Return to Blue Holes and Blue Corner

On Saturday, LB, Ryan, and I went diving (Christy having returned to colder climates for the holidays). This time around we were on a large dive boat with eight other divers and two dive guides. For our first dive we returned to Blue Holes, a site we had dove during certification. This time the experience was completely different. Blue Holes are large shafts cut into the reef by rising fresh water. There is one large hole and three smaller adjacent holes. During certification, Joedyn opted not to have us descend through the holes, but now that we are "experienced" divers we went through them. The descent was like normal, but this time I was surrounded on all sides by coral. It was a little confining at first, but once I realized I could just go straight up if I needed to I was able to enjoy the unique experience of descending through the blue hole. The hole leads to a larger cavern that is open on one side out to the open ocean. The cavern is illuminated by light from the holes making it an amazing sight. After lingering for a while we exited through the large opening and drifted down the edge of the reef.

Along the side of the reef, we saw a turtle swimming alongside us keeping up with our pace. From the opposite direction, a large reef shark approached the turtle and made an aggressive move toward the turtle. The turtle didn't even flinch and ignored the shark. The two glided past one another, creating an interesting sight. Further along the reed we saw a much smaller turtle on the reef, one I almost ran into because I was too busy looking at sharks in the distance. We crossed up over the reef plateau where we saw a large Eagle Ray swimming above us. It was very majestic as it glided through the water above us. The Eagle Ray hovered around us until we reached the 55 minute mark and the end of our dive. We surfaced and boarded the boat for a lunch break.

After lunch, our next dive was the adjacent Blue Corner. We had been to the corner in November, but this dive was completely different. Then, with a light current we were able to hover at the edge of the reef and look out. This time we descended down alongside the edge of the reef and drifted with the heavier current. The initial part of the trip was amazing with large schools of fish everywhere. Then we started seeing lots of sharks, most large grey reef sharks. Below me I saw a shark attack a fish. I got closer to sharks than I had ever been and the pulse gets quicker the closer you get.

Where we we headed, the current was very strong so we had reef hooks to attach one side to the reef and the other to yourself to allow you to hang out in the current. Just before we got to the spot where we were supposed to hook in, I drifted too close to the reef and got caught in an upwelling that swept me up and over the reef and into the water above the reef plateau. Due to the current, I was unable to get back to the group or down to the reef to hook in. Another guy in our group had also been swept away and we met up on the plateau. Not able to get back to the group and not wanting the current to take us any further, we decided to ascend. We reached the surface and were picked up by our boat. The rest of the group eventually made it up. Ryan had also been swept away and one of guides had gone with him. The rest of group had managed to hook in, but had been tossed around by the current earning them a few cuts and scrapes from hitting the coral. Everybody agreed it was the strongest current they had ever been in. The dive plan had not exactly gone to plan, but the initial part of the trip had been amazing and everyone made it through safely. It was a definite learning experience to pay attention and respect the current. As usual, the trip home through the rock islands was gorgeous as I laid out on the bow of the boat home.