Square Lake!

[JBPearson]

I have to share an experience I had at Square last weekend.  My dive buddy and I both bought our equipment this spring so we were anxious to get out and try it.  What better than a rainy spring day to do just that?  The dive had been going OK.  I had a couple gear adjustment breaks but vis was a little better than expected and the new wet suit was nice and warm.  We were reaching the end of our air so I turned towards shore and started to surface.  Looking back I didn't see my dive buddy and noticed our flag about 20 feet behind me on the surface.  As I started a surface swim towards it a round black thing rose out of the water next to the flag.  Only it wasn't my buddies head, it was a loon!  A few seconds later my buddy surfaced just as it was diving.  "Did you see the loon?", I asked.  He hadn't but right then it surfaced about 10 feet from us and looked right at us.  It dove and swam about 6 feet next to us and then surfaced about 10 feet on the other side.  It repeated this 2 times and then I whistled in an attempt to "become one with the loon."  It apparently didn't care for this because it dove, swam past us and didn't surface again until it was well away.  Definitely the highlight of the dive and something I have never experienced before in my life.  Made that LONG trip to Square from Richfield worth it I guess. ;D