I Am a Quarry Cowboy

Yesterday I applied to be a Quarry Cowboy as they are referred to in these parts….a guy who hangs around the quarry and dives. Yes another private club to my esteemed list.

Basically I get a key to three quarries that are full of water to dive anytime 24/7 365 days a year. I can’t see me diving on Christmas but I could. The water stays the same temperature year round so if its 40 or 80 upside it will still be 50 at the bottom.

People dive here all the time, fellowship, grill burgers and hot dogs and practice their skills and test new equipment so that they can be proficient when they go open water in more hospitable areas.

I have made a discovery about my own desired to dive. Most people dive because they adore the wildlife that one encounters while diving. It is pretty cool to see a group of colorful fish grouped in a school around a reef…. and who doesn’t just love a freshwater brim attacking your nipple or ear.

But I really like the underwater geology I encounter. The rocks, the long trenches, cracks, coral, the walls in and of themselves interest me more than the wildlife.

The second attraction I have is the environment of being underwater, the weightlessness, the sounds, and the distorted vision.

On of my favorite spots to snorkel is Tamarind Reef beach because of the long deep trenches, fault lines they appear to be that run parallel to the beach. And the water off this beach is full of turtles and fans and all kinds of cool stuff. But I really dig the trenches and big rocks.

And nothing is like the rush I get when I come over a cliff to a drop-off and look down hundreds of feet while floating over it all. That gives me a big rush. Toss in a nurse shark and I’m red lining the happy meter.

So for me, underwater animals are an accessory.

5 comments:

Phfrankie Bondo said...

...I'll toss you a nurse shark if you'll throw me a hammerhead...

Ken said...

I never heard of a cowboy ever taking vacation.

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

They would take mental vacations all the time at the Longbranch Saloon with Miss Kitty.

TerryC said...

"...and who doesn’t just love a freshwater brim attacking your nipple or ear."

Gee, can't tell you.

Chris said...

You can dive here in West Hawk Lake, and see a phone booth, and a large Ronald McDonald head at about 75 feet.
Artificial reefs at it's finest!