From Tears to Triumph: A Mother-Son Dive at Blue Heron Bridge

Not the dive they planned for, but still a great day anyway! A happy mother and son dive buddy team after a fantastic dive at the world-famous Blue Heron Bridge.

If you’ve been diving for a reasonable amount of time, then you know the disappointment that comes when the conditions change unexpectedly. Few experiences match the frustration felt when you travel somewhere, do all the research to book a dive trip, get up early to lug your gear to the boat, only to find out the dives are cancelled. For those of us in the industry, trust me, we hate it as much as you do!

This was exactly the scenario for mother and son diving duo Julie and Alex. They were in town for a short time from the D.C. area and were eagerly looking forward to diving together. Alex, a 13-year old newer diver, wanted to work on his skills while his mom Julie - a former dive professional - was ecstatic about sharing in one of her favorite pastimes with her son. You can imagine their disappointment when they arrived at our dock, only for us to share that the wind and seas had picked up more than expected overnight, and the boats tragically had to be cancelled for safety concerns. While we recognize some degree of flexibility is required when working with Mother Nature, we also empathize with the disappointment.

I had been hired as a photographer for another couple on the boat that day when I overheard Julie saying that her son was in the car in tears because they couldn’t go out. I knew there had to be something we could do. I pulled out my phone and checked the tide tables for Blue Heron Bridge, remembering that high tide was going to be early that day. Sure enough, slack tide was in 20 minutes.

Dive trip saved! Getting ready to enter the water at Blue Heron Bridge.

I ran over to them and said if they had all their gear ready, I’d be more than happy to take them on a private tour of one of my favorite spots on the planet: Blue Heron Bridge. Julie was pleasantly surprised and readily agreed. I quickly grabbed tanks and weights from the boat and we were on our way!

Let’s Go Explore!

I was super excited, and grateful, that Julie and Alex trusted me to show them around one of my favorite places in the world: Blue Heron Bridge. I truly enjoy sharing what I love with others!

While parking is often a challenge at this site, high tide was early enough that it wasn’t on this day. We found a sweet spot not too far from the beach and proceeded to set up our gear. This was their 1st time diving this spot, so I gave them a detailed briefing while we quickly prepared to enter the water.

With rough offshore conditions and nearby dredging, it was uncertain what conditions would be like at this site. But Julie and Alex were just so excited to get in the water, I am not sure it would have mattered to them much!

During our 90 minute dive we explored the shallow grasses, the artificial reefs along the well-known “snorkel trail” and wrapped up under the east span of the bridge. Julie and Alex had the opportunity to dive alongside a free swimming spotted moray eel, peak under rocks to see dozens of lobsters, explore some small shipwrecks and admire the famous school of spadefish that reside under the bridge. While viz was variable - went from only 5ft in some places to 15ft in others - we were able to see lots of life, and I could sense their excitement with each new encounter underwater.

That’s a moray . . .

One of the stand-out encounters of our dive was observing this very active moray eel that came out of its hole to greet us.

In the end, Julie shared with me that it was an experience they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. They were beyond grateful that their dive day was saved, and honestly, made my day just as much as theirs. There is something so gratifying about sharing what you love with others who are equally as passionate about the ocean as you are.

Schools of fish came over to greet Julie and Alex and they ventured under the bridge pilings.

Julie messaged me after the dive and shared: “you helped teach Alex an important life lesson today. . . when the cards aren’t in your favor, put yourself out there anyway and see what happens - we had a great dive anyway! Likely better than the one we were scheduled for.” Their willingness to be open to new experiences paid off in the end, and it was so gratifying to see how happy they both were. It’s experiences like these that make being a dive professional all worthwhile.

Don’t forget, next time conditions offshore may not look perfect for your upcoming trip, Blue Heron Bridge is an excellent choice to still get in a great dive. Shallow with plenty of ambient light, it’s also the perfect spot either to practice your photography or be in front of the camera, for a shoot with one of our professional photographers to capture you doing what you love.

Looking forward to seeing you under the bridge soon!

-Grace