Fish Whisperer

I think I might be a fish whisperer. Well, really I aspire to be a fish whisperer. That is to say I strive to dive in such a way as to befriend the fish. Last October, I was diving in the Bahamas and I realized that I was getting pretty good at this fish whisperer thing. One can never chase and expect to catch up to a fish...they will always be faster than the fastest diver. But, if one moves quietly, exhales gently with no sudden moves, it is possible to get right into the middle of a school. I think the fish just consider me a big ugly distant cousin who they have to entertain for a while.

I practiced this with the french grunts and the blue stripped grunts that like to school in the shade of a coral head. They are usually facing into a current and I would line myself up at the back of the pack, barely finning, as streamlined as possible. Bit by bit I would gain on the school...with each surge of the ocean I would get a little closer until finally I could see fish in front of me and fish to my left and fish to my right and if I looked down between my legs I could see fish behind me. "Yeah, I'm in!!!" I was completely surrounded by the school and everybody seemed pretty comfortable. What a high. I later tried this with a small school of menacing looking barracuda...same thing, except every once in a while I would take the regulator out of my mouth and make an exaggerated underbite so they would know I belonged.

Next I tried it with a lone southern sting ray. This guy was swimming by just above a sandy patch, I swam along side talking to him (not out loud as that makes way too many bubbles, but in my head and with every bit of body language I could muster) "It's OK buddy I just want to visit with you, settle down, you can cover up in the sand, I won't hurt you, good buddy!" And before you know it that little ray had settled himself right down into the sand and covered himself up. Just his scutes and eyes were visible and he let me approach to within inches, watching me warily but patiently letting me watch him too. We had bonded. I'm really getting the hang of this fish whisperer thing!

Thankfully I get to practice the technique as a volunteer diver at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Every two weeks I dive with the amazing creatures in the Wings on the Water exhibit and the Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit and I talk to the fish all the time. I teach a course at the Aquarium and any certified Open Water Diver (or equivalent) can take the course through Atlantic Edge Dive Center and have the priviledge of whispering to the fishes. I'd be happy to show you how!

Cheers...JaneDiver