R&R TRAVEL: DEEP SEA - PLUMBING THE DEPTHS

[Ribsey]

 

 

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Plumbing the Depths

Published: 13th of February, 2019.

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Typically a blue plain where we cast our reflection, our introspection and our nets; the ocean is a vast mystery that

drives ambitious explorers to venture beyond their natural means. 

 

Besides a homogeneous ecosystem there lies a treacherous yet awe-inspiring range of valleys, canyons and mountains. The eerie sight strikes out as a "what if" of our world in the millions of years to come when the unstoppable force of the world's water erodes the remaining land.

 

The inhospitable depths also continue to pique the interest of marine biologists. Since the first ever submersible teased the sea floor in 1930, thousands of undiscovered species are believed to live well past the crush depth that our current mechanical creations can handle. 

 

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Split wooden beams resting on supports dug into the dirt.

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San Andreas shares its bevy of secrets that seem to have gone undocumented in the mass of media available. Diving just off of the coast of Del Perro Beach leads us into another world. Our first sight was the remains of a structure just a few clicks North of the pier. Surrounding the pier itself is yet more of the same, could it have been that our longstanding pier was once wider and longer? 

 

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Long forgotten.

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Stretching out from the pier's foundations at 120ft below the surface of the Pacific Ocean is  pipe. This pipe's purpose is unknown but it is believed to be an outlet of some kind, possibly a defunct sewer pipe linked to the canals through a network beneath the city. 

 

Dating the pipe's construction is difficult as wood has been used for underwater construction for centuries. Both the pier and the pipe are supported by deep foundations of wood and concrete. The pipe's supporting bracket is likely waterlogged wood, which helps preserve the wood as the fungi and micro-bacteria that typically decompose wood are starved of their essential oxygen.

 

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Giant kelp stands proud inside of a beautiful underwater ravine West of the shore.

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Swimming further out led to a surprisingly sharp drop into an unexpected valley of kelp and weeds. Here the visibility dropped, leaving us with the rays above and the sea bed lurking somewhere in the pitch black below us. The unfathomable scope begged further exploration, but our oxygen tanks begged us to to the surface.
 

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Could there be an equal to Mount Chilliad lurking in the ocean around us?

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Please do not attempt to recreate anything featured in this article. Scuba diving is a dangerous activity. The divers featured in this article are experienced and have attempted the dive with several safety protocols in place to reduce the risk of injury or death to those involved.

 

 

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    R&R is an independent news source operating from Los Santos, with coverage across the city and its associated counties. R&R operates freely under Article I, Section 2 of the San Andreas Constitution.

Inquires may be directed via email.

Edited February 15, 2019 by Ribsey