| Jimmy's Surprise
 Possibly
the surprise which Jimmy got was the currents that sweep this site. Or,
perhaps it was the size and number of triggerfish. Maybe he had dived the
gently sloping reef a few times before he found the pinnacle at 100 feet.
Who knows? (Webmaster's footnote: Local lore has it that Jimmy's surprise
was the numerous reef sharks that he discovered during a dive on this
site.) True to form, the current is screaming. It is marginal whether the
site is diveable, but we all agree to give it a try. We descend, gripping
the mooring line, and stay close to the bottom to avoid the worst of the
current. At 60 feet the reef top is fairly flat and our slow progress over
the slope against the current gives us time to appreciate the sharply
defined colors on the mounds of great star coral. Matt encrusting
tunicates smear the rocks like peppermint ice cream and sea rods and
plumes bow respectfully to the current. Luckily, a 10 foot high ridge
spans most of the gap between the buoy line and the pinnacle, so we duck
behind this as soon as we can to avoid the worst of the current.
As we approach the pinnacle, a school of horse-eye jacks
mocks our awkward progress as they slip effortlessly through the water.
The pinnacle starts at 100 feet, just as the main slope turns to sand and
begins its slide down to giddy depths. Deepwater sea fans sprawl out from
the walls of the pinnacle, giving this impressive eminence a dark majestic
quality. The base is undercut so it sits like an obelisk on the slope.
Perhaps the squirming lobster underneath the overhang got its tail caught
when they set out the dive site this morning. A queen triggerfish seems
convinced there is something tasty underneath and directs a squirt of
water at the sand to see if she can uncover anything.
The deepwater sea fans dominate the scene but looking
through this web we find dainty Christmas tree hydroids and a patch of
feather hydroids completely covering a coral head like a corpse on a
hilltop. They look so much like feathers that it is hard to believe they
are colonies of small animals. Even more surprising to many divers is that
these animals have a free-swimming stage in their life cycle. To
reproduce, the hydroids produce free-swimming medusae. Medusa have a very
similar appearance to jellyfish, complete with trailing tentacles.
Hydroids in all stages of their life cycle carry a stinging mechanism,
which will cause anything from a slight rash to a painful sting.
Behind the pinnacles, the dive leader takes us up the
back slope to what becomes literally one of the high spots of the dive. At
the top of the pinnacle we have to cling on, faced with the current that
is accentuated by the pinnacle. It is like standing on a cliff top in the
full force of a gale.
Our trip back to the boat is going to be a quick one, so
we spend our bottom time around the base of the pinnacle. Shy stripy
hamlets peak out at us from the cover of gorgonians and we are fascinated
by the black durgons(part of the triggerfish family). They use the cryptic
terrain as a system of tunnels giving them an underground home. The
unusual ability of triggerfish to swim backward means they are highly
agile. Nevertheless we are surprised to see them disappear into holes that
seem barely large enough and reappear with equal dexterity some feet away.
When our time is up we let the current do the work and
concentrate on hooking the mooring line as we sweep past. Hanging on the
line for our safety stop we get an aerial view of a ceaselessly moving
carpet of black durgons. It is hard to imagine what makes them so busy.
Perhaps they too are looking for Jimmy's Surprise.
Thanks to Mike of Cane Bay Divers. |
