Dolphin Dive
It was one of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had. There had been other moments while diving--sittting at 80 feet under the sea at a site called "Cathedral" in Cozumel, Mexico, overcome with the beauty of how the light moved with the water, how still I felt, my breaths, slow and deep; another time in Bora Bora, French Polynesia, when the enormous manta ray-- at least 12 feet in width-- appeared, silently flapping his fins, gliding so effortlessly above my head. But this, moment, as captured here by Kari Atkins of AtkinsScuba, was nothing short of amazing.
It had been another "day at the office" dive in Cozumel. Not that I ever take for granted the array of turtles, vivid coral formations and groupers and parrotfish that defy description. We were about 20 minutes into the dive (that's my husband Jay at .22 and me at .28) when we heard something and all simulataneously looked up.
There were three dolphins, just above us, their curiosity obvious (3:10). They checked us out (how strange it must be, to see humans in gear blowing bubbles under the water, their water!). Matthew and Kari, the dive masters, told us later that they had been on thousands and thousands of dives in Cozumel, and had never seen dolphins like this.
It's a moment that sticks in my head as one of the most special I've had in the natural world. A gift.
Check out Matthew and Kari Atkins at http://atkinsscuba.com
