What makes you go "wow"

[kittyjg]

The feeling of flying or weightlessness.
(I like the idea of males that look good in a speedo.)
A pair of huge turtles and a lot of smaller ones in the BVI.
Large school of rays flying by and only about 15-20 ft. away.
A little (6-8 in.) spotted eel in a little rock pile.
Just diving in general - the feeling that not everyone can or will do this and all the cool stuff you can see.
Seeing the look on my son's face when he sees his first shark.

 

[Puffer Fish]

Any big whale
A school of barricuda (maybe 2,000)
Any really big shark up close - Tiger or Great White
A sea dragon
Rays as far as you can see
A piece of spanish gold you just dug up.
Giant octopus
A big King Crab
150 ft + visibility

 

[Bratface]

After receiving my OW certification, I went to Bonaire, alone, and went diving with a small group of 6 experienced divers. On our way back from our first dive, we came upon a pod of Pilot whales. Since we were in a small boat, we shut off the engine and just drifted with them for about an hour. There were about 20 or so of them from babies to grandpa with scars on his back. We were close enough to touch them, but of course, we didn't.

The larger dive boats were surrounding us and the pod of whales. Everytime the whales would surface, the collective sound of the crowd engulfed us. It was a very special place to be. I felt truly blessed to be right there with those whales, and what a wonderous sight to see on my first dive!

 

[PacketSniffer]

I say "Wow" every time I dive. But, today was a double "Wow". I was diving at Dibba Rock (just five hours ago.. ) in Dibba (U.A.E.). I'm sure my neck is sore after the dive because of all the head turnin' I was doing looking at the over abundant marine life. I saw more things than I could possible write in this post. From clown fish to king fish to rays, it was all there. No reef sharks were spotted though, darnit, which do cruise the area. What really made the "Wow" factor was the visibility which peaked at around 75 feet. It definitely had the aquarium effect on me.

What a great day, especially since I did a deep wreck dive in the morning prior to Dibba Rock.


Richard

 

[Ishie]

Hmm...

-Looking behind me and realizing I'm being drafted by a harbor seal.
-Going down to the mating amtracks with the first 20' with a ripping current, and then at the bottom having the current stop and the vis a clear bright 35'
-Looking up and seeing a Hawksbill turtle right above me, having it let me swim right next to it
-Hearing what I thought was dynamite fishing and having it be the sound of all the fish collectively swooping away as a big cuda came slashing in.
-Having a banded sea snake turn right towards my camera and cruise up over my head
-Doing my first drift dive off a beautiful wall, being taught the proper techique for a fast current, and suddenly being able to "dock" behind a rock as lots of life swirls around me
-Looking off a wall, thinking the vis has gone bad and the DM is missing only to realize that he is totally enclosed in a HUGE school of jacks.
-Looking in a hole and seeing a moray eel... then seeing a shrimp walk out... then seeing a second moray in the same hole.

 

[asaara]

A puffer fish the size of a grape

Watch you don't choke on it. ;-)

 

[Scubagolf]

Any Manta Ray, any time. Absolutely awe inspiring.

 

[nshon]

First dive in Sipadan, and on entry found ourselves about 10 metres from a school of jacks about the size of a football(soccer) field. Wow.

 

[Kestrell]

I promised my wife I wouldn't tell.

 

[Wristshot]

Wow moments, in chronological order:

1) Sun Starfish lit with a powerful dive light in Monterey Bay. The insides seemed to simply glow red. Amazing.

2) The first time the Speigel Grove materializes out of the depths.

3) Swimming along in Key Largo and discovering a Green Moray swimming alongside me. He was longer than I am tall.

4) The "bait ball" in the C-53 in Cozumel. So dense you couldn't see the Guide 8 feet away when they filled in between. They moved like a wall of liquid mercury. Also a Fair sized grouper darting out of the wreck to gulp a bunch of fish. He was like a flash, and my eyes got really large when I saw that. I was taking a picture of a Brittish diver, and he got worried when my eyes got that big.

5) Turtles in Cozumel and Bonaire

6) Schools of Barracuda in excess of 4 feet long. Unnerving!

7) Frogfish in Bonaire, several times.

8) Juvenile Drum that was maybe 3/8 of an inch (about a centimeter)

9) Small hole in the sand, filled with a large octopus.

Just the top ones off the top of my hood.


Wristshot