There is always an event or a moment that we see, or that happens to us, that ends up altering our perspective. Sometimes it is a class that introduces us to a hidden talent or hidden passion, and other times we get the opportunity to experience something so beautiful and breathtaking, that the thought of it not being there is unfathomable.
I remember everything seemed so fragile as if it was a scene in a stain glass window, the hues of blue that glistened below my feet as they hung off the boat, the greens, and browns of the mountains that cascaded into the soft seductive tans and beige colors of the beach. The sun had kissed my skin and my heart had been submerged in the liquid glass of the British Virgin Island Sea; for an instance, nothing else seemed to exist beyond the bow of the “Sea Quest.” As we bumped along the ocean like a clumsy toddler, scuba tanks rattled together, sea mist licked our faces and the sun touched every inch of the surface making it look as though it was made of unbreakable blue crystals. A sense of peace and tranquility had always come with being near the water, however, this was about to be a whole new experience; a place called Devil’s Bay awaited our company. As foreboding and frightening as it sounded Devil’s Bay was the mysterious and beautiful fingerprint that was left on the world's map. As our boat came to a painful sounding halt, everything came into view. Caves that nighttime lived in lurked ahead of us, the once clear and glassy blue of the ocean turned into a coagulated dark blue, and the sun hid shyly behind the walls of dreary mountains. In the strangest way, this sinister place had a forbidden beauty to it that lured us in, waiting to be explored. As I reveled in the mystery of this place, our captain threw us our masks and fins still gooey from cleaner, and encouraged us to jump in and told us to “enjoy it while we can.” At the time, this crass interjection seemed irreverent and unnecessary as I focused on the anticipation of seeing what hidden wonders were below us. Swallowing any fear and speculation, I slipped on my fins and attempted to clear my mask and jumped into the water; something anomalous happened as soon as I was submerged. Instead of being enveloped in cold hugs of the dark water, my body was tossed about lightly in a playful warmth of crystal clear water. The sun seemed to have sunk in the depths of Devil’s Bay and lit up the world down below that seemed untouched and serene.
Devil's Bay is only a small portion of a greater and more vast entity that is slowly diminishing each and every day -- the ocean. Other than its aesthetic beauty and recreational uses, what is the purpose and significance of the ocean?
71 percent of the planet's surface is covered by oceans.
The ocean produces 70 percent of the oxygen humans and animals need to live.
90 percent of trade between countries is made using oceanic transportation.
The ocean serves as a “CO2 Sink” which means that greenhouse gasses and other human-caused pollution are absorbed by phytoplankton. When they phytoplankton dies they sink to the bottom of the ocean along with the CO2 they absorb.
Clearly, the ocean serves many purposes and benefits to the human race, yet somehow, over 100,000 marine animals die yearly from the overuse of plastic bags, over 22 million tons of carbon dioxide is wasted and later absorbed by the ocean, and our ocean acidity has increased by over 30 percent in the last five years we are killing our own ocean. Slowly, food chains will become stumped as oysters, urchins and bacteria that live on coral, will continue to become more acidic making it impossible for their predators to prey and thrive; thus, the entity of the ocean food chain will be unchanged and stumped; this is a just one example of how the ocean is paying for the careless waste humans fall guilty too. If we continue to have a high demand for seafood, over-fishing will continue to damage 90 percent of coral reefs, if we continue to allow tourism and coastal development, those areas of the ocean that are protected will slowly diminish, and if we continue to allow the drilling for valuable oil in the sea floor, habitats will continue to be disrupted and oil will continue to spill out. If we continue to neglect the sea, we will continue to destroy it. Imagine a world without places like Devil's Bay, imagine a world without the colorful Great Barrier Reef, and imagine a world with the already endangered Blue Whale, is imagining a world without one of the most beautiful and resourceful aspects of our planet.
Now, I understand why our captain said “enjoy it while you can,” Devil's Bay is one of a few locations that still remains intact. Thinking back to the motley colors of fluttering fish, the stoic beauty of gently swaying coral, and the picturesque world that I had the opportunity to observe, I now get a slight sense of worry and angst. Sometimes, you take a class that introduces you to a new passion or talent, and other times you get to experience something that leaves you breathless and in awe, and the thought of it not being there is unfathomable. Unfortunately, the thought of a stripped and dying ocean is one that is very much fathomable and one that is happening right now, unless we decide to answer its S.O.S.
