Beauty at 15 feet

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Xizang

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Last weekend I was in Anilao for open water sessions for my IDC. We did our exercises at kambingan and while taking a break from the exercises I pass the time by looking at the marine life at 15 feet. Before I never cared to look at the marine life at the 15 feet ledge just before the drop off. I realize that there is a lot of nice things even just at 15 feet. I stared at a table coral and a anemone for 10 minutes looking at the different life form that either emerge from it or went hiding into it. A coral about 2 feet in diameter is like a whole community. It has its locals and its got its visitors and passerbys. As I stared into the coral I wondered how many different species of organisms are probably interacting and moving about there. I bet there is probably an organism living there not yet discovered by science.

When I started diving I always wanted to go deep. The deeper the dive the better. The bigger the fish the better. Now I am starting to appreciate the shallow dives and the small fishes. I remember a conversation with Warren Dixon (IDAP Course Director) a few months ago and I told him of my fascination for depth and he told me then "Me, I like 15 feet". At that time I just laughed and told myself this guy is probably too old to go to deeper dives but now I understand why he said that.
 
oh yes majority of sea lifes are at the shallow part. try staying still at say just 5 feet and try to focus on the sea column just infront of you or just right just on top of the sand and you will see (if you have the patience) a lot of activity.

The serious marine aquarist would probably have more accurate information on life at shallows than experienced deep divers.

i go solo diving at 15 feet and just observe them minute creatures around rocks, corals and juvenile creatures. try to listen also especially night dives the clicking you hear. they all happen at shallows and if you are patient enough you will see who makes them clicks :)
 
i know what you mean. i myself am still hooked on going deep! i cant deny that there is so much more to see in the shallower areas: 10-20 feet. ive seen the best corals and sea life in anilao at this depth.
 
Axua:
A coral about 2 feet in diameter is like a whole community. It has its locals and its got its visitors and passerbys. As I stared into the coral I wondered how many different species of organisms are probably interacting and moving about there. I bet there is probably an organism living there not yet discovered by science.
When your focus shifts from depth to the ocean and its mysteries you've turned a major corner in your progression as a Scuba Diver. You're shifting from Scuba as an activity itself to Scuba as a means to the greater activity of underwater adventure and discovery - welcome to "His wondrous works in the deep" - many of which are just barely beneath the surface :)
Rick
 
One of the fun things is to try to make out the camoflaged shapes on the reef. I am keeping an eye out for the sea moth, very hard to spot. Although I am also starting to spot the sealife before the DM does, ha ha, that includes the big fish sneaking out in the periphery of sight, blending blue in the blue distance. I saw the big barracudas first, on a dive. Yay!

It makes sense to bury one's nose in all those fish, invertebrate and coral ID books and try to remember that all once faced with a healthy reef.

Here's a great site with gorgeous photos and well researched info on Philippine and SEA/Australian marine life:
http://www.divegallery.com/index.html
 
Now you know why I like shallower dives much more than deeper ones. I see much more life and I can stay there longer. The longer the better.
 
DennisW:
Now you know why I like shallower dives much more than deeper ones. I see much more life and I can stay there longer. The longer the better.

its a matter of preference. i notice newbie divers like going deep and they eventually mature and are content with diving shallower waters with more marine life. im sorry to admit im the first kind:)
 
who isn't or wasn't...

then again i've hit 100' early in my career so 30-60 is still a joy to me... gotta master bouyancy at 15 though... hovering shy of the surface is a bicth hehehehe

god i miss diving so much... wonder when the wife's gonna let her hubby hit the water again... sigh...

Jag
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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