Dear Critters,

In some ways I wish that octopuses, stingrays, cuttlefish and sharks would magically appear on every dive. But most of the time, I am a Melbourne pier diver, and the truth is that on some dives, there is virtually no marine life to speak of.

In Australia, it is winter and the water is 10 degrees celcius. You jump from the landing of the pier, and instantly your ears hurt from the cold and your fingers begin to freeze. By the end of the hour-long dive, your wips are wike wubber, and your frozen toes long for the warmer waters of Fiji or Vanuatu or the Philippines.

But these are also the dives when you remember to appreciate the little things. Like a small blenny fish, poking his head out of his sponge-covered pipe to pose for you. Or the most simple of sea jellies, pulsing almost invisibly before your camera.

Some dives are simply about getting into the water to wash the worries and stresses of last week away before the next week begins. And some dives are purely an opportunity to remind yourself that life can be much sweeter and simpler than we sometimes allow it to be, and that we are all the richer for embracing its simplicity.

Today was one of those dives. As always, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.Yet again, I am grateful to my best buddy LP for sharing the ice-cold water with me.

Tank you so much for visiting my post. While you are here, please don’t forget to check out a few more of my underwater videos and image galleries 🙂

Love and bubbles,

PT xxx