December 2nd 2006: I was diving a tributary of the Rio Negro, Brazil. This would be the 2nd dive in this region of the Amazon for the team. We had been plagued by poor visibility in most of the areas we had explored during the past 2 months diving in the Amazon and Rio Negro river systems. So our anticipation to this new area was intense.
We traveled farther up river than we had before in our inflatable boats. Seeking the crystal clear water we had been told we would find. Maneuvering back and forth between the overhanging canopy and overturned trees, with branches barely exposed, offering no warning to the boat operator made for an exhilarating ride up river.
As we secured the boats to the side of the riverbank we could see the bottom - OK the bottom was only five feet down, but if we could see it at all, we knew we were in the right place to begin our dive. As the team gears up, I began my final discussion with the expedition leader on our mission underwater. I was dumbfounded to see some large aquarium fish like those I had grown up with in our home aquarium swimming around our boat. I had never seen them in their natural environment. Some of them drifted by while others held still and blended into their surroundings, waiting for the next bug or vegetation to drop into the water and become part of the circle of life.
Four divers entered the water with closed circuit rebreathers, three Inspirations and one Evolution. The team was equipped with JMC SuperMasks, Kirby Morgan Dive System NATO PODS with communications, Excellerating Force Fins and one pair of the Oscillating Propulsion System Fins, made especially for the Team by Force Fin. As a Team, we glided down river until we came upon open pools. They were 28’ deep with a clean sandy bottom, minimum water movement and venturi like shoots where the bottom would turn from sand to grass and rise up, almost breaking the surface of the water. You have to pick your lane right and always be mindful of the underwater HD camera in tight quarters like these.
Some of the shallow shoots we dove through would open up from 5 feet to 30 feet, riverbank to riverbank. As we progressed downriver, the bottom dropped and presented to us a 50 yard scramble through a flooded forest of obstacles with water flowing at about 1 to 2 knots. Over the comms I would groan, “Skewers ahead”. This meant look alive or risk the embarrassment of being skewered from a rare and endangered tree branch from the Amazon rain forest.
This type of underwater environment proved to be the best place for documenting some of the deadly venomous snakes of this region.
Traveling underwater for 2 hours, we experienced numerous types of underwater terrain. At certain sections of the river it was crucial for us to hover in place and document the natural history before our eyes, such as a juvenile caiman resting near a sunken tree. It was in situations like these that the efficiency of Force Fins really paid off. We could hover in a current, film and not become worn out by the constant kicking.
Visibility would go from a clear fifty feet to a murky four feet in a span of ten yards down the river. The underwater communications were helpful in coordinating the Team, but with the current running from fierce to light, it was the fins we wore that made the difference in our success underwater on this day.
At one point, we had to even swim up river to where a trailing diver had spotted a creature that our six eyes had missed on their way down river. By just increasing the frequency of our kicks by a few per minute, we were able to push our closed circuit rebreathers, lights and cameras back up river to witness natural history at its finest.
This was underwater Amazon and we were finding another clue to understanding life on planet earth.
We traveled farther up river than we had before in our inflatable boats. Seeking the crystal clear water we had been told we would find. Maneuvering back and forth between the overhanging canopy and overturned trees, with branches barely exposed, offering no warning to the boat operator made for an exhilarating ride up river.
As we secured the boats to the side of the riverbank we could see the bottom - OK the bottom was only five feet down, but if we could see it at all, we knew we were in the right place to begin our dive. As the team gears up, I began my final discussion with the expedition leader on our mission underwater. I was dumbfounded to see some large aquarium fish like those I had grown up with in our home aquarium swimming around our boat. I had never seen them in their natural environment. Some of them drifted by while others held still and blended into their surroundings, waiting for the next bug or vegetation to drop into the water and become part of the circle of life.
Four divers entered the water with closed circuit rebreathers, three Inspirations and one Evolution. The team was equipped with JMC SuperMasks, Kirby Morgan Dive System NATO PODS with communications, Excellerating Force Fins and one pair of the Oscillating Propulsion System Fins, made especially for the Team by Force Fin. As a Team, we glided down river until we came upon open pools. They were 28’ deep with a clean sandy bottom, minimum water movement and venturi like shoots where the bottom would turn from sand to grass and rise up, almost breaking the surface of the water. You have to pick your lane right and always be mindful of the underwater HD camera in tight quarters like these.
Some of the shallow shoots we dove through would open up from 5 feet to 30 feet, riverbank to riverbank. As we progressed downriver, the bottom dropped and presented to us a 50 yard scramble through a flooded forest of obstacles with water flowing at about 1 to 2 knots. Over the comms I would groan, “Skewers ahead”. This meant look alive or risk the embarrassment of being skewered from a rare and endangered tree branch from the Amazon rain forest.
This type of underwater environment proved to be the best place for documenting some of the deadly venomous snakes of this region.
Traveling underwater for 2 hours, we experienced numerous types of underwater terrain. At certain sections of the river it was crucial for us to hover in place and document the natural history before our eyes, such as a juvenile caiman resting near a sunken tree. It was in situations like these that the efficiency of Force Fins really paid off. We could hover in a current, film and not become worn out by the constant kicking.
Visibility would go from a clear fifty feet to a murky four feet in a span of ten yards down the river. The underwater communications were helpful in coordinating the Team, but with the current running from fierce to light, it was the fins we wore that made the difference in our success underwater on this day.
At one point, we had to even swim up river to where a trailing diver had spotted a creature that our six eyes had missed on their way down river. By just increasing the frequency of our kicks by a few per minute, we were able to push our closed circuit rebreathers, lights and cameras back up river to witness natural history at its finest.
This was underwater Amazon and we were finding another clue to understanding life on planet earth.
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