Scuba diving
Newspapers, radio, television, every media is talking about it: Hurricane Floyd, will sweep through the Gaspé, hitting the east coast particularly hard. Our arrival on the peninsula is, de facto, shaped by destiny: We only have ten days to produce five reports on scuba diving, paragliding, sailing, horseback riding, and bird watching.
As soon as we step off the train in Percé, we try to get in contact with Georges Mamelonet, our scuba-diving guide. Despite the five phone numbers we have to reach him, he is nowhere to be found. Sitting on the dock, facing the famous Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island, we meditate on our plans. «What do we do if the hurricane hits?» « I've heard the weather is lousy in the Gaspé.» « We can always visit some museums,» and the like. Suddenly, we see some big bubbles surfacing in the water directly beneath us. Leaning over water, some tourists and local fishermen in tow, we follow the bubbles.
When he finally emerges beside his Zodiac raft, Mamelonet seems startled by the group of camera-toting tourists looking at him. «What's going on?» he asks. « Ohh... nothing... just some bubbles», we utter. Since this is the extent of our first day of shooting, we make a date for the following day, determined to escape Floyd's fury.
During the next few days, we will visit the Gaspé Museum, the Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island Museum, Percé's Maritime Museum, and so on. After three days, a ray of sunshine finally makes its way through the clouds, so we run to the scuba club to prepare the equipment.
This first step of preparation is without a doubt the most complicated. After squeezing into the one-piece wet suit, which is invariably detrimental to the ego and self-esteem, candidates have to put on goggles, flippers, a mouthpiece, and then, if they still can, they must smile for the camera. Georges assures us that we won't look so stupid once underwater. Journalist — and VIA Adventure Expeditions pioneer — Carlos Soldevila seems to have a lot of fun with all these preparatory steps, but cameraman Yanick Rose and I intently listen to Georges's instructions.
The following day — diving day — Floyd is still among us but, mysteriously, stays away from the coasts of Bonaventure Island. «This is where we'll dive», decides Georges. «There's a colony of seals living over there and the underwater life is extremely rich». Born in France, Georges has been living and diving in Percé for 20 years. «I can say that the Gaspé Region is on a par with the Caribbean seas. If the fish are more colourful down the south, our sea bed is much more interesting. You can find algae and starfish of every colour of the rainbow, from red to bright green», he explains as his Zodiac rushes towards the fascinating island.
When we arrive at our diving point, a young seal sunning himself on a rock welcomes us. We quickly put on our diving gear before plunging into the near-freezing waters of the Gaspé Bay.
As we slowly adjust ourselves to this new and fascinating universe, we understand what Georges has been trying to get through to us these past few days. «Diving puts you in a different state of consciousness. There are no sounds, no smells, your line of sight is reduced, your body feels weightless; it's an entirely different environment than the one that normally surrounds us. For me, it s the best way to get away and forget life's troubles.»
At 35 feet under water, in the rocky canyons around Bonaventure Island, we are completely cut off from the real world. We've felt sea anemones contract in the palm of our hands, seen hermit crabs scurrying across the ocean floor, and seen dozens of seals laughing at our awkwardness. We were content. A carnival of animals paraded before us, as if to celebrate our immersion into their world, a universe that will never be ours. This is an adventure that could possibly change your life. When we come back to the surface, the sun is disappearing behind the Percé Rock, and we see the great limitations of words in describing such an experience. We are left with silence, a fitting homage for the underwater magic we just witnessed.
