Sunday, February 10, 2008

I ran into something huge, really huge for the first time in Breakwater after hunderds of dives in Breakwater. The condition of yesterday was bad, not extremely bad but there were good amount of side to side movement (especially in the middle above those rock patches at 15~20ft) and really low vis, bout 5 to 7 ft at most.

So, this happen on my way back from the Metridium field, I was looking for the pipe to go back shore heading straight South. It took me 30 kicks from the end of the pipe to the met field but I had about 40 kicks now and so I thought I might have off coursed because of the surge pulled me outward . All the sudden there was a big black wall in front of me and it moves, very slowly left to right! I stopped, if I didnt' stop I would have ran right into it. It's low vis, so I am probably just 5 ft away. I look at my computer, it was 42 ft and I was about 3 ft off the bottom. I saw some little thing grow on the body &amp. My mask was constantly fogged up yesterday, so I had to clear my mask. I look right, the furtherst I can see, I saw nothing, the big black body just faded into the murky water. Look left, same, so the immediate thought came to mind was WHALE. I must have ran into a whale, it moves very slowly, about 2 secs later I saw the tail went from my left to slowly faded into the right. I didn't have the camera ready, my strobes was off already. Yet I try to take a shot but it won't focus and it wont fire. Anyway, because of such low vis and I am all by myself, I didn't follow, not to mention I am only about 750 PSI left.

So I was very excited thinking about the encounter as I continue to paddle my way back to shore. As I walk up the stair back to my car, something strike suddenly, the tail ! What I saw earlier ... the tail was vertical and swing side to side !! Whale tail was horizontal and flip up and down. So what the hack did I just ran into - SHARK. This was a big huge shark. Remember I was about 5 ft away at most from touching it, look right, I didn't see the head, look left , I didn't see the tail until 2 sec passed. This thing must be 20~25+ ft ! It was a pretty feaky experience espeically in such low vis and alone. It's hard to believe a huge shark hang around in Breakwater and at such shallow water and close to the bottom. I have no way confirming what I saw yesterday but knowing mutual respect & kept distance might be the only reason how I could have came back in one piece and that I slept well last night.

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