My favorite dive was my very first ocean dive in March 1974. Not because it was beautiful or to the best spot, but because it was the beginning. It opened doors that I hope will never close in my lifetime.
The dive was on a deep reef remnant off Ponce Inlet on the east coast of Florida. The 'dive' boat was a large, smelly, party fishing boat with no dive platform and only a narrow stern ladder for boarding. Remember, this was before there were many boats dedicated strictly to diving. The seas were rough and a lot of people became sick on the 45 minute trip out.
Most of the divers on board were experienced spearfishermen who were into the water within minutes after the anchor was set. Most of them made entry by climbing over the boat's side onto the rubrail and doing a stride when the boat dipped. My buddy and I gathered that was the way to go because that's the way the experienced guys were doing it. It was intimidating with all the gear, but neither of us was going to quit at this point. We did't realize that the rush was because the first spearfishermen in got the first shots and usually got the best fish.
Once in the water we moved forward to the anchor rode and began our decent. Despite the wind and roughness above, it was all calm and serene below. As later dives were to prove, it was a day of some of the best visibility I've ever seen in the Atlantic. About midway down a pair of huge manta rays swan by close enough for us to reach out and touch!
There wasn't much to see on the old reef--actually a 3-4 foot ledge marking a pre historic shoreline. What fish were there were super skittish after the first wave of spearfishermen passed through.
When it came time to ascend, we gathered at the anchor and started up, and were promply joined by the mantas again. They and their accompanying pilot fish and remoras circled us lazily all the way up. They acted as curious about us as we were about them.
Getting aboard was tricky. We had to first doff our tanks and weight belts and hand them to a waiting crewman on the stern ladder. Then we came up.
Such excitement. And the real surprise came when we learned none of the spearfisherfolk had even seen the mantas! They were into the water and down before we made our entry, much less our decent. And they didn't come back until after we started coming aboard.
We've had many dives since then that have been better, more comfortable, and even more exciting. But this dive was the first, my initiation as it were, and because of that, it remains my favorite.
Sorry I've rambled so long. Hadn't thought abut this dive in years and I just got carried away.
Warren
