Cold Water Diving
By Tani (Church) Bell
January, snowing outside
www.tani.us
Ten minutes after being
in the frigid cold waters of Auke Rec in Juneau Alaska, in my $1500.00 custom
dry suit and a thousand dollars of other beautiful new gear, I thought “What
was I thinking?” My hands were numb, I couldn’t tell if I still
had feet attached to the frozen limbs I called legs, some how I was still drifting
through the beautiful emerald colored ocean, every now and then seeing some
little creature dart past me that caught my fascinations, and took my mind temporarily
off the pain. 
I couldn’t help wonder how my father, Ron Church, the first American on the Cousteau Team, did this so many years ago (1963) up in the Bering sea, in wet suits no less, photographing the walrus of Round Island, the Orca and other inhabitants of the far north. Upon reading his letter’s I found out he didn’t feel much different that I did. “We made our first dive in Alaska, Burrrrrr, the weather is 43F. I nearly passed out trying to get all of the rubber suits on, three of them to be exact, that is the hardest part of diving.” Ron Church.
After John Lachelt, my instructor and friend helped me get out of the water, removed my fins, peeled my Dry suit cuffs off my wrists, which were a very unattractive color of purple, teeth chattering uncontrollably, I vowed to never dive again. Well, that was several hundred dives ago, and I look back on that day and thank my father for giving me what it takes to not quit and the need to discover the remarkable creatures and beauty of the sea.
On one particular dive off
of the Shrine of St. Terese, as my husband and I were gearing up we saw many
large curious stellar sea lions spy hopping out of the water looking at us,
as if they were anticipating some play mates soon. 
We entered the water cautiously, trying to make our way to deeper water with
a hundred some pounds strapped to your back with out slipping on the kelp &
algae covered boulders and rocks that make up the shore. If you did fall down,
getting up is a real treat. Nothing like rolling around on the rocks, the shore
washing over you, begging for help quietly and hoping no one saw you all at
the same time. Finally, in deep enough water to descend, it only took a few
seconds before we had an escort. A big bull sea lion came through the thick
green waters to see what our intensions were with his harem. 
After realizing we were
no threat, he quickly disappear into the deep green waters , only to come back
and check on us , as if to make sure we were not lost, just like our faithful
golden retriever Rexx. When we reached the mid point of the Shrine, THE WALL,
the water opened up and we could see for at least 50-60 feet. At first it was
a subtle feeling of being watched from above, then we were surrounded by at
least 15-20 sea lions, the bulls charging us at full speed, all you could do
is BREATHE, continue your direction and hope that they had really good sonar!
The females were playful,
circling around, hanging upside down above us and blowing bubbles playfully!
They preformed the most beautiful ballet I have ever seen! It was just spectacular!
Every now and then I would feel a tug on my fin, but by the time I turned around
to see who was playing tag they would be off, hovering above me.
The bulls, when they come at you, blow bubbles, bark, snort and show you their
LARGE beautiful teeth! If they wanted to they could inflict some serous damage,
but usually I think they just want to play and guard their family. I remember
on another dive in Funter Bay, my husband Bryan was below me several feet in
clear visible water (early April) and a large sealion shot down from no where
and skimmed right over his head from behind him! His reaction was priceless!
I am just glad it wasn’t me! The sealion disappeared as soon as it appeared….like
a sea mermaid, just came by to let us know who’s world we were in.
Octopuses are another wonderful
sea creature! We have had a few very personal experiences with them at a place
I call my Octopus Garden. While diving, Bryan and I came upon at least 7 or
8 dens with octopus inside! That is a rare thing! I laid down on the sea floor,
put my hand up to the opening of the den, and soon a coiled up tentacle rolled
out, uncoiling as it came and the very end wrapped around my wrist and fingers,
exploring my hand! I could hardly keep still I was so moved by the experience!
He held my hand for a few seconds, then slowly unwrapped itself and slowly pulled
back into the den. I felt blessed! On ascent to shallower waters, while crossing
over a golden kelp bed and garden of puffy white anemone, I saw a pair of large
white eyes watching me.
I approached slowly and it did not flee. I positioned my self and it graciously allowed me to take several photographs, admire him and then we parted ways. I have always felt the creatures know where I come from, my father, who loved the sea and spent his entire life exploring it, discovering, making friends with sea otters, killer whales, dolphins, octopus and more. He wrote this in a letter to me about some Octopus he encountered while doing a Cousteau documentary. There goal was to capture and film five Giant Pacific Octopus.
“To find the octopus,
you have to look around the bottom for a small cave or hole. It the outside
is littered with broken crab shells and other broken and opened shellfish this
is an indication that the octopus has been eating here and that he probably
lives in the cave. If you look in the cave you can see him lying in there, his
big head with one tentacle facing outwards sort of like a protection barrier.
The base of there big tentacles are as large around as a mans arm, pretty big!
The next procedure is capturing them. After you coax then out of there den and
grab them, for a little bit it is quite a struggle but surprisingly enough they
poop out real fast and become extremely docile, like a huge rubber eight legged
cat” (These are from the personal letters written to me when I was 4 year
old)
Diving in the ocean to
me is like going home. Once below the surface, there is a calmness that is unsurpassed.
It is silence in the sense that all you hear is your breathing, (which is quite
loud) but your mind is at peace. Silence! No matter where you are diving, if
you just take the time to look down, you will see the most fascinating creature
and a lot of the time, they are quite friendly!
I recall lying on the bottom, just wanting to use that last breath of air in
the shallows, letting the little fish dodge up to my mask for a closer look,
as they swarm around me, playing in the sway of the waves above. The little
shrimp that think they are giants! The sculpins that think they are invisible
until a gentle touch, and my favorite, the grunt sculpin. I have had the pleasure
three times to visit with these funny, adorable little creatures!
The giant crab that raise up on hind leg’s as if a mighty warrior ready
to protect there castle! They all have so much personality and character, not
to mention beautiful color and incredible costume! I encourage every one who
can, get beyond that first “What was I thinking” dive and go and
seek the treasures of the sea, for they are endless and worth all the struggles
along the way. I would like to end this with a poem written by my father:
“Leave
me, known terrestrial world, I plunge into saline seas, Alien wetness, dark
and blue with elastic creatures and algae trees where life is infinite, born
and lost and seldom if ever two times told. Pressures squeeze me and chill like
frost as I search to film in its azure cold. Slow motion images twist and turn
like a surrealistic dream, green and gold, Flash bulb probes like blazing ern.
Camera winks, and steals eternal glance of bizarre creatures in hypnotic trance.
Trembling, but happy I now ascend to a mechanical world of smoke and haze, reluctant
to leave the sea, “my friend”.
©Tani Church