Swimming with Damsel fish
Mithapur, February 15, 2013: The Mithapur reef has always housed a number of different organisms and till date we’ve catalogued at least 150 different species from the reef alone, with at least one new addition to the list every time we go snorkeling. When I decided to go dive beyond the reef’s edge, in retrospect, nothing could have prepared me for the breathtaking experience. I knew it was a bigger world down there but it actually hit home when I crossed the edge for the first time. The reef is generally about 3-5 m, with the edge sloping to about 12-15 m before leading onto a flat bottom. As I made my way through the edge, the slope seemed to burst with life in a myriad of colours, from different types of algae floating by. I barely had time to notice all corals around me, when I was greeted with hundreds of fish swimming my way and as I looked around I could see peacock groupers sitting in their small caves, unaffected by me or my camera. Clearly I was small fry compared to the abundance of life around me.
As I made my way towards the bottom, the visibility predictably decreased and so did the presence of life forms. Some patches were completely barren and muddy. My heart wouldn’t stop pounding as I struggled to see even 1 m ahead of me, hoping and praying I wouldn’t run into any trouble at the bottom of the sea! Suddenly I realised there was something behind me. I was being followed. I tentatively turned out only to see white cheek monocle beams dogging my every step, happily feeding on the dirt being kicked up by my scuba fins!
Hydrozoa and sponges in the Mithapur reef
Laughing to myself, despite nearly having jumped out of my skin only 5 minutes before, I started to wonder if it was time to head back. Just then, my eye was caught by the sight of some sea sponges, hydrozoa and cup corals placidly resting on the rocks they had usurped as their housing complexes. It almost seemed as if they were quietly sitting and observing life around them, swaying with the current of the sea, in an area where little could survive without light but them. I managed to finally pull myself away and headed back up, where hundreds of fish again surrounded me, although this time as if to say goodbye. I knew right then, that I’m going to be back here soon, in this world largely untouched by humans, answering the call of the sea.
