free diving in mokil

i came across a journal entry i wrote while on the field trip ship over christmas break. as i have no exciting adventures or pictures to share, i thought i'd post this reflection of free diving in mokil instead.

when the sea is clear, light sees to rise up from the depths in rays not unlike those from the sun. in mokil atoll, nature's finest - barracudas, sea turtles, white tip sharks - dance in the spotlight of these streams of light. when the sea is clear, vision extends as far as the light can penetrate. the spectrum reveals relative depths. at the surface, pinks and reds abound in coral and fish,. descending, they disappear, followed by yellow and green, until a deep indigo masks all detail but black. in an atoll as isolated as mokil, there are none of civilization's tarnishes. no beer cans, no rusting engine parts. no names scratched onto coral, no bleached coral, dead from pollutants. just life. beautiful, bountiful, thriving life in many forms of splendour. schools upon schools of fish dart around well-fed sharks. holes in coral reveal stories of life below. the sheer architectural grandeur brings to mind the ruins of an ancient civilization - only in a much more alive way. does life require isolation from global humanity to retain such purity? i am humbled and awed to have experienced such a place, and at the same time heartbroken by its frailty and ever-so-slight potential for survival.

some images

1. puppy! (still in need of a name and soliciting suggestions).

2. pohnpei has world-famous pepper. what does pepper look like before its processed? like this.

3. why i like to sleep in hammocks on reef islands: the sunrises.

4. some mementos from my outer island trip.