I have never felt more like a foreigner in my life. Throughout the duration of my stay in Florida my mind was flabbergasted by everything. As Anthea, Christian and I travelled the length of the Sunshine State in Christian’s monster truck my eyes grew wider by the day. A combination of extraordinary beautiful landscapes; free refills on coke and coffee; buzzing cities full for Ferraris; and some incredible diving, made for a unique and unforgettable few weeks.
Scotland and Florida have their differences. The phrase “you’re not from here are you?” was banded around a lot. It was that obvious. As I tried to explain to Christian – being Scottish means I never learned to integrate being eaten by an alligator or poisoned by a snake into my daily routine. When I learned alligators were chilling in virtually every body of fresh water I came across I was suddenly very attached to the inside of Christian’s monster truck.
What’s more – free refills don’t exist in Scotland. Back home if you want more coffee you have to buy more coffee, and so naturally I made the most of this super American deal. Constant refills into gigantic cups meant we never got very far along the “highway” before I had to request a stop…
And another thing –when you come across a Ferrari in Scotland it is something to pass comment on. You go in for the “lets pretend this is mine” photograph. Well Ferraris in Miami are like kilts in Edinburgh. All the locals pass them by unnoticed while the tourists clamber round to get a good look and a snap next to the novelty. As we drove towards the everglades one morning my head was spinning after whipping it round countless times to follow each Ferrari as it sped by. “There’s another, and another, and another, oh I like the blue one……”
Then came Walmart. Anthea and I were amused for hours upon entering the boundless store – it could have been a daytrip in itself! As Christian wondered around in a confused daze, us two foreigners ran around Walmart like – well – foreigners. While Anthea was taking care of her Reese’s Pieces addiction I was off touring the electrical department for adapters and a camera bag. The amount of times I had to ask the shop clerk where to find everything the poor lady may as well have given me a guided tour of the store.
But of course we were not in Florida to chart an expedition around Walmart, we were here to dive, to meet fascinating people and to visit some of the World’s leading marine institutions. I have to say a huge thank you to Christian. Without his forward planning, knowledge and contacts our road trip would not have been nearly as spectacular as it was. From our first dives in the caverns of Northern Florida, to our tour around the Golden Shadow in Miami – he made everything happen for us. And he put up with two girls for three weeks!
Our road trip began in High Springs in northern Florida – the home of GUE, Halcyon and Cave Diving. Over three days Anthea, Christian and I dived in three stunning caverns including Ginnie Springs, Orange Grove and Troy Springs. We were lucky to be the only divers at the caverns and the conditions were perfect. I have never experienced diving like this. The colours, light and visibility together were connotations of tranquility. The Northern Florida cave system is famous for its high-flow, yet you wouldn’t have known it. Together the conditions made for very peaceful dives. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time idling around in the caverns and finding nooks and crannies to investigate. Contemplating the extent of the vast North Floridian Aquifer and its labyrinth of cave systems that stretch out for miles around was quite an overwhelming thought. I can appreciate the draw of cave diving – there is a mystery and intrigue surrounding what you cannot see but know is there.
During our final day in High Springs we visited the Halcyon factory. Ken Charlesworth, Sales Manager at Halcyon, gave us a guided tour of the factory. This proved to be very interesting for me. Since receiving the scholarship I have become aware of Halcyon and its high-standing reputation for making robust, well-designed and purposeful dive gear. I am currently using my Halcyon backplate and wing for the majority of my diving in an attempt to become more accustomed to it. By using the wing frequently I am hoping I can overcome my issues with the trim position and using clips. Subsequently I hope to be prepared to take on a technical diving course in the near future. I have a big appreciation for Halcyon gear and getting the opportunity to see where the factory was super. It was somewhat surprising – you don’t think of a small-town factory when you think of Halcyon. Yet this is exactly what it is. Nestled in a small industrial estate, the factory employs just a few dozen local people who design, construct, test, organise and ship what is some of the world’s most resilient dive gear.
Leaving the quaintness of High Springs behind, the monster truck rolled into motion again and we headed south. We stopped briefly in Gainsville where we were given a guided tour of the Ichthyology department of the University of Florida. I have now seen enough preserved fish in glass jars to last a lifetime. We decided to walk down to the lake to try and find some alligators. You may think this lake was off the beaten track, but no, the lake in which these dinosaur lookalikes were chilling was right by the main road. There is a “sidewalk” running parallel to the lake and students walk and jog by without a care in the world. Nobody was swimming though.
