Where to Go? How about the Pacific Ocean?
Where to Go? How about the Pacific Ocean?
Yap
I talked in one of my other blogs about how three of us made a trip to Truk Lagoon to do some wreck diving on WWII remains of Japanese ships. Well if you keep going west in the Pacific Ocean you will come upon a small island by the name of Yap.
Yap offers some diverse diving but the main attraction is their Manta Rays. They have studied them to the extreme, cataloging each by their markings and giving them individual names.
We spent a portion of the time viewing the various Mantas that came by our dive position and attempted to identify them by their individual markings. They would position us on the edge of a canyon where the Mantas would frequent the area by swimming past to gather the rich plankton in that area. Some had a wing span of 20 feet.
Manta Ray
Yap is also known for a history of using stone money in the shape of wheels. They have now evolved as decorations around the island even though in the past they indicated a person's wealth. I couldn't help wondering how they made change.
Stone Money
Palau
Well as long as I was this far West in the Pacific it would be foolish not to continue on to Palau which is a much talked about area for all kinds of sea life along with some wrecks from WWII. At this location I lined up a live aboard dive boat by the name of Ocean Hunter III that traveled around the area and visited the various sites that were of interest to the divers on board.
Ocean Hunter III
It seems the more West you get in the Pacific the more varied the ocean animals are from what is encountered in the Atlantic. It used to be that the Lion Fish was only to be found in the Pacific until someone in the Southeast of the United States introduced them into the Atlantic where they tend to multiply faster due to the lack of the predators that kept them in check in their native area.
Lion Fish
Because the Lion Fish are multiplying so rapidly in the Southeast steps have been taken to reduce their population as much as possible. There are Lion Fish hunts, attempts to feed them to local large fish and eels because they previously had never been exposed to them and there are even cook books printed to encourage the local population to dine on them. I understand they can be quite tasty.
One of the most interesting animals our guides exposed us to was the Chambered Nautilus. They normally are found at a depth of 200 feet or more but overnight the crew placed traps down at that depth and the next day brought them up to the shallow area where we could observe them and take photos
Chambered Nautilus
About 12 inches across, they move very slow by ejecting water from a tube opening just above the tentacles. This was the first and last time I had the opportunity to view this creatures.
Australia
OK, you probably noticed Australia on the area map. Unfortunately I didn't continue on to a dive there but had visited the Great Barrier Reef about ten years prior.
I had wanted to see just what the hype was about the Great Barrier Reef that got so much publicity in the dive magazines as well as talk from most of the environmentalists. For this reason, I booked a trip on a local live aboard for 10 days and proceeded to fly there from Orlando Florida. I've never been on a plane as long as I was from Los Angeles to Brisbane. Without a stop in Hawaii, as I had going to Yap, I watched three full length movies and still hadn't arrived.
Upon arrival in Brisbane I then had to board a local airline and fly up to Cairns, on the North East Coast, where I boarded the boat for the next ten days. This was a boat connected to the Florida Operation of Explorer Ventures whom I have since been on other trips in the Caribbean.
We first left the dock for a 7 day trip along the Great Barrier Reef. I was much in anticipation of just what strange creatures we would encounter along this over 1,400 mile long reef. Of course we were not able to cover the entire length of the reef but did our best in the next seven days.
Unfortunately I have misplaced my disc of photos taken while on the trip but can say that I was not really impressed with the sea life that we encountered. Maybe it was the hype that the great reef has been advertised or my being overly excited about seeing things that I had never seen before.
To explain my disappointment further we would anchor on a section of the reef and explore all it had to offer. From there we would move on to another reef and another and another. Unfortunately all the reefs looked alike with the same critters and it soon became rather boring.
The only ray of excitement was a visit to an area where large Potato Cod frequented. These are of the Grouper family and it was similar to a shark feeding where we all formed a circle and one of the crew moved to the middle and began to feed the Cod and they were large ones probably around 200 lbs. plus.
Potato Cod
Following seven days of diving we returned to Cairns to pick up a weekend group of divers that filled the boat to capacity and ventured out again for another three days. One of these days was a return to the Cod Hole which was just as entertaining as the last visit.
On another day we had left the boat for a late afternoon dive that carried on close to dusk. When we were back on board someone claimed that a pair of divers had not returned. It was a couple from Japan and it was quickly growing darker. The captain had the crew and divers fan out around the rail trying to see if we could spot the missing divers. The coast guard had already been notified that we were missing the two when all of a sudden one of the lookouts spotted a glow stick light that one of the lost divers illuminated and we were able to pick them up.
When they finally came back on board I told them they should frame that glow stick when they got home for it really saved their lives. I also congratulated them for having the forethought to carry it with them.
Of course it would also have been wise not to stay out as long as they did knowing it was beginning to get dark because all of the other divers made it back to the boat earlier.
