What are some of the most beautiful sights you saw while diving?

[chillyinCanada]

I've some incredible dives, but the most meaningwas my fir'sst dive on the UB88, a German submarine sunk off Los Angeles Harbor in 1921. Its location was unknown until 2003 when Gary Fabian and Ray Arnzt found it. They didn't share the location with anyone, so my buddy and I began looking for it ourselves. Over the next several years we discovered new wrecks and reefs, but the UB88 eluded us. In January 2010 I received a call from my buddy. He found the sub...four months earlier.
He lied to me about the depth and location, so I had to download the software and search for it myself. It took five months before I was able to meter one of my possible targets, and then another month before I was able to dive it. When I saw the conning tower, I remember feeling elated at finally seeing the sub, but I also had a "take that!" thought. Seeing the conning tower appear through a huge cloud of Squarespot rockfish was the most beautiful sight I've seen.

Good post and picture. But why did your buddy, with whom you'd been searching hide it from you, then reveal he'd found it months before only to lie about where? Are you guys still buddies as divers or even friends? It would be very hard for me to trust someone like that, which is why I ask.

 

[The Laconic]

The Points of Light room in the Tajma Ha Cenote. There's a picture on Steve Bogaerts's website:

Tajma Ha

I managed to hit it at the right time during the final dive of my cavern course. That was a factor that made me go on to finish the cave sequence.

Runners up are the Chinese Room, also at Taj, and the Cuzan Nah loop at Gran Cenote. Both made me spontaneously say "whoa" through my regulator.

For non-cave sights, it might have to be looking up and seeing a handful of dolphins (do I recall a baby?) swim past at Elbow in Belize, obscured by distance and sunlight.

 

[Storker]

1: Hanging in perfect equilibrium aside a perfectly vertical wall, the light above me, the pitch black abyss below me.
2: Turning off my light during a night dive, waving my hand in front of my face and seeing the phosphorescent plankton lighting up like fireworks.

 

[billt4sf]

1) The smile on my wife's face after some dives;
2) some cute girls on the boat in bikinis.

 

[wildbill9]

This is a great thread!! As I sat here remembering 35 years of incredible dives (yes every one has been great in its own way, from 6 inches vis in a bauxite pit to diving the great barrier reef I have love every second I have been under) I tried to think of what one single dive was head and shoulders above all the rest? One stands out. In a
day 1986 told my girl friend if she would get certified I would pay for a dive trip. She got certified so I booked a trip with our lds to cayman brac (little cayman did not have diving at that time). She did her check out dives there. On her first dive the look of awe, incredulity, excitement and wonder was my most memorable dive experience. I have seen many wonderful things but nothing like the look on her face. We are getting ready to celebrate of 28th anniversary and our next 4 vacations are already planned. Roatan, little cayman, Italy and Nassau (for shark diving). I married a true keeper! Many friends have trouble deciding where to travel because only one loves diving-I am blessed that is not our problem! Bill (and DeeDee)

 

[KeithG]

painted tunicates

geometirc encrusting tunicates

sailfin blennies

queen angels

christmass tree worms

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Good post and picture. But why did your buddy, with whom you'd been searching hide it from you, then reveal he'd found it months before only to lie about where? Are you guys still buddies as divers or even friends? It would be very hard for me to trust someone like that, which is why I ask.

It was first discovered seven years before but the first group vowed not to reveal it's location. They set up their own website, UB88.org but would not share the dive site with others. This really bothered my friend Ross, yet he did the same thing later on. He said he was afraid I would tell others about it. Of course I would! I don't own the ocean, and there are a lot of divers who would love to see the only WW1 German sub on the West Coast. Ever since I revealed the location several charters and private boats have dived the sub. There are several videos on YouTube of the UB88 and lots of still photos on the web.
I don't need that kind of attitude in my life and we haven't dived together since then.

 

[admikar]

1) The smile on my wife's face after some dives;
2) some cute girls on the boat in bikinis.

Make sure your wife does not see a smile on your face after looking at some cute girls in bikinis!

 

[mattia_v]

So many!

- curious Minke whales at the GBR
- hammerheads in the Galapagos
- countless turtles at Turtle City, Bonaire
- the joy of a sea lion pup playing with his own reflection in your fisheye lens

 

[Steve_C]

These posts help explain why I love diving. There are some places I have dove a number of times yet each dive is a new adventure, you never know what you might see.