The world turns sooty gold. The tepid water is only about three
feet deep, but I'm not seeking blue whales or kelp. Mangroves serve
as juvenile nurseries for many fish, protected romper rooms before
the fish move into the ocean and the
food chain operates at a
merciless speed.
They morph from the gold, the treasure I seek - a dozen juvenile
barracudas hovering motionless, beautiful and bewitching; same
needle physique, same outsize jaw, perfect replicas of adult
barracudas, yet no bigger than my thumb.
I have been here before, perhaps even seen the forebears of these
pugnacious youths, but it doesn't matter. I'm alone in nature's
cathedral, privy yet again to a special moment and place, and the
goose bumps rise.
gerry e. studds stellwagen bank national marine sanctuary,
stellwagen.noaa.gov, (781) 545-8026
deposited in the last glacial age, the bank is an undersea sand,
rock, and gravel plateau just north of cape cod, massachusetts.
most visitors here are whale watchers (though dive operators and
charter fishing boats offer trips to the bank, too) hoping for
humpback whales (most common in summer), and from january through
april and october and november, a glimpse of the endangered
northern right whale. plenty of other wildlife exists here, too,
from 40 species of seabirds to pods of white-sided dolphin to the
pancakelike mola mola (ocean sunfish).
thunder bay national marine sanctuary, thunderbay.noaa.gov,
(989) 356-8805
some 160 shipwrecks lie in the northwest corner of lake huron, not
far from the town of alpena, michigan. in water as shallow as 12
feet and as deep as 180 feet sit 19th-century wooden schooners,
steel-hulled steamers, and modern-day freighters. snorkelers ogle
the shallow wrecks and divers descend to the deeper ones, eternal
silence wrapped in still water. if you prefer to stay dry, there
are glass-bottom-boat and lighthouse boat tours to try.