Ross McKay: Hard Drop
Here is the most amazing experience that I had while abroad
after my studies.
In scuba diving, a hard drop is a technique used when a water entry demands a quick descent below the waves to a desired depth. It involves entering the water with negative buoyancy, thus plummeting a diver into the blue with haste. The requirement is often needed when strong water currents may carry you away from your desired dive area. The Komodo National Park off the coast of the island of Lombok in equatorial Indonesia was where I had a chance to perform this unique skill. Our dive site was a vertical rock wall three kilometers long, with an underwater current running parallel to the wall travelling at 2 knots: or so we thought.
The drop went well. Everyone descended to 18 metres with no problems with equipment or equalizing pressure in his or her ears. However, immediately I noticed that the current was much more powerful than originally expected: cruising like a bird along the reef wall. After activating my Go-Pro (a head-mounted underwater camera) I flashed the OK symbol to my team, immediately noticing the look of sheer excitement in everyone’s eyes. The water was crystal clear, visibility at least 20 metres or more. The wall contained a plethora of marine life: pancake corals, brain corals, iridescent giant clams, schools of yellow and blue butterfly fish, and countless white fin sharks! The scene was surreal; being rocketed along a reef wall at nearly 5 knots, one has no chance of slowing down or grabbing onto the reef to arrest movement. Going with the flow and staying calm is vitally important in this situation, as there is no alternative. The four of us passed an aged hawksbill turtle casually swimming against the currant, grazing on coral here and there. The grace of such animals astounded me!
The current made me feel like I was skydiving. Flips, barrel rolls, and cartwheels mid-water become exhilarating, and quite simple to perform. I was having such fun that by the time I made a time and air check it had been 25 minutes and my psi (a measure of air tank reserve) had dropped to just over half; giving barely 10 minutes of air left until an ascent becomes necessary. Lucky for our group the current had slowed by this point and we were drifting above an ethereal moonscape of dead coral, a regrettably common sight in the shallow tropics due to rising ocean temperatures. We surfaced giggling with exhilaration. Looking back, I will definitely return to this remote location soon, if only for that one dive site alone.
In scuba diving, a hard drop is a technique used when a water entry demands a quick descent below the waves to a desired depth. It involves entering the water with negative buoyancy, thus plummeting a diver into the blue with haste. The requirement is often needed when strong water currents may carry you away from your desired dive area. The Komodo National Park off the coast of the island of Lombok in equatorial Indonesia was where I had a chance to perform this unique skill. Our dive site was a vertical rock wall three kilometers long, with an underwater current running parallel to the wall travelling at 2 knots: or so we thought.
The drop went well. Everyone descended to 18 metres with no problems with equipment or equalizing pressure in his or her ears. However, immediately I noticed that the current was much more powerful than originally expected: cruising like a bird along the reef wall. After activating my Go-Pro (a head-mounted underwater camera) I flashed the OK symbol to my team, immediately noticing the look of sheer excitement in everyone’s eyes. The water was crystal clear, visibility at least 20 metres or more. The wall contained a plethora of marine life: pancake corals, brain corals, iridescent giant clams, schools of yellow and blue butterfly fish, and countless white fin sharks! The scene was surreal; being rocketed along a reef wall at nearly 5 knots, one has no chance of slowing down or grabbing onto the reef to arrest movement. Going with the flow and staying calm is vitally important in this situation, as there is no alternative. The four of us passed an aged hawksbill turtle casually swimming against the currant, grazing on coral here and there. The grace of such animals astounded me!
The current made me feel like I was skydiving. Flips, barrel rolls, and cartwheels mid-water become exhilarating, and quite simple to perform. I was having such fun that by the time I made a time and air check it had been 25 minutes and my psi (a measure of air tank reserve) had dropped to just over half; giving barely 10 minutes of air left until an ascent becomes necessary. Lucky for our group the current had slowed by this point and we were drifting above an ethereal moonscape of dead coral, a regrettably common sight in the shallow tropics due to rising ocean temperatures. We surfaced giggling with exhilaration. Looking back, I will definitely return to this remote location soon, if only for that one dive site alone.
This story is just one of many you
will walk away with after you return from your study abroad tour of your host
country. Get out there and make
friends. Make time to travel away from
your neighborhood. Explore the
neighboring countries! Make the best of
your time while you are out there.
Above all: bring back stories!
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