A silent symphony of color and movement

Mabul Island, 1 januari 2009

It is a symphony, without sound, played in movement and non-movement, in singles and doubles and millions, small notes and big ones, with waving plants and majestic turtle fins, in colors and in bubbles.

I had NO idea, could have NO idea, that diving is this magic. The world beneath the waves has an indescribable and entrancing quality. No time, no weight, absolutely free and in the moment, like the deepest state of meditation.

After three days of theory and practicing skills under water I got my Open Water certificate, so I can officially do dives till a depth of 18 meters. Today was the first day I went for ‘fun-diving’, sight seeing under water so to speak. And what a way to start the new year! If the first day of the year is any indication of how the rest of that year will be… I will be living a beautiful dream in 2009.

Sipedan is a national marine park, an atoll in the middle of the ocean. Only 120 divers per day are allowed to dive, 10 per dive outfitter. This is strictly followed; we all had to sign in with the Marine guys who are manning the island. It is a very small island, a tropical paradise, white beaches and palm trees, surrounded by azure blue seas. Just a few meters into the sea steep seawalls, covered in coral, plummet down to a depth of a staggering 600 meters. This ecosystem is an amazing home to all the sea animals you can imagine and see. But most exciting to many divers are the hundreds of giant sea turtles and white tip and reef sharks living there.

I saw them for the first time today, the sharks. How beautiful, how humbling, to see them pass by, with slow and elegant movements, cool and haughty, undisturbed by our presence. And how they sleep! Lying on the sandy sides and bottoms of the coral reef, like statues, sometimes in pairs. I could swim right next to them, hovering above them, under them. They were all around us, swimming and sleeping. It was beautiful to be with the sharks and not feel any fear or worry. These are cute sharks! Just one to two meters long and not interested in humans in neoprene suits at all….Nothing like the surreal fear of sharks I had for years, after watching Jaws by accident at the tender age of 8….. I even freaked out swimming in the North Sea or lakes, but today those fears were gone. These sharks only feed of the fish on the reef, and there are so many that they never have to go hungry. Besides, they have kind of tiny mouths!

The sea turtles are superb, they nest on Sipedan and it is an important breeding ground for them. They are swimming everywhere in all shapes and sizes, and lying and resting on the coral reef as well. Their slow swimming movements, their wise heads, black observing eyes and majestic shields never fail to raise my admiration.

What a wonderful world we live in! A feeling of grace and humility fills me. What is the name of the one who created this? Even if I had a thousand tongues I could not sing enough praise…. Ek Ong Kar.