Page 5 - DTA_WINTER 2020

MEXICO BAHÍA AND THE N ORTHERN SEA OF CORTEZ

fishermen have laid down their nets for It wasn’t long before there were up to IMAGES
good and now take tourists out to see seven Whale Sharks in the group that was Above: A Whale
these magnificent creatures instead. in the immediate area around us. It was a Shark feeding with
the desert coastline
We were going to get two chances to wonderful morning with not another boat behind. Below:
see the Whale Sharks on this trip – this in sight. After lunch we did a check out Nautilus’ Gallant Lady
liveaboard.
first morning, and then one afternoon on dive and got our first glimpse of what the
the return leg of our journey. There were diving was going to be like. The water was
only 10 guests on our liveaboard and so we a little murky but the sea was full of life.
had plenty of room for our camera gear on Sat on deck, the boat pulled anchor
the two small “panga” boats that arrived and started to head further south. Our
to take us from the Gallant Lady. As we destination was Isla San Pedro Mártir, a
raced across the bay, pelicans flew beside marine park area with a large sea lion
us in huge flocks, skimming the surface of
the water as they looked for food.
Soon there was a cry of “Shark!” as we
started to get into our wetsuits, fins and
masks, and as the boat slowed we were
ready to go. A single shark approached
the boat curious to see us. The sharks are
not fed here but do seem to come up close
to the snorkellers and boats that share
their space. Once in the water, we were
delighted to find that in fact we had three
adults and a juvenile swimming around
us. The sharks seemed in no hurry, and so
rather than having to get in and out of the
boat to get ahead of the sharks, we could
all just stay in the water, letting them
swim up to us when they wanted to.

016 | DIVE TR AVEL ADVENTURES | WINTER 2020 scubaverse.com

P012-24 MEXICO_DTA_WIN20.indd 16 09/02/2020 13:11