Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Abyss



At 100 feet below the surface of Puget Sound you begin to see new life forms, like the 'sea whip' in the sketch above (exactly what it is, I'm not yet sure: it's likely related to the 'sea pen', but isn't that, exactly.)

What lies at 200, 300, 400 feet? Do we really believe we know much about the oceans--which cover 75% of the planet--and the beautiful, strange and eerie things that live in them?

In the sketch Todd and I float freely above an undersea canyon, looking down a cliff edge that dropped 500 feet.

On another dive this weekend we went to 132 feet. No narcosis, no problems, clean dive. We keep going.

Todd will move to Vermont later this summer; then I'll begin diving with Angela, and, sometimes, alone. Being alone down there, facing a dozen primordial dreads, will be special...Below, a photo of my "pony tank" -- a redundant supply of breathing gas with a redundant regulator (breathing device)-- slung across my chest. I don't dive below 100 feet without it. It supplies a completely separate backup to may main scuba breathing gas supply (scuba tank, on my back) and my main scuba regulator. Photo by Angela Perri.

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