#gayscuba

[pmccleskey]

Blue Corner is one of the most famous dive sites in Palau, and for good reason. When the conditions are right, the current is very strong, and that brings the sharks to the yard. Mostly black tipped and white tipped reef sharks, they vary in size from about 3 to 6 feet. Most of the sharks here have to swim continuously all their life in order to breathe, and a strong current lets them rest a bit resulting in calm, happy sharks, whose meals are delivered by schools of fish passing through the channels. We used reef hooks to attach lines to rocks or dead coral so we wouldn’t get swept away by the current. Then we inflated our buoyancy control devices to keep away from the coral and rocks. After that, we could just enjoy the show and be part of it, within as little as 6 feet from them, although they kept their distance most of the time. The current was so strong that little motions of the fins were like ailerons rolling the scuba diver’s underwater plane in the slip stream of the current. They would move in and out of formation with each other, moving forward and back, left and right, taking their spots in turn. Some would turn tail on the current and move to the back of the pack, then slowly move up again. Some would slip left and right as they yawed, then rudder correct to get back in the flow.

We hung out there for about 20 minutes flying beside the shark squadron, then went with the flow over a sandy area, allowing for a little light aquabatics. We took a break from the current behind rocks and a little dell in the reef plateau to rest before ascending. We found a green moray eel hiding under a huge rock, and a spotted eagle ray gliding along. A slow rise to the dive boat for a soft landing so we can fly / dive another day. We did more sorties at Pelileu Corner which has a similar setup, and there we saw a hammerhead shark, a first for me.

There’s something reassuring about the presence of these predators, since more sharks indicates more healthy fish and more healthy reef. Smaller sharks hung around our boat at night like puppies—so cute! We actually did this dive twice because it was so good, and the second time was even more fun. For me, these dives and many others in Palau are among the best I’ve done yet. The oceans could be fuller, and cooler, and less fished by humans, but I’m hopeful the protections in place for spots like this will continue to allow the critical life in our oceans to thrive.

(Photo credits to Randy Ubillos, Rick Fath, Marc Young, Rob Jagnow, Tomas Izo, Tim Cherna)

[gayscuba]

Turtle Tuesday from Sea of Cortez 📸 @wethabitats #gayscuba #seaofcortez #turtletuesday #lgbtq🌈 #bcdsweek #scubabear (at La Paz, Baja California Sur) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjlNezaN1Pd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gayscuba]

#galapagos #gayscuba #flashbackfriday #hammerhead #lgbtq🌈 #underwaterphotography 📸 @oddhog (at Galápagos Islands) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg5J4zVPpbA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gayscuba]

Our #gayscuba group is enjoying their week on Roatan! #lgbtq🌈 #gaytravel #divebuddies #roatan #gaycaribbean #cocoviewresort 📸@underwaterbrad (at CoCo View Resort) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChYceXTLXB5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gayscuba]

#fbf Happy divers last week in Turks & Caicos Islands! #gayscuba #lgbtqtravelers #scubadiving #gaycouple #underwatersmile #explorerventures #liveaboard (at Turks And Caicos) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVWinUzJumI/?utm_medium=tumblr

[gayscuba]

Want to learn to dive in 2022? Join us on Saba in March! DM for details. #gayscuba #padi #learntodive #lgbtq🌈 #gaycaribbean #lgbtqtravelers #gayadventures (at Saba - Dutch Caribbean) https://www.instagram.com/gayscuba/p/CYpfi54va2b/?utm_medium=tumblr

[gayscuba]

#fbf Curaçao #gayscuba #dutchcaribbean #underwater #gaydiver #lgbtqtravelers #gaycuracao #gaycaribbean #winterescape #flashbackfriday (at Curaçao) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSiVGYRn5O3/?utm_medium=tumblr

[gayscuba]

#tbt to 2006! #gayscuba #divebuddies #gaycaribbean #scubadivers #bonaireformenonly #bonairebuddies #throwbackthursday (at Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands) https://www.instagram.com/p/CV3pjrghPar/?utm_medium=tumblr

[gayscuba]

Great week of diving Saba! #gayscuba #gaysaba #dutchcaribbean #unspoiledqueen #gaycaribbean #gaytravel #caribbeanexplorerii #liveaboard (at Saba - Dutch Caribbean) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRH02pihOZt/?utm_medium=tumblr

[gayscuba]

We take #prideintheocean at GayScuba.com, diving the world proudly as #lgbtq #scubadivers - Greg Hamman (he/him) #gayscuba #lgbtqtravel #pridemonth #gaybear #scubabear #coralreef @noaasanctuaries @prideoutside (at Red Sea, Egypt) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQRvJL2BzZL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[gayscuba]

Happy Pride to our friends the #barnaclebusters #lgbtq🌈 scuba club! #flashbackfriday to their visit last week to #cozumel #lgbtqtravel #gayscuba #prideflag #rainbowflag #fbf #scubadiving #gaycozumel (at Scuba Club Cozumel) https://www.instagram.com/p/CP_sG7yBSUJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[gayscuba]

Happy Pride from Cozumel! Thanks for the photo @thomaslarson099 diving with our friends the Barnacle Busters LGBT dive club this week. #pride #gayscuba #gaycozumel #doublerainbow #rainbowdivers (at Scuba Club Cozumel) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPrh3_FhrkF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[gayscuba]

Can you spot the Bear hidden in this photo? #gayscuba #gayhawaii #bigisland #gaytravel #whydivehawaii #butterflyfish #scubabear #gaybear (at Jack's Diving Locker) https://www.instagram.com/p/COV3V3xBFUG/?igshid=67b010f8hzrx

[gayscuba]

Cinco de Mayo on Cozumel! #gayscuba #driftdiving #gaycozumel #gayadventures #gaytravel #cincodemayo Thank you Will McComas for the photo! (at Cozumel, Mexico) https://www.instagram.com/p/COgU4mAhULz/?igshid=16na122ijtbud

[gayscuba]

Aloha from Big Island! #gayscuba #gayhawaii #bigisland #scubadiving #gaytravel #adventure #iglta #lgbttravel (at Jack's Diving Locker) https://www.instagram.com/p/COO2sOqBGD5/?igshid=icuhck1itmoy

[gayscuba]

#fbf to Curaçao’s healthy reef last month. Join us next year! #lesbianscuba #gayscuba #lgbttravel #curacao #gaycuracao #underwaterphotography #scubadiving #caribbean #winterescape #coralreef #flashbackfriday (at Oasis Coral Estate Beach, Dive & Wellness Resort) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMDnrLthLb2/?igshid=1pe4spcc9949y