Down Under Dive Club

by Jeri L. Curley

NOAA was calling for 2 foot seas. They were right! I decided to head down early and hit the afternoon dive. We had flat seas and little current which picked up for the night dive. Critters were every where. But we came to see turtles and see them we did. Greens, Hawksbills, Loggerheads were all over the place. They even stuck around for photos! One loggerhead was so large it had 2 remoras. The SMALL remora was 2 feet long. The reef started to blossom as we transitioned between twilight and night. Coral polyps opened, Basketstars unfolded. Everywhere I shone my light I could see little dots of light shining back from the eyes of lobster, shrimp and crabs that hide out during the day. I waved my hand in the darkness and a trail of light followed my fingertips - bioluminescence created by the smallest creatures in the ocean-plankton. The reef is a wondrous place during the day but it is spectacular at night. It is well worth the effort to become night dive certified. Jump on in! The water's warm but the dive is COOOL!