Beneath the Waves

Last November I visited Hawaii for the first time and in addition to the opportunity to photograph some stunning flora and fauna, I also completed my Open Water SCUBA certification.

You will never forget your first breath underwater.

PADI Instruction Manual Learning to SCUBA dive was a lifelong dream fulfilled. I've always preferred to swim underwater than paddle about at the surface. Swim lessons always baffled me. Why would I want to push myself around at the surface when it's so much more exciting beneath the waves. While my mother sometimes calls me a mermaid, my dad (a good old maritimer) has always insisted that I'm a Codfish. Despite having always felt comfortable free diving quite deep, I have to admit I was a little nervous about learning to SCUBA dive at first. But I was shocked by how easy and natural it felt.

A pair of Harlequin Shrimp, Hymenocera picta, hiding in the corals off Mala Pier, Maui. Harlequin Shrimp live in pairs, feed exclusively off sea stars, and are an extremely rare species in face of global changes on coral reefs. They prove extremely sensitive to slight changes in temperature, salinity and water chemistry.

It was November, I was supposed to take some time off work, my mom had never been to Hawaii, something she ceaselessly reminded my father and I. I thought why not? We arrived. I could have enjoyed a relaxing holiday on the beach, but I've never been one for that. I took one look at the ocean that first day, whipped out my computer and began googling about diver certification. "7 days in Hawaii. I've got time." So I found myself exploring, snorkelling and taking lessons by day and studying hard by night. So much for a vacation. Instead it was so much more.

The key to enjoying scuba diving is to equip yourself with knowledge and certification.

Femina Travel. "Want to go scuba diving? Here's what you need to know."

Moray Eel, of the family Muraenidae, takes a peek out of its burrow.

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.

Jacques Cousteau, Life and Death in a Coral Sea

A yellow long-nosed butterflyfish, Forcipiger flavissimus, on patrol. This highly antagonistic fish pairs monogamously with males guarding mates from other males and females guarding feeding grounds from other females.

Almost all of these photos were taken off Mala Pier, Maui. A popular training site that also happens to be rich in wildlife. This is where I did most of my training. However, my first dive as a certified diver was at the world renowned Molokini Crater. Here I dove up to 70 feet! You'll notice there are no photos because light is filtered out the deeper you go resulting in a loss of colour unless you bring a light, meaning everything had lost the colour red, not making for great photographs. It was absolutely stunning though. The area we dove was called the aquarium and for good reason. You feel like you're in one! It was like it was raining fish! I was completely enchanted, caught up in a swirl of shapes and colours I had never seen before. I was originally supposed to complete two dives here but things took a dark turn. A highly experienced diver in the troupe was completing a solo dive but suffered what we think must have been a heart attack. Unfortunately, this most likely cost him his life as he rocketed to the surface (potentially damaging his lungs and inducing the bends), but was rapidly evacuated to a hospital and decompression chamber. A good reminder to the inherent risks of diving.

Scuba diving is very much a black and white world in terms of the laws and rules one must abide by. It comes down to clear-cut physics. If the laws are broken, severe penalties are exacted, including paralysis or even death.

Carlos Eyles, The Blue Edge While the risks can be high, shallow dives with proper training keep it minimal. And there is no doubt that some things in life are just simply worth the risk.

A Moorish Idol, Zanclus cornutus, were once believed to bring happiness. I can certainly say that spotting this common but beautiful fish made me pretty happy.

The best way to observe a fish is to become a fish.

Jacques Cousteau

A Pacific Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, the closest creature to an angel I've ever encountered and endangered by so many human activities.

I will never forget the first time I saw a sea turtle up close in real life, let alone drifted in the current side by side for what must have been a solid 30 minutes. I was surprised it was completely unbothered by my presence, casually rising, falling and munching on algae before coming back up for air. It was the most peaceful and serene creature I've ever encountered, an angel of the sea. These creatures are listed as endangered by the ICUN and CITES, largely as the result of human activities including pollution effects on population and individual scales, fishing, hunting of eggs and habitat loss.

A newly certified diver doing as divers do; blowing bubbles (photo cred to Anonymous Dive Buddy).