Minke Whales

The morning starts off very much the same as yesterday with a 6:30 A.M. wake up call and a cold breakfast in the dining room. During the night we have motored to Pixie Pinnacle and it is here that I will make my deep water dive for my advanced certification. I am feeling more confident than yesterday and with Lozza at my side, we descend slowly to 90 feet and kneel on the sandy bottom. She pulls out a piece of fruit and writes "What is this?" on her writing board? Yesterday, during my buoyancy test, she had me swimming and balancing apples and I guess that the piece of fruit is an apple? She slices it open with her dive knife and I see that it is actually a tomato. Next she pulls an egg out of her vest and cracks it open and I am surprised to see the yoke and egg white float intact. Lozza bats at the floating mass several times and the egg white continues to hold its shape around the yoke. She gives it a hard whack and it breaks apart and small fish come in to feed on the particles. Except for the distortion of colors and shapes, I feel little difference between this 90 foot dive and the 50' to 70' dives that I did yesterday.

We ascend 30 feet and swim slowly around the pinnacle. Lozza points out camouflaged fish that I would otherwise miss. We see anemones caressing clown fish and stag horn corral with tiny angel fish swimming within the protection of the coral branches. Dozens of garden eels poke their heads from the sand, swaying in the current. There are multitudes of colorful reef fish and a sea snake makes its appearance. Incredible.

We surface and enjoy a hot breakfast while the boat motors to Two Towers. This is where we hope to see the Minke whales. For 6 weeks each year, the Minkes come to the warm waters of the barrier reef to breed and to have their calves. Mossy gives us our instructions for this dive site; we suit up, take the giant step off the back of the boat and descend. Lozza has other required duties during this dive so John and I team up with Mossy as a dive trio and we descend and swim towards the two pinnacles. We spiral around the coral encrusted pinnacle, winding slowly up, absorbing the beauty all around. After exploring both pinnacles, we return to the mooring line where we have been instructed to "hang" and wait for the Minke whales to come to us. Apparently, the Minke whales like the sound of the engine of the boat and are curious about the divers and often come to investigate. 20 of us, hang on the mooring line and wait. We are staggered, holding the mooring line, 20 to 30 feet below the surface and beneath the boat. All I can see is open blue water and the odd fish that has ventured up from the coral below. Many minutes pass and I check my dive calculator to determine my remaining air. I estimate that I have at least 15 more minutes remaining and wait impatiently, peering off into the empty blue. Mossy taps my shoulder and I look in the direction that he is pointing and see a mere shadow of what might be a whale. Several minutes later and perhaps 30 feet away another whale glides past . There is no mistaking this for a shadow and our excitement escalates. Over the next 5 to 10 minutes we see other whales, or perhaps the same one circling the boat? Soon, two whales come into view, but they keep their distance; and then another whale appears and swims beneath us, less than 15 feet away. My remaining air has reached the 50 bar mark and I must begin my ascent, but I know that I will be designing a Minke Whale charm in the near future.

I have worked up an appetite and eat heartily from the lunch buffet; hot mushroom soup, an array of cold salads and a chicken rice pasta. Immediately after lunch I move to a far corner to read my dive manuel and fill out the chapter tests. This is feeling more like work than a vacation, but I am no longer anxious about the diving. As I read, the boat is motoring onto Rod's Rock, our next dive location.

