Freedom beneath the surface

yellow snappers

nudibranch 

surface intervel  

me

Last year, at the tail end of a six month trip through Southeast Asia, I decided to end my trip in one of my favorite countries (Thailand) doing one of my favorite activities (scuba diving).  I knew I wouldn't be scuba diving once I came home to California since I'm a total cold water wimp (I have not been in the Pacific Ocean once in the year I've been back), so I wanted to get a few more dives under my belt before I left.  I settled on Koh Lanta, and signed up with a dive school that offered an underwater photography course, mostly because my previous underwater photography attempts had not gone over well (despite producing decent results on land).  I think these are an improvement.  Neutral buoyancy would probably be my greatest asset in taking clear, in focus, and correct color balanced photos... but hey, I'm still a beginner.

My favorite underwater photos are abstracts.  I like when photos (normally depictions of reality) make you wonder what is going on, what it is you're looking at.  It's crazy that there is another world down below that most people never see--I believe the figure is 70% of earth is underwater.  It's incredible to be able to explore a place you've only ever seen in movies or on television, while flying.  I miss diving!  I miss the feeling of floating.  Jacque Cousteau said it best: "From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free."  

Side note: Jean Michel Cousteau (Jacques' elder son) lives in Santa Barbara, and lists the nearby Channel Islands as one of his favorite dive sites .  It makes me feel even guiltier for not going diving here.  Ugh.  It's so cold.