Diving enthusiasts plunge in for a cause

Landlubbers who enjoy the expansive view along Mukilteo’s northern waterfront have no idea they’re missing half the show.

That’s because the other half is 40 feet or more below Puget Sound’s surface where scuba divers explore the wonders down under.

Nearly 50 of them did it last weekend – but with purpose. They participated in a round-the-clock fundraiser to raise money for childhood cancer research.

The brainchild of diving enthusiast George Barron, the Dive Around the Clock, 24-hour dive-a-thon benefiting Seattle Children’s Hospital Cancer Research began at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, and continued through 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Mukilteo T-Dock dive site next to the Silver Cloud Hotel.

The event brought together members of the diving community with the goal of keeping at least one pair of divers in the water throughout the entire 24-hour period.

The unofficial dive park is a popular attraction for diving enthusiasts, and no wonder. A rough map posted near the stairway to the water shows what’s down there; it reveals a sort of underwater amusement park featuring abundant flora and fauna.

The first team to dive in for the fundraiser, Janine Johnson and Tanya MacFarland, said they saw plentiful wolf-eels, nudibranchs (sea slugs), four octopuses and more. (Coincidentally, they both work in stormwater departments – no joke – for area municipalities.

They stayed down for nearly 90 minutes, setting a high standard for the teams that followed.

Barron said much of what divers are seeing is enhanced by projects others have undertaken – for kicks, but also to help sea creatures survive and prosper.

For instance, there previously was a mannequin dressed up as Aquaman. He has since disappeared, perhaps to save an orca in distress.

There are a pair of geodesic domes, covered with sea life, a block house, or what Barron called “a predator exclusion device,” that helps smaller creatures thrive.

“We’re also building a sunken forest,” he said. As driftwood logs float by, divers sink them. Worms quickly move in, attracting shrimp that eat the worms, then crabs that eat the shrimp and so on.

They also have created a memorial for divers who have passed away. Barron said he hopes he’ll be included when he passes.

What’s the attraction? “It’s people who want to get away from the noise of the world,” Barron said. He started diving in the 1970s, became an instructor in the ‘90s, and now dives 2-3 times per week.

Joe Sharp, who also took part in the fundraiser, said he was lured into the sport by his wife. She made him take lessons before they took a trip to Grand Cayman island, a sort of diver’s dream destination because of its beaches, reefs, shipwrecks and other attractions.

Taking lessons here may have saved his life. Had he waited to take a lesson after they arrived, it would likely have been short and perfunctory. But because he had a well-rounded training here in the Northwest, he was ready for the unexpected in the Caribbean Sea.

“On my 13th dive, our guide took us through a ‘swim through’ (tunnel),” Sharp recalled. He was behind the guide and his wife, with other divers behind him. The tunnel grew smaller as they swam through.

“We got to the end, and the guide is just gone. My wife swam through next, and I realized there’s no way my fat ass is going to go through (For the record, Sharp is in excellent shape.)

“So my tank is hung up. We’re 100 feet down, and I’ve got 20 minutes of air left (and a group of other divers stuck behind him.)

Then he remembered his training. “I had learned how to take my gear off (under water, in an emergency), so I wriggled on through. Needless to say, the people behind me were worried. I had a moment, but my training kicked in.”

It’s a good cocktail story, one of many that divers get to share. But this weekend they shared something even better – a good cause. Barron said they hoped to raise $2,000-$3,000 for Seattle Children’s Hospital Cancer Research.