70 Dives Into The Deep Dark Blue With Dave Kelsey
Andy Woerner Mar 04, 2024
When you think about diving in the dark waters of the ocean at night, do you think, “Hey that would be great to experience once in my life”?
Can you imagine loving it so much you want to do it over and over again?
The Pelagic dive off the Kona Coast is a unique dive experience. We are sure it will become one of the most memorable ones in your diving life.
One of our favorite Pelagic divers, Dave Kelsey, has just completed his 70th Pelagic Magic dive. Yes 70! (Some of us have not completed 70 dives during the day).
We talked with Dave about what keeps him coming back and if there were any experiences that made him look over his shoulder on the next dive.
JDL: “What is your favorite thing about this type of dive?”
“Being able to experience something truly out of this world. This is a dive that very few people have the privilege to do. It puts you in an environment that will blow your mind with the vast variety of animals that come within the feet of the surface to feed. This should be on every diver's bucket list. “
JDL: What is the coolest thing you have seen, or your favorite thing among all the dives you have done?
“I have had too many firsts of what I thought was the “coolest.” It changes every time. The highlights are always a Sea Horse, Tiny Octopus, or florescent Pyrosomes. These are all very tiny animals but occasionally, something big will show up. In October 2019 we had a 15-foot male Whale Shark show up and hung around most all the dive. But it is the little stuff you are really looking for. Think small and adjust your focus to tiny, and then be surprised if something big shows up.”
JDL: Has there been anything that scared you?
“Every once in a while, you will get hit by a Squid. You definitely feel the bump, but mostly it is just startling. The squid are only trying to escape the dolphins that are trying to feed on them. Now my scariest dive, I’ll share that story after you have done your first.”
JDL: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of doing a Pelagic dive?
“Do not wait. This is your closest chance to see what outer space would be like. Except this is otherworldly, something you will never forget. A bucket list dive for every diver.”
The Pelagic dive might not be for everyone, but when you have a great guy like Dave Kelsey telling you to do it, you had better consider adding it to your bucket list. For all our specialty loving divers, check out our Pelagic Diver distinctive specialty certification, that you can only get at Jack’s Diving Locker. See you in the dark!
