There Was No Escaping, Or So I Thought

The 55-degree water began its assault on my booties, slowly creeping into the cavity around each foot. As I walked in further, the ocean continued pressing its way into my wetsuit. It started at the bottom, filling to the top as I got deeper. When my hands were in they too felt the cold sneak in around each finger. The water slinked in through the edges of my hood, trickling down my neck. Pretty soon I was surrounded, with my eyes behind my mask being the only dry portion of my body. My wetsuit, boots, and gloves fought a hard battle to keep the water out, and succeeded to a certain degree, but there was no escaping the water once I was submerged in it, or so I thought.

I descended into the chilly depths wondering why I purposefully plunge myself into this inhospitable environment, but then I remembered. The sun was shining down through the kelp bouncing light around like dancing water sprites. Rockfish were nestled in their crevices surrounded by strawberry anemone. Nudibranch with their vivid colors clung to the rocks. Every once in a while a ling cod with it’s prehistoric-looking fins would swim off and alight on a rock far enough away from me to feel safe. An adorable harbor seal darted around pretending he wasn’t interested in what I was doing in his habitat. Jellyfish swayed with the water and drifted off with the tides. Every time I brave the cold I am rewarded with a look into a world where I don’t biologically belong. I get to see creatures that are accessible to some people only through the glass of an aquarium. The cold is a lingering thought throughout every dive, but it is drowned by the excitement of getting to be a mermaid for an hour.

Last Saturday I went with Dan and Alison, who are both Training Assistants at Pro Scuba Dive Center, to the DUI Drysuit Demo at Breakwater. Imagine my surprise when I was waist- deep in the ocean and was toasty. Coddled in a fleece onesie and protected by a trilaminate outersuit I was completely dry and warm. It was a bit of a challenge to figure out my buoyancy, as I was now essentially one big air bubble, but, as it was at first with a BC, I’m sure with practice it would get easier. Drysuit diving was a completely new experience from what I associate with scuba diving in Monterey Bay.     

Most of my diving experiences in Monterey and Carmel have been similar to the one I described. The sights are stunning and the marine life is amazing so I deal with the cold. I have gotten used to that refreshing shock of 55-degree water seeping into my booties. The cold is a necessary evil to see the beauty that can be found diving on the central coast, or so I thought.