I also fault the captain who should not have scheduled a dive as late in the day as he did knowing there was not enough time to retrieve all divers well in advance of sunset.
Well my ten days of diving and a total of 33 dives ended without a major mishap on the Great Barrier Reef. Now all I had to look forward to was another long plane ride back to the states.
Please don't let this report dull your enthusiasm to visit Australia and their great reef. I may have been expecting too much from the flowery writings of the reporters or after that long plane trip was anxious to be dazzled.
Shortly after the trip I learned that Explorer Ventures cancelled their contract with the boat we were on and maybe it was due to that night time mishap or just the lack of business. A lot of the charter companies will contract with local boats and advertise them as part of their operation even if they don't really own the vessel. Who knows, maybe the boat just didn't give the divers enough bang for their buck.
The Socorro Islands
A little closer to home but still 256 miles off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico are the Socorro Islands. There are three outcroppings with only one being named Socorro but being the largest most people refer the grouping as the Socorro Islands.
I had heard from a world traveling diver, while on another trip, that this was one of the best experiences he had with large animals so I immediately put it in my to do list for a future dive.
In researching the location I learned that this area was one where two major currents collide and draw a number of large animals such as Dolphins, Manta Rays, Sharks and sometimes Whales.
So my son Gary and I decided it was a location we had to see so we booked a trip on the liveaboard Solmar V that departed from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The Solmar V was a converted luxury fishing charter boat and very well appointed with beautiful teak and mahogany woods polished to a fine sheen.
The Solmar V
There was plenty of room for diving and the crew did a fantastic job. My understanding is they have since added another boat to their fleet.
We departed the dock at about three o'clock in the afternoon for a 24 hour ride out to the islands. Yes I said 24 hours! The trip is 256 miles long and so we arrived at about the same time the next day. Meals were good although I had a little indigestion from some salad I ate for lunch at the hotel prior to boarding. It fortunately subsided and I was able to join the first dive upon arrival. This is one of the reasons I choose liveaboards because on land you may run into some food that doesn’t agree with you. I have never had a meal that didn’t agree with me on a liveaboard.
Most of us were surprised to view nothing but a rocky pinnacle rising from the water that gave the impression that we were not going to dock anywhere to go land exploring. This was really a remote area and probably why the marine life liked being away from civilization.
We received our preliminary instructions along with a white board diagram of what we were going to encounter once close to the island. They told us that there would be a number of Dolphins along with the White Tip Sharks and Manta Rays and they were very specific about keeping an eye out on our depth when playing with the Dolphins because you could very well start sinking if you didn't pay attention and maximum depth was anywhere from 300 to 500 feet.
Because the area was so rugged the main boat had to anchor some ways from the island. For this reason we had to be transferred closer to the island by large inflatable boats.
Let me emphasize the point, at this time, that this was not the type of diving for a novice. There was current, the water was choppy most of the time and getting off and on of the shuttle took some effort. But the experience was well worth it.
The first animals we encountered were Dolphins. They would come by three or four at a time, I suppose due to their curiosity. I think everyone on the trip had an underwater camera from Go Pros to high dollar Nikons etc.
Dolphins
We, as instructed, had to concentrate on our depth because it was very difficult to lose your concentration while playing with these friendly animals.
Then came the Manta Rays. They would just cruse by, one after another, as though they were on a fashion show runway.
Manta Ray
Finally there were the ever present White Tip Sharks. They would be lying together in a large indentation in the side of the rock wall and when disturbed would disperse and swim around the group eventually returning to the confines of the indentation.
White Tip Sharks
Other than the big animal encounters what also amazed me was the presence of smaller fish and other creatures existing in this barren environment. They were ones I had seen habitat lush reefs and here they were among the rocks and gravel. How did they survive, where was the food to eat?
I guess you're never to old to experience new wonders of the underwater world. It must be a where there's a will there's a way situation.
I hope you enjoy this sample of photography that is from both Gary and me.. I have invested about $4,000 in underwater camera equipment while Gary has invested a minimal amount in a Go Pro camera along with a tray and movie light. In addition to some great shots, he has produced fantastic movies of the trips we have been on.
Gary and His Go Pro
I really have to bow to what technology has provided for a very small outlay in funds so almost anyone can bring back images of their underwater encounters.
Got you interested in Pacific diving? If I have I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. There is nothing separating these magically spots but an airplane ride. Oh, did I mention the cost? Don't think I scheduled two or three of these locations every year, sometimes I would go for two years before I could afford an away trip like these. Don't forget I have been diving for over 60 years which gave me plenty of time to save up to enjoy these locations. Unless you have an unlimited amount of funds just take your time, dive locally and save up your money to make that extraordinary dive that you will talk about for years to come.
Maybe next time we'll go to the Atlantic and beyond, see you then!
George