An Unforgettable Night Time Encounter

You never know what you'll encounter 30 feet under the ocean

Not long ago I posted to my Facebook page a video of dolphins swimming among bio-luminescent plankton (check out the link if you haven’t already) it’s one of nature’s visual marvels.

My own experience with bio-luminescent plankton didn’t involve dolphins but I was fortunate to share it with one cool sea creature.

No surprise, I had to capture the experience in a drawing.

My encounter happened off the coast of the Hawaiian island Oahu. This was my first night dive and I was charged with excitement.

My brother Tony and I pulled our boat up and anchored just beyond the breaking waves of the shore. Underneath, about 30 feet down was a coral reef just waiting to be explored.

I love night diving. It's when ocean life becomes very active, eels hunt, octopi venture out, crabs scurry around. And when you stream the beam from your dive light it bounces off the coral and illuminates the area with vivid color.

We explored the reef and then slowly made our way close to shore. As we approached, waves rolled and broke about 10 feet above our heads, suddenly the area was transformed, our surroundings lit up with millions of tiny blue illuminations.

This occurs when bio-luminescent plankton get disturbed in the water by movement. Bio-luminescent means "glow in the dark."

It’s as if tiny blue fireworks are going off all around you. It's one of the most incredibly, beautiful things I have ever witnessed.

I was completely absorbed, then something out in the inky darkness broke my concentration, I observed a large aquatic animal deliberately swimming directly at me.

I’d never seen one in the ocean but I quickly realized it was a sea turtle. As it glided by me, it’s graceful long flippers propelling it along, I thought "could I really be this lucky?" The turtle was so peaceful, the surroundings so incredible. I continued to follow the sea turtle's path, it landed on a nearby coral ledge then peered back at me as if to say "cool light show!"

It’s a night I will never forget -- the glowing ocean light show and the peaceful sea turtle who came along to enjoy the performance.

See the print HERE that was inspired by this amazing experience!