This is a BS story - BULL SHARKS that is.
March 1st, 2018
We were up at 5:00 am today so that we could grab a bite and meet our cab at the lobby at 6:45. The early start was fine by me (Naomi) as I dreamt of sharks all night so it was good to finally be on the road to Pacific Harbor for our booked shark dive.
It was all business at the Dive shop with 16 divers arriving to gear up for the morning dives. We were very glad we had taken care of all the paperwork on Monday as we were able to head straight to the equipment room. Once there the Dive Masters had us put the gear we brought (masks, booties, fins, gloves and regulators) into individual bins that they took to our positions on the dive boat. The next equipment selection was for the right fit of full wet suits...no shorties allowed on this dive....hmmm. We then had to figure out our weights that would compensate for the buoyancy of a full wet suit and then add some more to ensure we would stay down with ease on the bottom. I dove with 16 to 18 pounds a big increase from the 12 pounds in Chuuk Lagoon...I never did figure my weights out exactly as the weights all look the same but some were 5 lbs and others 2 lbs.
The next step was to wait while all the other divers geared up. My stomach certainly had full blown butterflies by that time. I wished the Dive Masters would stop telling us that the Bull sharks were "Apex Predators"...already knew that part. Bob didn't help in settling my butterflies as he explained Bull Sharks are #3 of the "Bad Sharks" just like the dive shops brochure reads....thanks Bob.
Before we knew it we were called to get aboard our boat named "The Predator" and no I didn't make that up. The briefings started once everyone was aboard (safety briefing, boat safety briefing and finally dive plan briefing). Before you knew it we were headed out to sea and the dive site a mere 10 minutes away...nice! No turning back now....a boat full of 8 tourists and four dive masters heading to swim with these monster bulls at 100 foot depth. "Hold on....you can do this" is the refrain running over and over in my mind....I'm on a boat with CRAZY people and what's worse is I'm one of them.
The boat pulls up to the permanent mooring on the reef and we are told to "suit up". Then in a very orderly fashion we all start our walk down the boat deck to enter the water because "the pool" is now open. It is weird the emotions that you feel....the walk of doom and yet you know it is safe and the dive shops safety record is 100% and that they have been doing this for 15 years....yes, Naomi it'll be okay, yes, Naomi it'll be okay...another mantra I kept on repeating as we started our decent.
The amount of weights I had on made me sink like a rock as soon as my BCD (buoyancy compensator) was emptied. This meant equalizing very quickly on the descent which was challenging for me. I have been sick for the last rwo weeks due to an ear infection from diving in Chuuk but I did not want to miss out on "The Bulls". So, at one point I added air to my BCD and went up a bit and managed to equalize and start descending again.
The 100 foot descent landed us in an viewing area that the company has built up of old coral and rocks. We were positioned on our knees with the feeding station in front of us (Tuna fish heads were on the dining menu for the bulls today). Behind us the dive masters stood with their pushing rods...about 5 feet in length. The rods were used to push the Bulls away when they got too close to the divers or too aggessive for the dive master's liking. So, I'll be the first to admit I was breathing much more rapidly than what I usually do and my heart had a very rapid thump, thump. We stayed down at 100 feet for 20 minutes watching the feeding....unbelievable to watch these 800 lb sharks and their feeding frenzy!!! There were tons of other fish as well but my eyes were glued to the 35 Bulls all around us. The only place they could not be was under us....thank God for the coral beneath our knees.
The weirdest feeling is when one dive master swims in front of our coral watching post dragging a large green garbage bin with a lid. I am not sure how far above he was but I think about 10 - 15 feet was where the hanging bin came. He had a system that allowed him to tip the bucket and two to three Tuna heads would drop out. Bam, in an instant several bulls would be vying for the tuna head. The currents sometimes drifted the Tuna over our heads....very glad for the pushing rods and the strength of the dive masters....they get a great upper body workout every dive. Some of the bulls passed very close indeed.
