It's not uncommon for people to believe that dive professionals live the good life. They point out that our office has a view of the ocean, our office clothes consist of tees and a pair of board shorts, we are paid to have fun, etc. Okay, so we have it good, but it's not necessarily a bed of roses all the time. Bear in mind that those tanks are heavy, the sun causes skin cancer, and all that underwater pressure relentlessly pounding on our bodies may manifest itself as aches and pains soon. Not to mention the stress we have to endure with gung-ho or otherwise dive students, keeping them alive while ensuring that they establish a passionate relationship with the underwater world lest we lose our jobs. But all these work hazards aside, surely there will come a time when all dives become routine. And when you find yourself daydreaming while you are underwater, then it's time to take a break.
So what's a sure-fire way to de-stress a dive professional who spends work time underwater? Try vacation time underwater. Deep down, no pun intended, we are still suckers for the sea, and going diving without having to mind students or guests make up for a real dive vacation. Taking along an underwater camera and having somebody else point out critters, however, make up for a real downtime, pun intended.
And so that's how I found myself in the Bunaken National Marine Park in Manado, Indonesia. Established in 1991 and declared a sanctuary, this part of the Indo-Pacific region boasts of the highest marine biodiversity on earth, a fact that was shared by our trusty dive guides Noldy and Melky of the Ecodivers. This spot in the Indo-Pacific is frequented by marine biologists, and apparently by underwater macro fans like myself.
My dives this time were a total deviation from my usual routine. The first lovely thing is I don't have to strain my eyes to look for macro subjects, nor do I have to lead the way. My main task was to just hold on to my underwater camera, keep my eyes in relaxed scan-mode, and sharpen my ears for the dive guides' rapping of their tanks to signal a macro find. I would zoom in using my fins (as opposed to the camera's zoom), focus on the subject and shoot away, trying different angles and different options to get that shot. Meanwhile my dive guide would wander nearby, looking out for more finds and most likely praying that i get it done and over with. Either that or he's just trying to keep himself from falling asleep.
The experience was heaven on earth. It brought me back to the days when I was still an open water diver, nervous and wet behind the ears. This time around, I may well be wet behind the ears as I was (and will always be, literally), but I was more relaxed and raring to go. After all, my tanks were replaced by the crew and they mind my camera as well- dutifully taking it in or out of the designated freshwater tub whenever I need it. All that's left to do on the dive boat was to snack away and doze off during surface interval. As a dive guest I could just let my mind wander off, instead of having to go through the next dive's considerations if I were the one leading the dives.
Our dives were mostly done around the Bunaken Island. Most memorable for me were Bunaken Timor or East Bunaken- a reef so long and lavishly decorated with soft colorful corals and a good scatter of several types of nudibranch, waiting to be shot to death, camera-wise, of course. Notable too are the schools of pyramid butterfly fish which make up for a good contrast on a blue background when taking shots of your dive buddy. They never fail to brighten up a portrait shot.
Another dive site worthy of mentioning is the Black Rock. At first I was skeptical when we did our giant stride with a view of Batu Hitam (which means Black Rock), a part of the rocky island strewn with nothing but, er, black rocks. But lo and behold, my guide was banging his tank like crazy, pointing out cuttlefish, black coral crabs, and all sorts of shrimps. I was reeling with excitement from investigating one spot after the other. Indeed it was macro heaven.
Just when I thought the exhilaration was over, our shallow dive at the Tasik Ria House Reef provided that proverbial fitting end to our day's dive. A gentle sloping sandy reef with patches of corals and seagrass, this mix of habitat promises a wide variety of sea critters from flounders, seahorses, shrimps, pipefish, crabs, leaf fish and even snake eels. It was a welcome change from the drop-offs of Bunaken, plus the shallow depth meant a longer bottom time. My memory card was bursting at the seams by the end of the day.
By sunset I was enjoying my Indonesian brewskie, pondering on how captivating the dives were during the day while taking in the view of the vastness of the sea. Suddenly I spotted a group of divers on the jetty, being briefed by my dive guides whose work is still not done. I could just imagine how exhausted they must be, yet still willing to go the extra mile for the love of the underwater world. It all boils down to that passion that burns within a dive professional's heart, a passion easily fueled by a beginner diver's onslaught of curious questions, or an advanced diver's boundless fascination for a world he never tires to be familiar with. We should know better. After all, we started out as open water divers too.
(photos may be viewed through this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bflavi/)