We will have the ultimate Minke experience at Rod's Rock, but as we go through our pre-dive check, John shows me his dive computer and we note that his tank is not completely topped off. I ask John if we should ask the support team to refill his tank but John dismisses me. We descend with our separate buddies; me with Lozza and John with Craig, an experience diver from Kodiak Alaska. We all begin with the usual exploration of the site, following Mossy's pre-dive instructions, poking into crevices and admiring the abundance of marine life. Each dive is more incredible than the last, partially because I am more relaxed and confident and able to focus less on the mechanics of staying alive, and more on the wondrous surroundings. After exploring Rod's Rock we all gather at the mooring line again to "hang" and wait for the Minke whales. I scan the line trying to pick out John from the many other divers; yellow flippers, black wet suit, crew cut? I don't see him, but try to relax certain that he is safe with his dive partner. A whale appears from one direction; a minute passes and another two whales emerge from the abyss and glide below us. There is a tap on my shoulder and I turn to see John. My heart wells with relieve and joy; we are together and will share this incredible whale encounter. John points to his dive computer and I see that he is entering the red zone. We look at my gauge and I have plenty of air; considerably more than I will need. He mimes that he would like to use my reserve air so that he can stay down and watch the whales. Naturally, I offer my emergency regulator to him, delighted that I have air to spare and that we may share this very safe time together, holding onto the mooring line, just 30 feet below the surface. No sooner does John have my emergency regulator in his mouth, than Mossy, taps him on his shoulder and motions him to release the regulator. I was hopeful that this would be allowed, but am not surprised at the restriction. After all, the reserve air is to be there in case of an emergency, and although our conditions toad were relatively safe, I understand the protocol. John's computer dial moves into the red, but he stays down several minutes longer and watches as several whales swim within 10 feet of us. He reluctantly surfaces.

After we are all on deck, John tells me that he continues to watch the whales from the surface; taking huge breaths and plunging down, snorkel style.

Our fourth and final dive for the day is a drift dive. This is a dive that I must complete for my certification. We suit up and it is a challenge to step from the back of our dive boat into the rubber zodiac while wearing the heavy dive equipment. With considerable assistance, I manage to board and not capsize the smaller boat. The zodiac takes us up current to the dive site where we begin our dive.There are 6 divers in each zodiac; three on each side and we are to flip backwards over the edge of the zodiac to enter the water. At the count of three, all three divers on one side, must enter the water in unison. If one hesitates for even a second, the other divers will be bobbing to the surface and a collision of dive tanks may happen. Lozza asks me how I feel about the upcoming exercise? I tell her and my other dive companions that doing this is just about the last thing that I want to do; but that I will do it. Someone counts to three and I call out to HAULT! A minute later, one of the support team, Clara, moves to sit beside me and tells me that she will push me backwards at the count of three. I am apprehensive but grateful that the action is now out of my control. I hear the countdown and I am pushed over backwards. It feels no different from the giant step off the back of the boat and I surface in unison with the other two divers from my side of the boat.

We descend to 58' and catch the drift current. We are a group of four; myself, Lozza, John and Cliff. We drift effortlessly along the edge of a reef with all the wonders of this environment scrolling past us. The current is slow and it is easy to slow our progression when something of interest catches our eye. The stag horn coral is plentiful and I am again enthralled by the miniature angel fish taking refuge within the protective branches. Colorful reef fish are abundant, but again, the clown fish caressing the anemones catch my eye. It is no wonder that Disney choose this endearing fish to be a star in one of his movies.

One of the requirement for my dive certification is to release the emergency "sausage." As our drift dive nears its finish, Lozza motions us into cove apart from the current and we kneel on the sandy bottom. She shows me how to fill the orange dive balloon with air from my regulator. As intended, it pops to the surface, and if this were a true emergency, would signal for help. I take a final swim around a large stag horn coral swarming with miniature angel fish; say my goodbyes to this underwater wonderland and reluctantly surface.

Tonight is our last night onboard and after hot showers we all meet on the top deck for a barbecue. It is a balmy evening and we are moored off of Lizard Island. We lost a few guests due to sea sickness, but those of us still standing have a common shared experience and the conversation flows freely. The wine also flows freely, since there will be no diving in the morning. I am cheered, toasted and presented with my advanced dive certification card. (with reminders that I must turn in my final chapter reviews in the morning.)

When the night air cools, we descend to the inside dining room for more festivities and games. Lozza has been a wonderful dive instructor and I want to give her a piece of my jewelry. I pull her aside and as subtly as possible, spread a collection of my sterling silver ocean charms upon the table. She is delighted and chooses the spread tentacle octopus neckpiece. John is absorbed in a game of Mexican Train with 6 or 7 other passengers and the Japanese group is also celebrating at an adjoining table. One of the Japanese women comes over to take a peek at my jewelry and asks the price of my angler fish with a pearl? She wants to purchase it and her friend wants another one exactly like it. Happily, I am wearing a second one and unhook it from my neck for her friend to purchase.

The celebratory evening is a wonderful closure to a remarkable dive experience.