Ghosts....

Yesterday, we decided to plan a family dive for after lunch.  It’s been a while since everyone has been underwater, so we opted for a shallow dive in a partitioned area meant for snorkelers.  The water was less than clear, clouded with particulate.  This gave Elizabeth pause, as she envisioned millions of “zingers” in the water stinging her.  Zingers are the number one deterrent to diving for the kids, but both were so excited to go diving that they jumped in anyway.

Within five minutes, Mark and Michael were off exploring, but when I asked her if she was okay, Elizabeth cupped her hands together to signal that she wanted to go back to the boat.  The zingers had won this time.  I swam with her back to the boat and got her settled in, then looked across the surface of the water to see where Mark’s bubbles were coming up so that I could go join them.

Michael was having fun posing on the various underwater scenes - sitting at a sunken picnic table, pretending to pee in an algae-covered toilet, and typing on a desktop computer.  The three of us swam together through the murky water and tapped our tanks with our metal pointers whenever we found something we wanted everyone to see.  Tap-tap-tap, Michael pointed to a juvenile lion fish he spotted resting under a ledge.  Tap-tap-tap, Mark showed us a cowfish with its tail opening and closing like a gauzy white bridal veil.  Tap-tap-tap, Michael signaled to me to watch him as he did a forward flip in the water.  We continued this way, scanning the ocean floor and closely investigating the coral outcroppings until Michael decided he was ready to head back to the boat, too.

As we were starting back, though, I spotted something that caught my eye.  In the crevice of a coral head, something unusual stuck out.  At first, I thought it was just the arm of a feather star, but there was something different about it that kept me there.  I drifted in for a closer look.  As the creature came into view, I could barely contain my excitement.  TAP-TAP-TAP!!  TAP-TAP-TAP!!  I struck my tank excitedly, not once taking my eyes off of the bobbing critter.  I hoped Mark and Michael would hear the urgency in my tapping and deem it important enough to turn back.  As they approached, I carefully pointed toward the spindly fins of an ornate ghost pipefish - the first I’d ever seen underwater.  Mark peered in and then looked at me, shocked.  He fumbled to show Michael and we all sat there for a moment, in awe of this magnificently created fish.  Mark snapped a few photos, then he and Michael swam back to the dinghy to tell Elizabeth about our discovery.

Would this be enough to cure her fear of the zingers??  Without a second thought, she grabbed the camera, donned her mask and fins once more, and dropped into the water.   I think she would have braved a colony of jellyfish to get a glimpse of the ornate ghost pipefish!  I pointed to the spot and smiled at her enthusiasm (as much as you can possibly smile with a regulator in your mouth!).  She was nearly vibrating with excitement as she snapped photo after photo trying to capture the intricate details of it.  We spotted a second one near the first, and would later learn that they are usually found in pairs.  She and I could’ve stayed down there all afternoon, just marveling at the design, the color, the delicate features!  Eventually, though, we knew it was time to head back.  Our tanks were nearly empty and we were both getting a bit cold.  With a satisfied flick of our fins, we left the pipefish floating there and swam for the boat, continually shaking our heads in amazement at what we’d just seen.

Isn’t this what our travels are all about?  Discovering the beauty and majesty of creation together with our kids?  Admiring the tiniest creatures within the grandeur of this planet?  What a gift.