Snorkling: Christ of the Abyss

I don’t like when I get outside my comfort zone.

I was an avid, certified scuba diver at one time. But then came the kids, work, pets, and other excuses to keep me from diving.

It has been almost 20 years since I last went diving or snorkeling. Despite this, we took our boat out to a dive site in the Atlantic (versus diving with a group) to visit an underwater statue — I was way outside my comfort zone.

The Christ of the Abyss Statue

The original Christ of The Abyss statue is at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea near Italy. Its purpose is to honor Dario Gonzatt, the first Italian to use scuba gear. You can learn more about the history at Christoftheabyss.net. The site also has information on the other Christ of the Abyss statues worldwide. The Christ at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo, Florida, is the most famous and where my dive took place.

Making our Approach

As we approached the Key Largo Dry Rocks, I could see a dive boat far on the horizon. As we got closer, I saw snorkelers crisscrossing over the dive site.

I was excited to see them as I knew we would not be diving alone, but they pulled out when we tied up to our mooring buoy.

As the captain began to pull away, he shouted to let us know a hammerhead was spotted on the reef.

Since it was wintertime and the water was cold, we wore wetsuits to make the dive underwater comfortable. As we were orienting ourselves in the water around our boat, dozens of fish started swimming and congregating below.

I was perfectly content at that point, just watching and playing with the fish while wondering if the hammerhead had a full belly.

With no one at the dive site and no clear idea where the Christ statue was, we decided to explore the reef in hopes of discovering the Christ statue.

We swam around the boat and nearby coral for some time but had no luck finding the statue.

By this time, we were the only boat on the reef, and I was ready to head back to our boat when I saw the statute out of the corner of my eye. I was about 15 feet below me, and my first impression was how beautiful it was.

My husband went down first while I videotaped him. It took him a little effort, but he touched the Christ statue’s hand on the first try.

Now, it was my turn. My first attempt was a total loss because I bobbed like a cork in the water with my wetsuit on and no weights. I didn’t even get close and might as well have been diving with a life jacket!

I rested before my second attempt, then moved right over the statue. Then, with all the strength I could muster, I dove down.

I got about a foot from Christ’s hand when I began to fight the buoyancy caused by my wetsuit pulling me to the surface. But I didn’t want to fail again. So I took every ounce of strength, kicked as hard as possible using the little air left in my lungs, and pushed towards the hand.

I wanted nothing more than to touch the fingers, so I kept kicking with all my strength. But my lungs were saying otherwise: go to the surface before being forced to breathe in.

So I gave in, after inches from touching Christ’s hand, and let my wetsuit carry me to the surface, barely needing to kick on my way up.

I knew better, but I pushed it.

When I reached the surface, I floated on my back for a long time, attempting to regain my strength. Disappointed, knowing I had no more strength to try again.

It is important to state at this time. If I hadn’t once been a certified diver and hadn’t had all the experience I had diving and snorkeling, my actions that day could have put me at risk. Some would say being on the reef alone added an element of risk.

I’m saying that if you have little or no diving or snorkeling experience, you must go with a dive group. But even if you do have experience, there is comfort in numbers. And if you have a wetsuit on, don’t forget your weights.

Don’t Dive?

Those who do not dive or snorkel and never want to can still see a Christ of the Abyss statue when visiting Key Largo. St. Justin Martyr Catholic Church in Key Largo has a bronze replica in front of the main sanctuary at mile marker 105.5 on US 1. The church commissioned Ido Demetz in 1991 to make a bronze replica.

Happy Trails, Mrs. Padilly

PS: I plan to upload my video from our dive on my YouTube Channel. Once active, you can click here.