Dive Day 2

Today’s dives were with the same dive guides as yesterday: Santiago and Alvaro. Again, the instruction was all in Spanish and it was cool to learn new words/vocab while making sure I could understand enough to not screw up. The first two dives were relatively short, about 25 minutes each. This is because the surface time in between was shortened, therefore liming how long we could stay under. The first dive was a deep dive where we sank to about 90-95 feet. I have never been down this far and at this depth, it was distinctly colder, darker, and much harder to recognize the surface. Santiago showed me the difference in how we see color at this depth too. He shined a flashlight over some colored slates and it was amazing to see how little color our eyes can pick up the deeper we go. Here are some of the new creatures we saw on the way down.

The second dive involved the use of an underwater compass to make both an out and back trajectory, as well as a square trajectory along the bottom (successfully returning back to an original starting point). Santiago was giving me brief instructions on the bottom.

The third dive was by far the coolest. We got to explore not one, not two, but three sunken ships. The first two were relatively small compared to the third one. As we approached it, it came out of nowhere seemingly from the abyss. This dark massive figure suddenly loomed above me and I felt a sense of being very small. We got to explore some of the nooks and crannies and even saw an octopus in one of the openings. I learned how to identify the parts of a ship and how to navigate safely through the passageways.

Upon returning to the boat, we passed a man-made underwater museum with some cool exhibits. Here are some of those pics and some other random photos.

Overall, very successful dives and worth every penny. The dive guides were super friendly and extremely helpful. I am looking forward to using the certification for more advanced dives in other locations. Tomorrow, I will take a 5-hr bus ride from Cartagena to Santa Marta where I will be staying near Tayrona National Park (Parque Tayrona). Unfortunately, today I found out that during the exact dates I am there, the park will be closed for preservation purposes. However, there will still be plenty of beaches, trails, and waterfalls to explore nearby. Onwards and Upwards!