God's Beauty in the Deep

I woke up bright and early on a cold morning in June 2009. I was on a one-hundred-twenty-foot liveaboard dive boat as we were closing in on our forty-ninth state, Alaska; we were diving several times a day along the majestic one-thousand-mile Inside Passage. We had started out in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, even though summer was just beginning this far north; it was still chilly. Our dive boat eventually passed icebergs and ice floes on the surface of the water passage, which was near the great Le Conte Glacier. For the fun of it, often our captain played music from Titanic as we slowly crept past huge, blue-colored icebergs alongside the vessel, setting up a great visual effect as customers on board smiled. Occasionally we saw seals and birds sitting on the floating ice, which later surrounded our boat. …

Sometimes I wondered why the Lord had sent me to venture into cold regions, but then I remembered that I had long prayed about becoming an underwater videographer. I had promised Him I would show the world His wonders under the vast sea. He reminded me that this was, indeed, part of His many wonders too. I was extremely grateful for all the blessings He had given me in all my diving around the world. What I had seen so far topside, as I gazed at the surrounding snow-capped mountains glistening in the sun, was another beautiful creation He had made. The bright spring flowers and blooming trees bordering the Inside Passage, which meandered through the rugged mountains, offered occasional reflections in the water, which were a sight to behold.

We passed colorful and sometimes well-worn fishing boats, which were out for their day of fishing. They were surrounded by eagles circling in the air around them, all looking for a handout. The ever-changing panorama of natural beauty here came alive as we witnessed hundreds of bald eagles feeding, nesting, and circling overhead. Many trees alongside the passage were covered with eagles, appearing like decorations on a tree. Harbor seals, Alaskan brown bears, humpback whales, and sea otters were seen from time to time—sights that were always entertaining. …

Suddenly, with my heavy, thirty-eight-pound video camera and housing in my hands, we were descending and slowly sinking into the deep water. All we could hear were the air bubbles from our breathing apparatuses coming from the heavy tanks mounted on our backs as we sank deeper and deeper into the darkness. Looking down, I could barely make out the other divers below and ahead of me through the bubbles coming up from divers. The dark, murky water made them look like blurry shadows. It seemed like it took forever to reach our destination as we continued to sink slowly but safely.

Instantly, this giant shadow approached us from below, like a giant monster rising from the depths of the sea. It looked as cold as I felt, built of steel and wood. It was a ship locked in time; a ship that had sunk on its own voyage due to a catastrophic mishap of some kind. It now lay on the dark, deep bottom in such cold water that it stayed intact, preserved as a museum piece for anyone who wished to visit. The sight brought back memories and stories of the famous Edmond Fitzgerald and the song by Gordon Lightfoot, who sang the phrase “The lake never gives up her dead.”

All we could see were flickers of light and dark shadows emerging from the large vessel. At the depth we were located, there was no longer any visible light. Only our individual dive lights illuminated the object in front of us. It was difficult to see the entire ship all at once. Divers were looking it all over. Sometimes we saw a fish, crab, or an occasional octopus slip around it, evading our bright, beaming lights, which often created an eerie feeling. It was always amazing to me that creatures could live in icy water of thirty-six degrees or less and still be so active. Sometimes my mind wandered, thinking of how many people might have died on board this ship.

We were now on a time limit as to how long we could stay below the surface due to the depth we were in, at one-hundred thirty feet. The cold water on our hands and faces was taking a toll on our bodies. My fingers were freezing as I carried my heavy dive-camera system. Many times, when I reached the surface, people topside had to unfasten my dry suit and remove my gloves, since my fingers were so cold and numb that I couldn’t move them. The pending hypothermia often dictated how long a diver could stay submersed. But it was all in a day’s dive, a work I had relegated myself to, which had started as a hobby.

It was supposed to be fun. That is what all dive classes teach us: if you aren’t having fun, don’t do it. But many times, in certain conditions, I had to ask myself, “Am I having fun yet?” People who know me in the dive industry know me as a warm-water diver, preferring exotic locations with eighty-five-degree ocean temps, lots of sun, beautiful coral reefs, and stunning, colorful marine life. Ahh, that was what I longed for!

Welcome to my world! I learned a lot from God through all my travels. I learned the rest from marine biologists I traveled with around the world for over twelve years. …

Many times, God led me on a treasure voyage around the world, occasionally to opposite sides of the planet a couple of times each year. …One day I felt like I was dreaming after exiting a jet plane in Africa. For in Cairo I soon found myself sitting on a camel directly in front of the great pyramids of Egypt.