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Archive for November, 2010
Even the Great White Shark looks tame in comparison to this beast...
Scuba divers frequently get eaten by giant ______.
(Fill in the blank: giant octopi, sharks, man-eating conchs, radioactive seahorses, etc.)
FALSE. You have a better chance of being killed by a vending machine than being eaten by a shark. Seriously. Jacques Cousteau once said that “Man, of all the animals, is the only one to consider himself a great delicacy.” Just because there are some large predatory animals living in the oceans does not mean that they are gunning for every diver that jumps in. Divers, in general, are too big and too loud (i.e. intimidating) for most creatures to consider us a food source. Not to mention that a human’s bone/muscle mass to fat ratio is darn near indigestible and definitely not appetizing, even to a great white shark. This is not to say caution be damned: I would advise against bronco riding a bull shark and parading about the sea floor with an octopus as a fashion accessory. But, to answer the question from countless co-workers, airplane seatmates, relatives, and even the little old lady who walks her chihuahua by my house every day at 9am, no, I am not concerned that something will eat me while scuba diving.
Chicks dig divers.
TRUE. Of course it helps if the diver in question is buff, tan and 22. If you are 50, hairy and can’t fit your beer gut into your wetsuit, you may find this myth to be false. Interestingly, many dive boats actually have a larger proportion of men on them than women. So, ladies, if you are looking to meet some new and interesting people, scuba might be the thing for you. If you don’t make a love connection, at least you got some good exercise and explored a bit of the incredible ocean. It’s got to be better than speed dating.
Diving is a great opportunity to do something with my husband/wife/partner/sister/brother/child/friend/good looking neighbor, etc.
MAYBE. Divers learn at different paces, so just because you and the target of your affection start out in scuba lessons together does not necessarily mean that you will progress at the same pace or enjoy the same type of diving. There is always at least one person on every dive boat whose former dive buddy just wants to sit on the beach, play golf or find the bottom of their margarita glass (repeatedly). Fear not, however, if you find yourself in this solitary predicament. Divers are a welcoming bunch. You will most likely be able to trade in your current stick-in-the-mud friend for a shiny new dive buddy who shares your interests.
All scuba diving must be dangerous.
FALSE. Divers tend to choose their most extreme scuba experiences to share with others. Tales of swimming vertically down the Devil’s Throat in Mexico or swirling in the murky Cauldron of Death in Chile make for impressive bar room stories more so than floating along in the 10 foot deep Flower Gardens. Sitting on the shallow ocean floor watching a sand eel pop its head in and out of its hole just doesn’t extract the same listener reaction as the bull shark that tore a chunk out of your fin as you escaped towards the dive boat. Scuba can be as dangerous or as benign as the diver chooses, based on the dive profile, resident critters and skill level of the diver in question. Like many things in life, there is a comfortable level to be had for everyone.
Learning to dive can turn you into James Bond or Scuba Steve.
MAYBE. If you just don’t have a cool bone in your body, no amount of bottom time will help. But, if you are looking to add a little spice to an otherwise tame existence, scuba might be for you. You’ll meet new people. You’ll have something new to talk about around the water cooler on Monday. You might even find you are motivated to go to the gym a bit more (so next time you can actually lift that tank). Note: spy gadgets and Bond-like attitude are not included in standard scuba gear.
Divers are required to have 3-day old stubble, a bad crew cut and a tattoo that says Mom.
FALSE. Yes, once upon a time scuba was reserved for the “heartiest” of humans who grunted and spat, while grabbing their god-given jewels before entering the water. Also, there was a time when most people thought the world was flat. So…has anything Nostradamus promised come to fruition lately? No? Then let’s let go of this Neanderthal notion of diving, shall we? Most dive boats hold a healthy combination of divers that are old and young, male and female, and (possibly concerningly) a wide variety of physical fitness. Scuba diving is now done (literally) on the 4 corners of the globe in every language you can name. I will say, however, that many die-hard divers have aquatic themed tattoos. Why? I have no idea, other than their conviction for the sea. I don’t have one myself, but am shopping for one now. I’m thinking a whaleshark with a wave. Maybe a Mom whaleshark.
Odd...but tasty
What is this alien looking thing waving its tentacles at the camera? It’s not the most graceful looking mollusk on the planet, but it very well may be the tastiest. Though this species has changed little over the past 500 million years, you may not have come across it if you haven’t been diving on the western coast of North America.
The northern abalone or pinto abalone, Haliotis kamtschatkana, is a species of large edible sea snail. This tasty critter is found in kelp beds along outer well-exposed coasts from Sitka, Alaska along the coast of Canada to Point Conception, California. The pinto abalone has an adult shell size of approximately 4 inches, but it can sometimes grow as large as 6 inches. Its green-brown shell is only ugly on the outside; inside its iridescence is stunning. The northern abalone was classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2006.