Then came the rap, rap on our tanks telling us it was time to move to the next viewing point and leave the bulls behind....but wait the bulls are not gone yet!! Too bad, we have to move shallower as per the dive plan and get ready to feed the black and white tip reef sharks. Okay, I was feeling a little more confident about this given our previous dive with sharks in Roatan. However, that did not stop me from continuous scanning for a misbehaving Bull. Oh, at this point I also had to keep a close eye on my pressure gauge....remember my breathing was not as controlled as on other dives. We enjoyed watching the reef sharks dine for a while. Unfortunately due to my rapid air consumption Bob and I had to leave for our safety stop at 15 feet about 5 - 8 minutes before anyone else. It's a very eerie feeling hanging out at 15 feet (dive master, Bob and I) knowing there are 35 BULL shark below you that may or may not have been satisfied at lunch. Finally our dive computers let us know our stop was over so we headed up to the boat....only it was the wrong one....so back to a surface swim to the other boat.
Once out of the pool we had water and cookies and debreifed our dive during our surface interval. Then the dive master walked us through the dive plan for our second dive. That's right...we're going in again and this time we must lie flat on our stomachs for the feeding.
Our descents were much better the second time and my breathing and heart rate were back to normal. This time I was able to fully appreciate the beauty of the Bulls...just amazing their speed, size...and yes their very sizable jaws. This dive was a repeat of the first but only at 45 feet followed by diving around the beautiful corals after the feeding. A sureal experiencd for sure!!
Once we were all out of "the pool" we started removing our gear as we headed back to the dive shop. This is an experience we will likely never see / do again and want to thank our British friends (Mark, Joel, Gweyn and Doug) that we met aboard the Odessey Dive boat in Chuuk for encouraging us to experience this wonder.
Bob here now. I really can't believe Naomi went through with this dive. No TV show or a visit to an Aquarium could duplicate the experience of seeing these brutes in person, and up close as we were! The sheer power and strength of their muscular bodies and the gracefulness by which they glide through the water was absolutely incredible.
Now back at the resort, more excitement. The rains came, and it poured buckets! A flood warning was issued here for Toadsville and the residents grabbed their meager possessions and all headed for higher ground. Quite a few had to swim for their lives (I didn't know that toads could swim?) I wonder how Ted made out?
For us, it became a lake in front of the bureau with about 6 inches of water on the walk in front.
Well maybe not a boat but glad we brought umbrellas!
We gotta head out for dinner now so my Fred update will have to wait till tomorrow am. I do have some new info on the situation so so long for now.
Bob
We were up at 5:00 am today so that we could grab a bite and meet our cab at the lobby at 6:45. The early start was fine by me (Naomi) as I dreamt of sharks all night so it was good to finally be on the road to Pacific Harbor for our booked shark dive.
It was all business at the Dive shop with 16 divers arriving to gear up for the morning dives. We were very glad we had taken care of all the paperwork on Monday as we were able to head straight to the equipment room. Once there the Dive Masters had us put the gear we brought (masks, booties, fins, gloves and regulators) into individual bins that they took to our positions on the dive boat. The next equipment selection was for the right fit of full wet suits...no shorties allowed on this dive....hmmm. We then had to figure out our weights that would compensate for the buoyancy of a full wet suit and then add some more to ensure we would stay down with ease on the bottom. I dove with 16 to 18 pounds a big increase from the 12 pounds in Chuuk Lagoon...I never did figure my weights out exactly as the weights all look the same but some were 5 lbs and others 2 lbs.
The next step was to wait while all the other divers geared up. My stomach certainly had full blown butterflies by that time. I wished the Dive Masters would stop telling us that the Bull sharks were "Apex Predators"...already knew that part. Bob didn't help in settling my butterflies as he explained Bull Sharks are #3 of the "Bad Sharks" just like the dive shops brochure reads....thanks Bob.
Before we knew it we were called to get aboard our boat named "The Predator" and no I didn't make that up. The briefings started once everyone was aboard (safety briefing, boat safety briefing and finally dive plan briefing). Before you knew it we were headed out to sea and the dive site a mere 10 minutes away...nice! No turning back now....a boat full of 8 tourists and four dive masters heading to swim with these monster bulls at 100 foot depth. "Hold on....you can do this" is the refrain running over and over in my mind....I'm on a boat with CRAZY people and what's worse is I'm one of them.
The boat pulls up to the permanent mooring on the reef and we are told to "suit up". Then in a very orderly fashion we all start our walk down the boat deck to enter the water because "the pool" is now open. It is weird the emotions that you feel....the walk of doom and yet you know it is safe and the dive shops safety record is 100% and that they have been doing this for 15 years....yes, Naomi it'll be okay, yes, Naomi it'll be okay...another mantra I kept on repeating as we started our decent.
