What can I say. For the second dive of my life post Open Water Certification (first dive was at the Boiler under the watchful eye of my good friend, Dive Master Joel), I rolled off the back of an inflatable boat at Roca Partida. It was 3 minutes into the dive when a Whale Shark appeared out of the blue to gracefully swim past between the wall and myself. At first I just stopped and watched as my heart rate increased with excitement. At this point, only 3 minutes into my dive, I new the source behind the facial expressions of the divers I often retrieve from the Sea as they surface. It was time to try out my new Go Pro. Once the Whale Shark slowly past my position, I gently followed behind at a safe distance to not startle the Whale capturing a great video which I will cherish the rest of my life.
It was time to move on and see what else Roca Partida had to offer. To mention a few, Juvenile White Tips tucked in tight between the rocks with the larger once swimming freely, large Galapagos Sharks within ten feet, powerful Tuna circling in the shallows, and school of fish so thick you cant even see through them. Oh wait, it wasn’t over yet, The Whale Shark decided to come back for a visit and this time it decided to swim directly at me as I looked right into its eyes before it dove deep into the blue. I am officially hooked on diving – especially at Socorro – and I owe this to the Nautilus Explorer!!! I can’t wait for the start of our Guadalupe great white shark season.
– Shaun Dickie
Mate – Nautilus Explorer
Our chief mate gets certified. First dive after open water training is quite SOMETHING out at Socorro..
