360° Atlantic Ocean

 .



Sao Miguel, Azores, Atlantic Ocean, October 2018

How much I love to be surrounded by the salty Ocean, to feel its calmness, its power...

.

... to listen to the incoming waves and the "clunking" water sound playing on the boat haul, knowing the surrounding water body is filled with exciting marine life of various kinds.

.

For me, being underneath that blue surface is the best place to be. But even during days not spent underwater, simply the closeness of the ocean fills me with the a very sweet and free feeling...

.

Born on an island at the Swedish west coast, the sea and the variating coast line has always been close. With only some few fot steps to the fascinating underwater world, it naturally became my favourite element already at a very young age.

I've been drawn to the Ocean ever since. 🧜‍♀️

.

So here I am, on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores, surrounded by the salty breeze and the view I never get bored of;

... the vast blue Atlantic.

.

Situated far west of Portugal, on the Mid- Atlantic Ridge, Azores contains of 9 volcanic islands of which Sao Miguel is the biggest one.

The pictures in this post are from the west- and north shore of Sao Miguel, except for the second pic below with the (smoky) volcanic hot springs which is from Furnas further east on the island.

.

Even though the weather has been changing quite a bit since we got here in August, with more rain, wind and a decreasing over all temperature,  it still feels like summer in Norway, just warmer  😉

.

The immense Atlantic and the Gulf Stream keep the climate mild on the islands compared to other destinations with same latitudes.

.

Still in October we have 20°C water temperature during our dives. Muito obrigada Azoresdiving for great diving in wonderful company!

.

As always, time is flying way to quickly, especially when you have fun! And I'm just realising that summer might have reached an end as the calendar is showing November already (!)

So its is getting time for me to say a temporary bye to the Atlantic waves and sunsets as much colder and darker adventures above the Arctic circle are waiting!

Time to get ready for some drysuit dance soon... 💃🏻 😉

So salty, yet so sweet!

.

Sao Miguel, Azores, Atlantic Ocean, October 2018

That feeling, when you let the air out of your BCD, exhale and start the descend to the underwater world. (BCD = Buoyancy Control Device, a west you use in diving to control your buoyancy).

For me, this is the world where everything makes sense and no words are needed. Where I feel the most at home and in peace.

.

Still on wonderful planet Earth, it is like changing worlds when leaving the life above water to sink beneath the waves and become one with the amazing aquatic life.

.

As autumn has arrived with stormy speed, also weather and sea conditions have got an increased temper 😉 🌊💨

After spending most of our time out on open water, we therefore have been finishing the pelagic filming for this year, to instead explore and film along the coast of Sao Miguel island in the Azores.

.

From wreck diving at "Dori", a 130 meter long World War II liberty ship that sank not far from the port of Ponta Delgada in 1964, to visit other local dive sites searching for the highly fascinating octopuses.

.

Being experts in camouflaging, we know there is someone watching us at all times, even though we might not always catch the sight of the ingenious creature itself...

.

That is why we dive slowly, keeping an observant eye on each stone we pass...

.

When finally finding those charming creatures, they often become very curious about us too! 😍

.

Little bit difficult it can get though, to film these intelligent animals when they not only start to climb the domeport, but also up on the camera, to finally even reach the camera person!

The many curious octopuses we have met during our recent dives have made the day for us many times, and I hope we did theirs too! 🦑

.

Again there are no words enough to describe the sweetness this blue world provides. So salty, yet so sweet! 💦💙💦

Subwing á la Cri-Cri 💙

 .

Sao Miguel, Azores, Atlantic Ocean, September 2018

You might have seen a couple of images on social media recently, where I, powered by the sailboat, use a homemade subwing to cruise and monitor the infinite blue surrounding.

For the interested and curious, here is more about it!

.

It was back in 2016, before our "Winter Whales of Norway" expedition started, when I first had this vision of bringing such a useful toy onboard. After mentioning the thought, it didn´t take long before my wonderful and creative boyfriend realized my dream by making one!

.

Suddenly, there wasn't´t only a subwing onboard, but a homemade one filled with love! The sheltered fjords in Sweden became our playground were our first  test "flights"were made.

.

Now, two years later, "Eja" is back to warmer waters again, and I´m fortunate to be flying the subwing in one of my favourite surroundings; the deep, blue Atlantic Ocean. 💦

.

Meanwhile the boat keeps a speed of 2-3 knots, the chosen angle of the wings provides a quick descend to cruise and observe the underwater world, as well as an easy ascend when a breath is needed.

.

Underneath the surface rotations are easily made...

.

... and flying upside down has obviously become one of my favourites!

... 🙃💦

.

Subwing-ing freely in a bikini was surely lots of fun, but became a bit tricky as the small pieces of clothing had hard time to stay on due to the water drag created from the speed...

.

... so the shorty was to prefer on the successive sessions to make sure not to frighten the fish! 🐟😉🤣

.

The subwing has become a playful way to enjoy more time underwater when the sailboat is on the move anyway. To simply appreciate the blue element and the weightless feeling, while hoping to be lucky enough to one day attract some friendly and curious marine life...

.

And so we did off the Azorean coast. A first brief encounter was made with common dolphins, followed by bottlenose dolphins. These times, the animals just got curious enough to make a couple of distant observations before they continued their own mission of the day.

.

The next wildlife encounter with the subwing was with a big group of Atlantic spotted dolphins, who made repetitive attempts to get closer and closer to inspect the happily flying creature they just had discovered. While being followed by these charming creatures, I was totally surrounded by the beautiful sound of their variating clicks and singing communication. What a magic moment! 💙🐬💙

.

When having curious encounters like this, when the animals show as big interest and appreciation in my appearance as I do in them, this is when my happiness is fulfilled. With a growing smile, that so often and again now make my mask leak, I so continue to get even more fascinated and absorbed in this salty world I adore so much!  💙

💦 😇 💦