The amount of weights I had on made me sink like a rock as soon as my BCD (buoyancy compensator) was emptied. This meant equalizing very quickly on the descent which was challenging for me. I have been sick for the last rwo weeks due to an ear infection from diving in Chuuk but I did not want to miss out on "The Bulls". So, at one point I added air to my BCD and went up a bit and managed to equalize and start descending again.
The 100 foot descent landed us in an viewing area that the company has built up of old coral and rocks. We were positioned on our knees with the feeding station in front of us (Tuna fish heads were on the dining menu for the bulls today). Behind us the dive masters stood with their pushing rods...about 5 feet in length. The rods were used to push the Bulls away when they got too close to the divers or too aggessive for the dive master's liking. So, I'll be the first to admit I was breathing much more rapidly than what I usually do and my heart had a very rapid thump, thump. We stayed down at 100 feet for 20 minutes watching the feeding....unbelievable to watch these 800 lb sharks and their feeding frenzy!!! There were tons of other fish as well but my eyes were glued to the 35 Bulls all around us. The only place they could not be was under us....thank God for the coral beneath our knees.
The weirdest feeling is when one dive master swims in front of our coral watching post dragging a large green garbage bin with a lid. I am not sure how far above he was but I think about 10 - 15 feet was where the hanging bin came. He had a system that allowed him to tip the bucket and two to three Tuna heads would drop out. Bam, in an instant several bulls would be vying for the tuna head. The currents sometimes drifted the Tuna over our heads....very glad for the pushing rods and the strength of the dive masters....they get a great upper body workout every dive. Some of the bulls passed very close indeed.
Then came the rap, rap on our tanks telling us it was time to move to the next viewing point and leave the bulls behind....but wait the bulls are not gone yet!! Too bad, we have to move shallower as per the dive plan and get ready to feed the black and white tip reef sharks. Okay, I was feeling a little more confident about this given our previous dive with sharks in Roatan. However, that did not stop me from continuous scanning for a misbehaving Bull. Oh, at this point I also had to keep a close eye on my pressure gauge....remember my breathing was not as controlled as on other dives. We enjoyed watching the reef sharks dine for a while. Unfortunately due to my rapid air consumption Bob and I had to leave for our safety stop at 15 feet about 5 - 8 minutes before anyone else. It's a very eerie feeling hanging out at 15 feet (dive master, Bob and I) knowing there are 35 BULL shark below you that may or may not have been satisfied at lunch. Finally our dive computers let us know our stop was over so we headed up to the boat....only it was the wrong one....so back to a surface swim to the other boat.
Once out of the pool we had water and cookies and debreifed our dive during our surface interval. Then the dive master walked us through the dive plan for our second dive. That's right...we're going in again and this time we must lie flat on our stomachs for the feeding.
Our descents were much better the second time and my breathing and heart rate were back to normal. This time I was able to fully appreciate the beauty of the Bulls...just amazing their speed, size...and yes their very sizable jaws. This dive was a repeat of the first but only at 45 feet followed by diving around the beautiful corals after the feeding. A sureal experiencd for sure!!
Once we were all out of "the pool" we started removing our gear as we headed back to the dive shop. This is an experience we will likely never see / do again and want to thank our British friends (Mark, Joel, Gweyn and Doug) that we met aboard the Odessey Dive boat in Chuuk for encouraging us to experience this wonder.
Bob here now. I really can't believe Naomi went through with this dive. No TV show or a visit to an Aquarium could duplicate the experience of seeing these brutes in person, and up close as we were! The sheer power and strength of their muscular bodies and the gracefulness by which they glide through the water was absolutely incredible.
Now back at the resort, more excitement. The rains came, and it poured buckets! A flood warning was issued here for Toadsville and the residents grabbed their meager possessions and all headed for higher ground. Quite a few had to swim for their lives (I didn't know that toads could swim?) I wonder how Ted made out?
For us, it became a lake in front of the bureau with about 6 inches of water on the walk in front.
 |
| A couple of Toadsville residents swimming for their lives!....or maybe not |
 |
| We gonna need a boat to get to dinner! |
Well maybe not a boat but glad we brought umbrellas!
We gotta head out for dinner now so my Fred update will have to wait till tomorrow am. I do have some new info on the situation so so long for now.
Bob
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