We are dropping down at Roca Partida and started to watch at some silvertips and Galapagos shark , a hammerhead shark is making a nice pass we are occupied watching these beautiful animals and dont notice that Jim one of our diver have been screaming at us cause he has seen something a bit bigger. I just wondered , what does he find so interesting going that direction as it is good here , well well. We are still at the same area when I look at the corner and there appears an enormous head with a giant mouth that is the first we see and then comes the body and it appears to be a pregnant female whale shark in a size of probably 35-40 ft 11-12m wich is big. 6 Galapagos sharks are following her and strikes their bodies against her, for getting grid of parasites? or maybe trying to get one of the remoras, or seeing this giant as a rival? Mikko one of our guest and divers has very good film images of it that he has very kindly promised to share with us when we are back on land so you can see. The whale shark made 3 passes by us and she looked like a space shuttle with all Galapagos and black jacks being satellite ships around her the. Very very beautiful. I have seen many whale sharks all around the world, but not like when I see them her at the temple Roca Partida.
So first day was a whaleshark manta day, yesterday hammerhead day today giant whaleshark day so lets see what happens tomorrow…
Surface conditions. Windy and bit wavy , sunny temp 27 ca 80 F
Under water conditions viz from 50-120ft 15-40m temp 24-25C, Ca 75 F
Best Diveguide Sten Johansson
[E+V say hi to JJ&H] It had already been a great dive at Roca partida. We had just swum by a ledge with 4 sleeping small white-tip sharks, each about 3 feet long, with another shark about twice as big hovering around on top of them, keeping watch. We swam to the north end of Roca Partida and hung there watching all the little fish, the free-swimming morays, the lobster, and wondering if this was the home of all the trumpetfish in the world. They’re everywhere, and not just one or two at a time, like a rational dive site, but 10 or more at once. As I was musing about all this and just staring around, I heard a noise and looked off to my left. Oh, my. I expected bit. I expected impressive. I did not expect how utter beautiful and majestic a creature is a whale shark the size of a small bus. It was right there. I reached out and almost touched it. Even if I hadn’t remembered that I wasn’t supposed to touch it, I probably wouldn’t have. It was too regal. It had an entourage of jacks in a cloud surrounding it. It had two sharks, sharks that would have put to shame the 6-footer we’d seen mere minutes before, following along under its belly. I could see its spots as they merged to the white of its underbelly. I could see its muscles and contours. I wanted to touch it; I wanted to feel the reality of that peaceful, lovely animal. I wanted to thank it for sharing the ocean with me and honouring me with its near presence. But I just hung there and stared, in awe, as it slowly passed me by and continued its leisurely stroll around the island.
Victoria Gilbert, 9 May 2011