From Gainsville we made our way to Fort Lauderdale. Christian had arranged a tour around the oceanography department of Nova Southeastern University courtesy of his friend Jeremy Kerr. If this tour taught me anything it is that I have no idea where I am headed at the end of my scholarship year! As our tour progressed we met a vast array of academics, all of whom were working on specific and intriguing projects. From coral dating to shark population studies, each and every project had a purpose, a need to uncover more, and a place in the grander scheme of things.
Although this tour made me question where my future is headed, the beauty of this scholarship is just that: I am questioning my future because of the remarkable opportunities I have been exposed to. These opportunities are full of realisation. The realisation is often unanticipated, but I’m relieved it’s there.
All serious thoughts were swiftly brushed aside upon arrival into Miami. In this perky city full of Ferraris, and Chihuahuas in “pushchairs”, we continued with our Floridian adventure. We began with a tour of the Golden Shadow, which despite being intended as a logistical support vessel for the even snazzier Golden Odyessey, it mainly functions as a research vessel for the Living Oceans Foundation. Christian had joined a research cruise on the Golden Shadow back in June and as we happened to be in Miami while the ship was berthed here his friends on-board invited us along for a tour.
The Golden Shadow is the research vessel Steve Zissou longed for: a gym, a coffee-maker, racing boats and a recompression chamber all come as standard. Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed my tour (cappuccino in hand) around the plush boat as it bobbed self-righteously between the skyscrapers.
America is often conveyed as a country full of mega-cities, sprawling highways and fast food joints. Yet a few miles out of Miami you enter a wilderness shaped by fire and water – The Everglades. Within this national park, which covers over 1.5million acres, lies just a fraction of America’s incredible countryside. Cars and McDonalds are few and far between. Instead alligators, spiders, birds, turtles, and butterflies line the boardwalks and roadsides. As we drove through miles of lush green wetlands it was incredible to think this important ecosystem is thriving on the doorstep of one of America’s busiest cities.
The following morning saw the end of our Miami experience as we boarded a flight to the Dominican Republic (separate blog). But this was not the end of our Florida road trip as 5 days later we again took the running jump that is required to successfully board the monster truck. Key Largo, home of Captain Slate, was our next destination. A weekend spent diving with Captain Slate proved to be a whole lot of fun. Despite some torrential downpours we managed six great dives, the most memorable of which was the Christ dive. I knew I was going to see a statue of Christ on this dive, but I never knew it was going to be huge! Following the reef around I turned the corner and holy moly – there he was in all his 9ft splendor and glory. He made for some great pictures. The rain didn’t even put us off having a BBQ and I can repot Slate’s barbequed chicken and his cookies and ice cream dessert are both worth a visit alone!
After a weekend diving in Key Largo the monster truck rumbled back towards the north, taking us to Orlando for DEMA 2011. As far back as April I knew I would be attending DEMA. Nevertheless, the 2nd November and the first day of the show seemed to come around incredibly fast. I found DEMA to be a terrific experience. Being surrounded by dive industry professionals and enthusiasts meant I had a productive, informative and fascinating four days. I was able to reconnect with friends and sponsors, and I was able to meet an array of new and extremely interesting people. What’s more, my drysuit sponsor Whites provided me with a pair of dry gloves, also known as a godsend. GoPro provided all of us scholars with one of their nifty Hero cameras and the three of us were also extremely privileged to receive a print from Pascal Lecocq himself. And I managed to win the Liquid Image Grand Prize as part of their raffle – a mask with an inbuilt camera and accessories to boot. My advice for any dive show attendee – enter every single competition, the odds are good.
Heading to DEMA I was already in a very contemplative state of mind with regard to my future. After meeting people from every corner of the dive industry – media, science, travel, equipment, exploration – my options and subsequently my pondering have increased yet again. Undoubtedly, however, DEMA confirmed the dive industry is for me. You often hear how this industry is tough and I am aware that it is. But DEMA proves you can still make a successful and happy career within this unique industry. Attending the DEMA Awards Evening as guests of Dan and Betty Orr from DAN made me appreciate this industry and how much reward can be gained from hard graft. It was a true privelage to watch both Fraser Bathgate and Peter Hughes receive their DEMA Reaching Out Awards. Both of these men have made extraordinary contributions to the industry and prove more than anyone why it is such a worthwhile industry to be a part of.
