By Rebecca Coales
Contributing Writer
Jeju Islander’s tell of a snake that once inhabited the small islet of Seopseom. It yearned to be a fearsome dragon so prayed each month to the Dragon King who responded with a challenge, ``If you can find a bead hidden between Seopseom Island and Gigwiseom (a nearby island), I shall make you a dragon.’’
The snake searched for one hundred years, but never found the bead and died broken-hearted. The mists that now cloak the island before rain are said to be the soul of the snake that still haunts the island.
There are no such mists today as the dive boat moors alongside this mystical rocky island, just a few kilometres from the coastal town of Seogwipo.
The south coast of Jeju is considered one of the finest spots for scuba diving in Korea, offering year-round diving with an average water temperature of 200C.
Although there are several dive operators in the town, only one caters for foreigners. The German owner, rather aptly named Ralf Deutsch, has run the Big Blue 33 dive center for six years.
It’s fair to say that Korea is unlikely to top any list of must-dive destinations in Asia as it has neither the promise of big fish sightings nor acres of intricate coral reefs to explore, but it certainly makes for an unusual entry in the diver’s log-book.
Plunging backwards into the chilly waters, half-expecting to see bare rocks and murk, I descend to around 20 meters and am stunned by the rich expanse of soft corals all around me, blanketing the rocks in myriad colours.
A zebra-striped lionfish stealthily drifts by with trailing feather-like spines quivering in the gentle current. Plate-sized John Dories join in the prowl, their golden sheen glistening in the weak light from above.
A startled boxfish struggles to escape a sheltered crevice, flapping its useless stub of a tail desperately. Ralf catches my eye and points out a striking white and yellow, slug-like nudibranch spotted with black as if painted by a spirited child. I have to remind myself that this is actually Korea, as I feel as if I’m diving in a tropical aquarium.
For the second and distinctly different dive I sink slowly through a forest of towering kelp, crowded with small, silvery fish sheltering amongst the swaying fronds.
I have to part the ribbons of weed with outstretched arms, like opening heavy curtains, so as not to get entangled in the slippery strands.
Ralf never seems to be in a hurry, so the dive proceeds at a leisurely pace as we fin slowly past clumps of rippling anemones. One patch is jealously guarded by a yellow-finned clownfish intent on thwarting my approach.
Could this be where the legendary bead lies, undisturbed within the jelly-like anemone tentacles? Well, perhaps, if you believe in such legends, but I’m unlikely to get past this disgruntled guard today.
On the short journey back to the harbor, Ralf asks how I found the dive. When I own up to being pleasantly surprised he smiles and replies, “That’s what a lot of people say.”
He tells me that some visitors from New Zealand maintain that the underwater world of Jeju is reminiscent of home. Come to think of it, both Korea and New Zealand do indeed lie within similar latitudes, but at opposite ends of the globe.
Most of Ralf’s clients are foreign workers, military staff or travellers on weekend breaks from the mainland, often using the return ferry services to avoid flying within 24 hours of diving.
With several other attractions on the island including day-hikes to the summit of Mount. Halla and intriguing lava caves, Jeju Island makes an ideal break for lovers of the great outdoors.