Underwater Engagement in Paradise

Log Entry

  • By: Bob Weeks
  • Buddy: Suzanne
  • Photography by: Bob Weeks
  • Date: May 18, 1994
  • Dive No: 859
  • Location: “Coral Gardens”, Vanua Levu, Fiji
  • Depth: 45 ft
  • Visibility: 60 ft
  • Conditions: Scattered clouds, rough seas.

First day of sun and we will be diving a Garden: this is the moment. As I prepare for the day's diving, I put the small clam shell in my bathing suit pocket.

As we suit up for the second dive of the day, I again check to make sure the clam shell is secure and not crushed by the weight belt. Suzanne, the dive master and I descend to the bottom of coral rubble and scattered coral heads. We start to roam between the coral heads.

Suzanne diving coral reef, FIji As I find one subject to photograph, my buddy is off to find another. After initially looking very barren, we start to find a menagerie of nudibranchs, sponges and small fish. There is a rainbow of soft corals: pink, yellow, red and purple.

Scallop in coral reef. We find a "smiling" scallop with bright blue lips embedded in hard coral.

Coral head with fish We find another coral head with a school of 8 to 10 fire fish.

Handing Suzanne shell About 45 minutes into the dive, I motion to Suzanne to come over. I hand her the shell and she gives me a look of "what am I supposed to do with this."

Diamond ring in shell Then as the shell opens slightly and the sun glistens off the gold and diamond she begins to understand.

Putting ring on Suzanne With wide-eyed amazement and joy she opens it the rest of the way and pulls out the ring.

After I put the ring on her finger, I sign "I Love You."
We finish the dive hand in hand.