A leap into the un-derwater-known

by Lotte Nederlof (Netherlands)

A leap into the unknown Honduras

We were nearly nose-deep in the sand looking for cool tiny sea creatures, completely in a meditative diving state when I realised I had forgotten about time entirely. My mask, cured well by the producer's unadvised burning method, did not fog once in the 85 minutes we were under in shallow waters. The water was crystal clear. The tropical beams of sun were shining warm on our uncovered back legs. At this time it was supposed to be the rainy season in our temporary home in Utila, Honduras, but we woke up on a splendid summer day to go diving. During this dive we found the most exciting things: spotted stingrays grazing through the sand, pipefish on their belly in the sand, filefish being beautifully camouflaged by the wavy corals. These wonders the oceanic world presents to us makes my heart beat faster, and yet make me calm at mind. I signal to my buddy that we should be making our way up, which is a good idea as we have little air left in our tanks. Once surfaced, after having ditched the regulator and taking a big gulp of fresh air, we burst out in laughter. We were cruising down there for nearly 1.5 hours. We were in a zone and maybe even a little disoriented as underwater distance, environment and current can be misleading to your actual location. Rising right in front of where we got in was a bit of unexpected, but much appreciated luck. The dive had been a success. Slowly swimming backwards towards the beach we take in the sun and appreciate this experience. We look at each other in absolute ecstasy. Having been trained as professional divemasters in the past months, we were happy to go on our own for the first time. A few months ago I read 'Into The Planet' by cave diver Jill Heinerth who famously said her thrill came from going "places where nobody has ever been". Looking back on this perfect day in December I realise we came to search just that. Taking tanks and gear on the back of the motorbike and entering on the far east side of the island. Even though we had almost found the most deserted island in the Caribbean, filled with diving junkies, it could still feel crowded at times. Crowded in a sense that not much discovery and exploration was left as sites we often visited. So us youngsters took off freely. We looked at an abandoned jetty and decided it would be a good place to explore what lies behind. Leaving our bags with just cash and clothes beneath a nearby palm tree, we walked towards the end of the pier clutching the equipment tightly under the armpits. We assembled our equipment, took a few last sips of cold water, and confident with our training methods we went through the checks and final checks before entering the water. For a moment I thought of cave diver Jill. I think of the bravery she has shown during her entire diving career. I see the similarities between us. We are unafraid of the unknown. This gave me an extra spirit boost, and as soon as I hit the water the adrenaline starts to kick in. Heart beating fast in the chest, bubbles flying all around us, I felt absolute gratitude of being able and willing to go on this quest.