Devil Rays and Thoughts

Before Mel Fisher discovered the ship wreck in the '80's, the "Atocha", Tyll was hunting for treasure.  We watched as Mel used those earth blowers, and how he had so many sponsors to foot the bill.
 Now we watch amazing movies of underwater coral reefs.  Years ago we would watch home movies of Tyll diving and feeding the grouper fish in the Bahamas before they were over fished and their schools decimated.  The quality of the movies was not too great, but it was real.  We watched the shark, the barracuda, and Tyll and his friends diving and taking movies.  The best time we had in Florida,  watching  his 16 millimeter movies.

He was paid to crew a small sailboat taking information about the oceans, and monitor equipment taking movies.  Then he lived on Stella Maris, taking tourists on dives for the hotel on the island.  I have photos of some the giant crayfish he would catch for delicious meals.

Then he moved to Roatan, opened his own Dive Shop, took tourists on trips.  He has spent a lifetime in the oceans.  He had seen the reefs change and the fish population change over the years.

Watching a diver on National Geographic work with Devil Rays makes me appreciate all the work divers do that are not in the spotlight.  What about all the footage that lands on the cutting floor?  We all know about the many times the light is not perfect, and the hours of work that the camera is not in the correct position.  It is amazing to see so much of the life of the Devil Ray and know that there must have been hundreds of hours of work to accomplish this.

I also think of the hundreds of people, like my brother, that on the fringe, did not succeed in being produced or broadcast in spite of all the work they did.

Tyll with Florida crayfish for supper

I enjoy watching nature shows.  The other day I watched a show about crocodilians, reminding me of when Tyll raised a caiman from South America.  The show featured Indian crocodiles that were becoming extinct.

Our alligator lived in a large enclosure in the basement.  I recall the gas and electric meter man complaining,
"There's something large, hissing at me when I read that meter!"
I think that little guy must have been about 20 inches long.  Tyll ended up donating it to the zoo.  I think that is where many of his pets ended up.  There was a zoo in Rochester that also took some of his pets.

South American Caiman

Some TV shows I cannot watch to the end, they are too graphic.  Not the nature shows, I am talking about the dramas.  My children laugh at me, when I leave the room or change channels in mid-show, when the suspense is just too intense.

But nature shows are real, and I don't really mind seeing nature at it's most intimate.  It is just  the way things are.  I just wish I could take my daily life in the same way.
When I get  a little thing, like a call from school, a comment from some so called friend, a letter from the Social Security administration calling me in for a visit  I feel my heart rise up into my throat, my muscles all tighten, and I want to flee this earth.
 It is as if I am an animal being stalked, and I can not escape.  Wish I could just be on the beach, cooling my toes in the ocean, letting the breezes ruff my hair, and  make it all blow over.