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| Welcome to our Scuba Blog! This is where we will keep you updated on things happening here at Dive Aventuras. Look for dive reports, special promotions, guest photos, and current events going on in our little piece of paradise! |
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| My Sand Dive |
| Oct 19 08 |
Often, when we hear divers talk about "a sand dive", it doesn't evoke good thoughts. However, last week I went out to a sandy spot 40ft deep and 50ft x 50ft near one of our shallow dive sites, Castillo Bajo, and had the most incredible dive I can remember in a long time. In some ways, it reminded me of dives I've done in the "muck" of Indonesia (only the sand was white and I could see much further!). My intent was to photograph some seahorses that had reportedly taken up residence on small fans and gargonians in that area. Well, I saw seahorses all right, five of them, but I also got more than I had ever imagined!
Concentrating only on small things and looking down in the sand (okay, and occasionally at my buddy too) I found a beautiful orange seahorse, very slender, on a mid-size gargonian. After spending a few minutes waiting for my little friend to overcome his shyness and look at my camera, I located a larger, red seahorse closeby. I was just positioning myself for my "National Geographic moment" when I saw Andres waving franticly for me to come over. I swam over to him, all the while hoping I could find my way back to my latest discovery, and there, making his way across the sand in full defensive display was a Flying Gurnard looking very much like an underwater peacock, Now, in all my dives, I've only seen a few of these but this one was certainly the most beautiful.
After taking about 10 photos and feeling a bit guilty about so much exposure from my strobes, I left him to be and went back to my search for seahorses. Again, Andres was in my periphery vision, waving like a madman so over I went to find another unusual site. A small rough box crab, about 2 inches wide who would scurry across the sand then stop, and bury himself up to his eyeballs (which were perched high above his shell) and wait for us to back away. Once we permitted him some personal space again, out he would pop and continue on his way. It was very comical and fun to watch.
I resumed my search for seahorses and found a number of interesting things along the way. A teeny tiny hermit crab, the size of a kernel of corn, was hiding in the joint of a gargonian. I could barely make him out but my macro lens found him anyway.
Floating just above a small fan, something caught my eye and upon close inspection, I realized it was a pair of arrow shrimp. They looked like sewing needles in the water and once they retreated to the safety of their sea fan, were almost impossible to see.
 
After a 65 minute dive in this small, sandy environment, I had seen so much life that the next time a diver tells me they had a "sand dive" I'll be really happy for them! |
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