July 23-26, 2011- Lost and Found!

     Several months ago, my then boyfriend (now fiancé) and I found a small LCM (Landing Craft Mechanism) that had been dumped near where the lost tank we were diving for was found.  We have been back once or twice since finding the tank and LCM to try and find the landing craft again, but with no luck.  Over the weekend, we went diving for it and found it! This time with had a float with us, so we could mark the exact spot, head back to the boat, then motor over and mark it on the GPS.  It was exciting to see the shadow of the small, stripped wartime transport water craft appear angled against the coral head where it most likely landed decades ago when it was pushed into a watery retirement from service.  It was not the only thing we found on our dive adventures Sunday. As my fiancé and I descended into the “Crater” dive spot, a couple of curious sharks begin swimming around us.  Next thing we knew, there were six to eight sharks hanging about.  They were like most other creatures of nature, more interested in seeing who or what we were than anything else, just curious, although it was fun to watch them watching us.  There were babies, but one of them couldn’t seem to move on. He would swim away, then come back to see us again, back and forth, until he finally had his fill of the “strange fish” with bubbles trailing behind them. 

     It was so fulfilling to get back in the water again.  I’ve missed it…I’ve not been motivated to do much lately without my babies here and an uncertain future with budget cuts on the atoll and an ex-husband who may be departing the island any day to go back to the states, most likely leaving me to make some hard decisions in regards to being with my children.  But underwater, none of that matters.  All that matters is how much air you have left, how much safe time you have at the depth you are cruising, where the boat is, and how much beautiful and exciting sea life and history you can cram into your dive before you have to get back to the boat to head home. Diving is about surviving and focusing on what matters most in life, the continual and consistent motion of the tide, the beauty all around us if we simply take the time to stop and look, and focusing only on breathing and enjoying each moment we have instead of all the myriad and potential “troubles” around the corner. It’s about losing those worries and finding peace again in all life has blessed us with.  “I once was lost, but now I’m found…was blind, but now I see.”