As divers, we usually get really excited to tell others about our dive experiences and what we saw underwater. After a dive, you might hear dive buddies ask each other questions like “Did you see that huge fish? What was that?” Well, a few years ago I went diving off the coast of San Diego, California. As soon as I surfaced, I exclaimed “Something strange flew, no, swam in front of me! It looked like a scuba diving bird!” To this day, I laugh as I recall my experience hanging out 60 feet below by the submarine canyon, and being startled and confused as I saw a bird, though it looked more like a narrow black football (probably a cormorant), swim up, down and around me. Personally, this experience sparked an interest that I wanted to share with other divers.
What are some other diving birds you might see when you’re diving? Or while you are getting suited up, traveling to your dive site? There is a large variety of seabirds that live on the coast, travel far distances across the ocean, stay close to the surface, or dive to great depths. Here are four marine and diving birds you might get the chance to see underwater while diving!