Diving at Seymour Norte

Nick and I are up early today for some scuba diving an hour or so north of where we are staying. Our original plan was for everyone to join us (just for snorkeling in the case of non-divers) as the boat is quite large, but by the time we make up our minds, there are only a few spots left. So at 7:00am, while the majority of our group are still drooling on their pillows, two hearty adventurers are speeding across the island towards the ferry dock.

There is a bit of a wait there while the rest of the divers show up, but it’s breakfast time for the boobies that nest in the nearby rocks, so we entertain ourselves watching them dive bomb the schools of small fish that have gathered near the shore.

Today we’ll be diving near an couple of islands called Seymour Norte and Mosquera. According to the dive shop, we should see hammerhead sharks here, although the warmer waters caused by El Nino have forced them a little deeper than usual. There should also be a variety of rays, eels, turtles and white-tip reef sharks, but it is the hammerheads that we have our hearts set on.

As promised, our first dive is chock full of animals, and once back on the surface Nick ranks it as his best ever. With all the nutrients in the water visibility isn’t great, and the temperature changes constantly as you move through the currents, but there is ton of stuff to see. And as an added bonus, much of the time is spent drift diving – staying literally motionless in the current as it carriers you across the reef. It’s sort of like being on a conveyor belt running through an acrylic tube they have at some aquariums nowadays, just much, much better. no hammerheads though 🙁

With the water hitting 64 degrees fahrenheit in places (aren’t we right next to the equator?), the sun on the front deck of the boat is more than welcome. We spend the next hour eating a bit of lunch, talking about all the cool things we saw, and simply soaking up some warmth. Of course just when we’ve slipped fully into the comfort zone, it’s time to suit back up for dive number two.

This time the water feels even colder, and for a few minutes I wonder if I am going to be able to stay down the full 30 minutes. The doubt gets quickly pushed to the background when we a see a large school of hammerheads passing not below us in the deep water, but directly overhead. They aren’t as close as the schools I remember seeing when I dove here twenty years ago, but set against the light coming down from the surface it is a pretty impressive experience (much more than the pictures do justice I suspect).

The rest of the dive takes us along the reef where we see more rays, a turtle and an array of colorful fish. At times, there are so many fish in every direction it feels like we’ve been absorbed as part of the school (which, along with only the sound of your breathing is crazy peaceful).

Back up on the boat, the ride back to port takes about an hour, which is the perfect amount of time for a nap while slow roasting my head. By the time we dock, the dull stinging sensation tells me a good case of lizard skin is in my future.

We get back to the house around 3:30, and while we’ve been gone, the rest of the Roberts party has taken the opportunity to get some souvenir shopping done. Sam has cornered the market on small wood tortoise carvings, picking up one for each of his friends. I figure at least one of them must be for his best buddy of all (me, of course), but it looks like I’ve been forgotten yet again – pobre tomate.