soundfield
Contributor
Pelagic Magic - A Journey into Inner Space. Ive been a recreational diver for the past 20 years, and over those years Ive visited many reefs, walls, shipwrecks, dove with manta rays, dolphins and swam with numerous shark species both in the daytime and in the darkness of the night. This year, I wanted to try a different kind of scuba dive, one that would be different from the norm. I found just such a dive off the Kona coast of Hawaii called a Black Water Pelagic Dive. As many divers do, I first investigated this dive on the internet in an effort to gain more knowledge about what a dive like this was like to experience. Although I did find some helpful information, after making the dive myself, I found that most of the information I found on the internet left me a bit unsatisfied; I wanted a more in-depth look into this unique night dive. So, after I returned from Hawaii I put together a short video entitled Pelagic Magic A Journey into Inner Space. In this video, I include a small portion of the pre-dive briefing. Before we got anywhere near a dive boat, myself along with 5 other lucky divers met at Jacks Diving Locker for Night School. This was not just a dive briefing; it was an in-depth education. The class lasted about an hour; it was a fascinating class and kept my attention the entire hour. In my research prior to the dive, I read that this is a very spooky and scary dive and is not for everyone. This was also reiterated by the dive staff as well upon my arrival to the Kona coast. Although the Pelagic Magic night dive is a staff favorite of Jacks Diving Locker, some of the staff would not go on this dive because it freaks them out. I will admit, after listening to this, I began to have some apprehension and uneasiness about deciding to make this dive. Just before we were about to jump into the black water, we were told that if you get freaked out, dont be ashamed to come back aboard the boat, it happens all the time. I was the first diver on the boat to get my BCD clipped onto the safety tethering system that would keep me safe from drifting off into the 4,000 (plus) deep dark abyss. As a visual reference of depth is nonexistent when looking down at over 4000ft of water in the dark of night, I kept a close watch on my depth gauge until I realized that I could use the weighted down-line as a visual reference. Just be sure not to spin yourself around too much or else you may become tangled in the ropes. The DMs on the dive are watching to make sure that doesnt happen, and if it does, they will be there to help untangle you from the safety line. Once I leveled my buoyancy off at about 45 feet, I let my eyes adjust to the darkness and within a minute I began to notice strange creatures floating past me in the currant. I was about to whiteness an underwater world that was so completely alien to me and this is were it became magical. After using all of my allotted dive time, I surfaced and the only thing I could say was WOW, I had no idea that was all going on down there in the dark. I can understand how some divers climb back on the dive boat and say no way. My wife and I personally felt that the experience can best be described as one of solitude, peacefulness, wonder and mystery. I would recommend this dive to any experienced diver looking for something different from the norm. There are a few dive operators in Kona that make this Black Water Pelagic dive, so if you do not want to use Jacks, you do have other options. I personally find Jacks Diving Locker to be one of the best dive operators that Ive ever used over the past 20 years travelling the world. They have it dialed to a science, the staff is top notch and I just cant say enough good things about Jacks. The Pink Floyd being played on the dive boat stereo and the hot shower after the dive was the icing on the cake!
http://youtu.be/qnKW4sZ4_ZA
Enjoy!
Adam D
http://youtu.be/qnKW4sZ4_ZA
Enjoy!
Adam D
