Two Americas
5If you need wisdom, ask our generous GOD, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in GOD alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7Such people should not expect to receive anything from the LORD. 8Their loyalty is divided between GOD and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (James 1:5-8)
Hello friends. At the beginning of this week, I participated in a three-day, dive training extravaganza that took our Underwater Search and Recovery Team from Savannah, GA to Troy Springs State Park (Branford, FL). This was a three-hour drive from Savannah. At Troy Springs we had hoped to accomplish some deep dive training (dives over 60 feet in depth), but the water levels were not high enough, so the deepest we were able to go was just over 50-feet. From Troy Springs, we made a six-hour dive to our overnight camping sites at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, a massive state park located in Hobe Sound, FL. On Tuesday, the team completed three dives, a morning dive at the incredible Blue Heron Bridge dive site, a shore dive off Riviera Beach, and then a return to Blue Heron Bridge for a night dive. The first two days were a mix of training objectives at some key locations, and then Wednesday was a scheduled “fun” dive with an off-shore charter, which I opted out of, due to this dive requiring all out-of-pocket expenses, and getting Nitrox certified, which divers would have had to accomplish on their own time and on their own dime. If you are a certified scuba diver and live anywhere near the east coast of Florida, Blue Heron Bridge is a must dive. I have not dove extensively, but I will say that this was the best dive I have ever experienced.
I had been on the verge of backing out of this training until our Sergeant pushed out the training itinerary. For one, being out of my regular job for three days was a lot, especially considering I was coming off a three-day drill with the Army National Guard. But once our training itinerary was pushed out, and I did a little research on the Blue Heron Bridge Dive, I was in. I had read on a few dive websites that Blue Heron Bridge(BHB) was considered one of the best dive sites on the east coast (click on the link above). And by east coast, they meant, the entire east coast of the United States. Some websites listed BHB as one of the best dive sites in the world. So, after reading that, and taking in consideration we were camping in a state park, one of my favorite ways to travel and sleep, I fully committed to the training.
BHB was incredible. The entire vibe was a whole different world. As we pulled into Phil Foster Park, a little island sitting in the middle of the Riviera Beach Intracoastal, we were surrounded by throngs of people with the same intentions. Phil Foster Park boasts an 800-foot “snorkeling trail”, as the bay is only about 20-feet deep and crystal clear. Diving the bridge at slack tide, the period where the tidal cycle becomes still before the current reverses, is optimal (we found this out when we entered the water for the night dive thirty minutes before slack tide), We arrived at the park as slack tide was beginning and I quickly realized I was experiencing something truly unique. The parking lot was full of divers getting prepped for their swim. I imagine this is how California surf areas are at key locations: surfers arriving at the optimal time, grabbing their boards and hitting the water. But instead of surf boards, the parking lot was full of divers pulling on their wetsuits, strapping on their tanks, and quickly wading into the water to experience the wonder beneath the waves. I had thought for a random Tuesday morning, we would have the site all to ourselves, but I was drastically wrong. The parking lot was full of divers, snorkelers, and just vacationers wanting to swim in this surprisingly clear waterway.
This first dive at BHB provided everything a diver could ever want. Calm waters: slack tide made for no worries about fighting a current. Endless visibility: if you are like me and worried about what is out there that could eat you, you would be able to see them coming from hundreds of feet away. Perfect depth: at just twenty feet, we were able to stay under until our tanks bled dry. Abundant wildlife: this is the most important part, and the reason people get into scuba diving. BHB had a huge array of marine wildlife. From giant starfish bigger than my face, to spiny tail Florida lobsters hiding beneath the rocks, barracudas, clown fish, eels, spotted sting rays, horseshoe crabs, and so many different species of small fish I could not even begin to list. This was the first dive that I came out of the water and thought to myself that I could get into diving recreationally. I was even texting my oldest child to see if she wanted to get certified for her upcoming birthday, as we could make diving a father/daughter bonding experience. She is not interested.
