Music is one of the universal elements with which all of us can identify.

They can stir emotions and recreate the elation or sadness that we felt the first time we heard them. Sometimes a new song speaks to us as it captures the joy or pain of a specific aspect of our lives. It should not be a surprise that music is then, instrumental in the arsenal of many writers.

As I was in my notepad sketching the plot and scenarios, my senses were surrounded by music. Songs and tunes painted visions and created features I followed.

One of the songs that made me smile quite a bit was The Song of Scuba Joe, which a friend forwarded to me. It does an excellent job of capturing the happiness of the sport, how it becomes an essential part of our lives, and how we obsess to the point we believe everyone should be a diver.

I have included the embedded video in YouTube for your listening pleasure and I give my gratitude to the author for a terrific job.

What a catchy and jolly tune! I have to confess, though, that as much as I love the song, I noticed a trend that made me realize something was missing.

That in itself is very good. The songs encase the escaping feeling we experience during our getaways, temporarily leaving the suffocating maws of urbania. I, myself, enjoy such trips and experience the thrill of diving in lukewarm waters with excellent visibility and explosive colors.

But as a Northwest diver, I noticed an unintentional absence.

There were no songs about the beauty and thrill of cold water diving. It surprised me since Seattle thrives on abundance of talented musicians and many of my diving friends are also proficient music hobbyists.

Is it that the beauty of the rich waters of Puget Sound is masked by having to cover our bodies in thick insulating layers to visit in comfort? Kind of hard to believe. Many of the local artists/divers have created magnificent displays in glass, canvas, and wood. I wonder what’s not inspirational about the majestic Giant Pacific Octopus, or the colorful, fascinating starsfish in their imposing dimensions, or the soft anemones to inspire a song dedicated to cold water diving.

Those of us who have dived in the emerald waters know of the thrills of being surrounded by schools of bait fish, by the sudden company of a curious seal stirring the visibility, and how we can find beauty even at the macro level with nudibranchs and lumpsuckers.

Is that not enough to inspire a song?

Or did I completely miss it?

Please give me the wake-up call if you know there’s one out there. Or maybe you’ll feel inspired to produce one. I’d love to hear it if you do so.

As to yours truly, I’m not a musician. I have many skills but writing music is not one of them. Not yet at least. Perhaps I’ll take the challenge in a few years but right now other projects occupy my scarce time. I’ll just keep enjoying what’s produced and feel grateful for the artistic skills of others.

How about you? What songs speak to you?

Peace and Happiness.

H.G.