Get this guy an XXXXL BCD
Chile has a secret. Though most people think of the Andes Mountains when it comes to Chile, this country’s 6,400km of pristine coastline acts as a gateway to some of the best cold-water diving in the world. The Humboldt Current whisks by Chile’s coast, creating plankton-rich waters that offer neon soft corals, towering sponges, tie-dyed starfish, flower corals, snappy crabs, playful sea-lions, historical wrecks and plenty of fish for divers to relish.
Scuba divers embrace the waters off the coast from Puerto Montt in the south to Arica in the north, though the most popular dive spots reach from Arica to La Serena on the north coast where the water is warmer and the fish are more prolific. Visibility ranges from 10-20m and water temperatures from 11-14°C (don’t worry, the air is a lot warmer!)
Many dive sites are shore-entry. Chilean beaches are easily accessible and usually have similar characteristics: a small sandy bay capped at both end by cliffs. The bottom of the sea alternates between sand and large boulders, with a cash crop of seaweed sprouting from the cracks and crevices. Chile’s secret status as a dive haven means that less divers visit these waters, resulting in incredibly healthy and abundant flora and fauna.
The most common places for scuba diving in Chile are:
North Region
The north region is perhaps the most popular area to dive in Chile. Divers of all skills levels will find amazing sites to explore. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the water is warmer here, too. Some sites include:
The Cauldron of Death – With a name like this, it’s got to be good. This combo wall/cave dive is strictly for advanced divers only. The shore entry to the site needs to be timed since heavy surge occurs every few minutes. Max depth is 35m but average viz is 30m. The cave is fun to explore while the wall provides a natural canvas for an enormous amount of marine growth which, in turn attracts large schools of fish. And when your dive day is done, you can brag to your other dive buddies that you survived the…Cauldron of Death.
Roca Chungungo – This reef/wall dive site has little current and offers something for all levels of scuba divers. Novices can stay and play on the shallow reef while more advanced divers can descend down to the depths, which bottom out at 47m. Average viz is only 15m, but behold what might pop out of the gloom: otters and sea lions frequent this spot, and are known to follow divers around.
Islands of Chile
Offshore, the waters get warmer and the diving gets hotter. There is a rich variety of fish in the clear waters surrounding the islands. Among the many species to be spotted, divers can find moray, vidriola, cod-fish, pampanito, breca and corvine. Juan Fernandez Archipelago boasts several sites, including some surrounding Robinson Crusoe Island (the Chileans are really good at naming dive sites to entice you to visit.)
By far the most famous of the Chilean islands to dive is Easter Island, known for its towering (dormant) volcanoes and enormous, awe-inspiring Maoi stone statutes. At 2,300 miles offshore, this island is a unique retreat resting on an underwater volcanic ridge which supports over 100 species of tropical and pelagic fish and 144 species of algae. There are no coral reefs but several coral species do grow around the island. About 20% of the marine flora and fauna found there is endemic to Easter Island.
Leveraging one of the island’s dive guides is a must: currents can change rapidly and many dive sites are hard to locate. The Island’s better known diving sites include: Jardin, Omohi, Motu Kao Kao, Motu Nui, Motu Iti, El Puente (The Bridge), El Acantilado (The Cliff) and the Anakena and Ovahe beaches.
One dive site typical of the island is the Cathedral. Accessed by boat, this dive site usually has light currents, and consists of an area of kelp upon entry. As the diver descends they encounter numerous rock structures with vast amounts of corals. Divers can spot a variety of fish including the tipi-tipi (butterfly fish), maito (surgeon fish), toremu (a variety of piranha), trompeta (bugle fish), loro (parrot fish) and tuna. Anemones, octopus, sea snails and sea urchins are also plentiful.
Central Coast
The central coast, though cold, hosts an array of nice dive sites spread out over many miles. Quintay, once an important whaling station and now a museum and scientific marine research centre on the central coast, has some nice dive sites with several accessible wrecks from the whaling days. Laguna Verde and Algarrobo are also popular diving areas along the central coast.
El Falucho is a nice wreck dive for less experienced scuba divers. She lies at a depth of around 15 meters. Entry to the site is by boat only, and visibility usually runs about 17m. The light current takes divers along at a pleasant pace, giving them plenty of time to explore the riot of colorful growth and fish that inhabit the nooks of the wreck.
The currents at Lobera de Curaumilla are a bit swifter than El Falucho, making it best for those divers with at least intermediate skills. It is an interesting dive site with great marine life, though the average visibility is only about 7m and the max depth 16m. The highlight of diving here is the opportunity to see the large colony of seals that call this area home.