However, my next two dives, reminded me of why I will continue to just be a diver by trade. For the shore dive on the Atlantic side, my dive partner bailed on me at the last second and I was left entering the water solo and attempting to catch a group of three that were about two hundred meters off-shore. Riviera Beach has a rock path that allows divers to train on compass navigation out to two bouys that are anchored 100-meters apart so divers can get their 100-meter “kick count”. Just like land navigation in the military, scuba divers use compasses and a 100-meter “pace count” for navigation. In the military, your 100-meter pace count is the number of steps (always counting when your second foot hits the ground, i.e., if you step off the starting line with your left foot, your first “step” is when your right foot hits the ground). For divers, your 100-meter count is a four-kick count, meaning as you are swimming along, you would count your fin kicks as “one-two-three-ONE, one-two-three-TWO” and so forth until you hit the 100-meter mark, then swim back to verify.
Well, I made it to the buoy, which sat in about forty feet of water, and realized I was completely alone. While I had good visibility around me, as I was attempting to get my kick-count, while watching my compass, what I was really working through in my head was the steps I needed to take when a shark came at me like a missile and grabbed an arm or a leg. Call me a chicken (or worse), I like to think of myself as more of a realist, and a person with a brain that can think out every possibility. Sure, you may also say my faith is weak, that I should have no fear because God will keep me safe. But when I go to the beach, especially on the Atlantic side of America, I never go further than chest deep. I want to know what is coming at me. The ocean is much different than out in the woods when you might be able to hear something large coming after you. As I was going in the water for this dive, I said to myself, well, here goes conquering one of my biggest paranoias: the fear of deep waters. If I had not ended up being alone, I would, possibly, had fared a little better, but swimming solo for what felt like an eternity, while I was constantly look to the east, to the vast deep waters, waiting for the dark blob to appear and quickly grow in size as it swam toward me, I had enough and surfaced to get my bearing. I ended up being only about twenty meters from the group once I surfaced and located their dive flag. Joining them made me feel more comfortable. I was then a one-in-four chance of being the one eaten first, and now that I was with the group, I could argue away the fear by reminding myself that I needed to help protect them also.
As we finished that dive, I took a few minutes under water attempting to find some shark teeth at a collection of millions of shells just twenty feet from the shoreline. The waves battered me as they broke on the coast. I thought in my head that this experience made a great metaphor for trying to fight the purpose of God’s work in your life versus doing your own thing, or by following the ways of the world. Getting tossed to and fro by the awesome power of nature, I already had a post planned from that experience. I also pondered the almighty power of Jesus, thinking how amazing it was that He could speak to these waves and bring them to a standstill.
But what I really wanted to write about today is how we live in two separate America’s. Riviera Beach, as beautiful, peaceful, and quiet as it is, exists as one of the most financial wealth inequalities in Florida. The area we were diving in was surrounded by million-dollar condos, luxury high rises, and exorbitant beach front properties. My dive partner pulled up Zillow as we drove back to our campsite and could not find a single listing under one million dollars. Meanwhile, when we came back to Phil Foster Park at night, the few homeless individuals in the area were making their way to their overnight, urban camping sites to bed down.
This post is a reminder that if Jesus walked this world today, He would not be impressed by a single person living in luxury. Jesus would be making His way to the lost and lonely. To the man setting out his entire world in a pull-behind cart as he found a spot on the beach and attempted to get a full night’s sleep without being chased out by the local sheriff’s office after being spotted by a snooty local. Jesus would not care about the millionaire retiree that spent his afternoon at the local bar, drinking and smoking cigars as his wife pulled by in their Bentley (something I actually witnessed in person). Jesus would remind these people of what they put their worth in. Of whom their master truly is, God or money. You cannot, consciously, live a life of luxury while so many in the world continue to suffer and honestly expect to find favor with God. So, despite spending time in some of the clearest and cleanest water I have ever swam in, I left Riviera Beach feeling like I was covered in slime and sludge, and drove as quickly as I could back to Savannah, where the wealth inequality is a not as blatant and in your face, and I live in an area that feels a little more like what America should be, and not just a place reserved for the wealthy and the elite.
I have more to write, and I hope to get on here and put a post together tomorrow, as I dive back into the political world, as a lot as gone on this last week that I feel compelled to write about. Until then, Elevation Rhythm released a new album, anchored on this collaboration between them and Josiah Queen that I had on repeat yesterday. Click and enjoy. Hopefully, I will see you all on here tomorrow. God Bless.
Common Sense Reborn 