Our last two diving days took place at Roca Partida. We always gauge our visits here according to the weather and this time we hit it perfectly. The sea flattened right out for us and conditions were perfect. Clear water, little breeze and a light current made for 8 spectacular dives. There were humpback whales breaching all around us and wahoo swimming off our stern as we boarded the skiffs for the first dive.
Under the surface at the rock immediately showed us why it is such a great dive site. Schools and schools of fish swam by as we descended into the deep. Dolphins, large tunas, blacktips, silkies and a very large Galapagos Shark kept us company on almost every dive. Towards the second half of the second day the wind picked up a bit, the current increased but the sun stayed strong and viz continued to be stellar. I took the opportunity to go for a dive in between the scheduled 2nd and 3rd dive with our Chief Engineer Cody. It was a great dive with fish, morays, sharks and an unbelievable amount of fish. Towards the end of our dive I felt Cody give me a little tug on my fin and looking back I saw him pointing towards the surface. Looking up I saw a very large shark cruising by. I immediately thought ‘Galapogos’ and watched the giant fish swim by with curiosity. It really was a beautiful and elegant creature. Something about the shark just didn’t look right however. After the last dive of the day I was down on the deck assisting with tanks and helping guests off the skiff when I noticed a lot of excitement in the air. Asking everyone how their dive was I received jubilant replies…”We saw an Oceanic White Tip!” Everyone was ecstatic!
I hurried to our large picture identifiers and sure enough, the one Cody and I watched glide by was indeed an Oceanic White Tip. What a wonderful experience to see such a rare and exciting shark at Roca Partida! The experiences never seem the same, and I treasure the rewards of being onboard the Nautilus and witnessing natures wonders. We are heading for home now to Cabo San Lucas and I can’t wait to return to the Revillagigedo’s and see what new adventures await.
Captain Kevin
