Now, as a hostess on board the Nautilus Explorer, there comes a point in the day where you have a break and the option is to dive or have a nap. Today, like most days, I chose to dive. Deckhand Hernan dropped me off the South Tip and I descended slowly, surrounded by small schools of tuna and the odd whitetip shark circling about. I slowly carved a path out into the blue, gliding weightlessly through the ocean, just the sound of my breath and the whales singing off in the distance. There is something to be said about solo diving, just you and the ocean, a chance to truly connect with the environment around you. Moments passed as I hovered there, waiting for something, anything, to appear. Just peacefully staring off into the deep blue ocean. Suddenly, the silver flash of the bellies of scalloped hammerheads appeared. There was one, two, and then 50, 60, too many to count. I was completely surrounded by them. What made this school so unique was the sheer amount of juvenile hammerheads. They were incredibly curious, coming close to investigate my presence, you could almost hear them thinking “what is this thing with bubbles coming out of it?” The large adults swam away but the young kept coming back again and again, swimming awkwardly, coming closer each time. The adults came back as if to gather the young and as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone. I was about to head back to the rock when all of the sudden they were back, swimming the other direction now. The water was filled with the sharks of all sizes, almost moving in unison. Again, the young came close, incredibly intrigued, and again the adults herded them away. This interaction cannot have taken more than 5 minutes but it felt like an eternity. The hammerheads disappeared for a final time and I made my way back to Roca Partida to finish off my dive, exploring the sheer wall before ascending to the surface and heading back to the boat. Definately glad I didnt nap today.
Hostess Liz
Now, as a hostess on board the Nautilus Explorer, there comes a point in the day where you have a break and the option is to dive or have a nap. Today, like most days, I chose to dive.
