Today was a late start after the late night manta ray dive the night before. It began with a visit to kampache farms followed by a visit to an abalone farm. Lastly I went on the black water dive which lasted into the late hours of night.
My visit to kampache farms was very interesting as I learned from their lead researcher about the trials they are running on their fish. One being the testing of different more sustainable feed for the kampache. Also we saw one of their other endeavors, the last of their grouper who according to the kampache employee were very difficult to keep in captivity. Also he told us about their attempt at breeding dorado or Mahi Mahi he said while the Mahi Mahi grew extreamly fast they were very difficult to keep due to their aggressive nature and that they are used to being in open ocean meaning they aren’t suited to tank life. This place is on the forefront of innovation and is hard at work to create a sustainable tomorrow through aqua culture.
The coolest activity of the day was the black water dive which I was lucky enough to make the cut for. We left our house at 8pm and had to wait at the dock for the boat to return from the manta ray dive. This time was filled with conversation between my friends and I and a short briefing from a dive master. Once the boat returned we popped our wetsuits on and boarded the boat. Once on I learned that I was in the second group so I had some time to relax with the others in group 2. This time wasn’t too good for me as the boat was rocking quite a bit and I felt quite ill. However once in the water I was sent into another world as I floated in the water many different gelatinous things floated past me. I honestly have no idea what 99% of what I saw was but the bioluminescent creatures were enthralling and half of the time I would follow the things I saw until I couldn’t anymore. The highlights of my trip to the black water were the group of squid who were swimming below our group and the small brown squid that our dive master sandy showed us. This was a once in a flick time experience for me and I know that I’ll keep the memories of what I saw with me until I get the chance to do this again.
