Underwater Flight

It’s been years since we’ve been scuba diving, following a period where we took a dive trip for seven or eight consecutive years. We enjoyed the sport immensely, but other priorities – financial and otherwise – took over, and our gear is probably slowly succumbing to dry rot in our closet.

It’s hard to explain to a non-diver how amazing it is to “fly” through the water, over and around reefs, inspecting aquatic flora and fauna whose diversity boggles the mind. When properly weighted*, one can move in three dimensions almost as effortlessly as a bird in the air (notice that I didn’t say as gracefully; that’s still a stretch).

That’s why I find the photos on this website so compelling. The context of being underwater, yet over areas that people normally walk, ride bikes, or sit and read books or have conversations adds a unique psychic perspective to the sport. Conversely, it would be equally interesting to hike through the area having once dived it.

I’d love to dive this spot, but for one detail: the water is probably frigid, given its source is melted snow! The diver in the photo appears to be wearing a dry suit, a must for cold water diving.

Link via Neatorama

*A scuba diver fights a continuous battle between the body’s natural buoyancy and the weight of the gear, with the goal being neutral buoyancy – the ability to hang motionless in the water. Depending on body type, one may need as much as 30 pounds of lead weight to achieve neutral buoyancy. On the other hand, the last time I dived, I wore no additional weights.