stay tuned for The Night Dive Part 2. Thanks for Reading!

Benefits To Living On The Beach #2

 First off I would like to apologize for not having posted anything for some time. I moved out of the dump that I was living in and put most of my belongings in storage. Goodbye and good riddance to that crappy apartment and terrible living situation!!!!! I stayed with my girlfriend for about 2 weeks and then I moved in to a great house on the water. The above picture was taken from my deck.

 I have had an incredibly busy few weeks with working both jobs, and doing some diving. I got to dive the Liberty Ship last Sunday, scuba diving that is. The visibility was great for this wreck. It was 15 to 20 ft. and was the most amazing experience of my life! The last time I dove it you could barely make out anything, it was really easy to make out that it was a ship on the bottom of the ocean. Incredible! I did feel the effects of seasickness though and did get sick a little bit underwater and on the surface! It was good to get that out of the way I guess!

 This past Thursday I decided to take a break from moving my stuff into the new house and did a little spearfishing out at the jetty. I had a blast, only shot one pretty small Sheepshead but I got a chance to practice my breathing up skills. I had several dives that were over 40 seconds with 43 being my best on 3 occasions. Really happy with the bottom time, the current was strong and had to be kicking the whole time. Pretty confident that I'll hit over a minute soon!

Thanks for reading!