Scuba Diving at Challenger Bay II
We thanked the minkes for the sweet encounter, as our boat motored to a more sheltered location for a lunch-time dive. Beto and I descended into the reef-protected bay, saying hello to a school of silver travales who were congregating under the boat. We dropped to the sandy bottom to meet a huge cod with yellow dorsal fins swimming in tandem with a smaller fish.
The visibility was somewhat cloudy as we made our way along the perimeter of the coral reef. We meandered among small coral heads surrounded by jacks, spade fish, blue & rainbow parrot fish, snappers, and other medium-sized fish. Sea fans, a few soft corals, and scattered clusters of blue stag corals decorated the reef. We stopped at a grouper cleaning station to observe big-lipped spotted snappers getting groomed by tiny cleaner-fish.
My favorite memories of the dive were of a tiny pipefish clinging to a precarious overhang, and two small, shy, intricately decorated triggerfish. Also, I couldn’t help but notice that Beto was followed by a possessive barramundi cod for most of the dive. (73ft for 83 minutes, 73 degrees)
More Minkes
We spent the afternoon drifting in the water with two adult dwarf minkes in very murky seas. The waves were smaller than earlier in the day, but the boat was drifting faster, which made for a bumpy ride.
The minkes stayed with us for two hours, however they remained tentative throughout the visit due to the reduced visibility. They would swim within our eyesight for several moments, then disappear from view for up to 10 minutes before circling back to see us again.
The smaller, younger of the whales was slightly bolder and swam increasingly closer to us with every pass. Beto tested our new camera, but the low visibility and waning daylight made underwater photography futile.
After the minke visitation, we returned to Challenger Bay 2 to complete our very full day with a Night Dive.
What it was like to reconnect with my Dwarf Minke Family
The moment I entered the water early that morning, my body registered the presence of the dwarf minkes. Even before seeing them, I experienced a spontaneous re-alignment with my divine essence, followed by an indescribable feeling of ‘completeness’ as my energy body merged with the tangible resonance of my spirit family.
It wasn’t so much a sense of excitement, it was more of a deep-seated feeling of relief!
When the five whales swam into view under the water, I exhaled a heartfelt sigh of contentment. As they glided by, I looked into the eye of the closest dwarf minke to acknowledge a sense of mutual recognition. We silently exchanged a telepathic message to the effect of: “Oh THERE you are!… it’s been far too long… I have missed you SO much!”.
To the Dwarf Minkes, with Love
For the duration of the encounter, I channeled loving joy, gratitude, & appreciation to the minkes, as well as the healing energies of Reiki. Some of the whales were more receptive than others, but they all absorbed their share of the heartfelt emanation.
On a number of the passes, individual whales would swim towards my extended palms, then dip down to glide directly and a few feet under me while purposely watching what I was doing. I was humbled by the look of trusting awareness reflected in their expressive eyes.
One female minke was especially receptive to the outpouring of light from my heart & hands. She repeatedly approached the line from a perpendicular angle, making sure to glide directly under me each time. On two of the passes, she intentionally slowed to hover for a brief moment just under my hands before continuing on her way.
This beautiful, trusting minke looked right at me as I worked on her, as if to acknowledge the gift of healing light. I’m not sure which one of us was more blessed by this loving exchange!