Anyone for a Swim?

GeoTagged, [N34.73245, W135.48831]

So Anna told you about the trip here, I want to tell you about the diving. Aside from being the only thing we've done here besides eat and relax, it is spectacular. On our way here Anna said that the diving here puts the Carribean (the only other place I've been diving) to shame. I didn't really know what she meant until we got here.

Nearly all of the dives here are wall dives, meaning that you descend down a sheer wall of rock that begins near the surface and drops for hundreds, or sometimes thousands of feet into the blue. On our first day we did Landoro Gardens and Uepi point. The Gardens were beautiful as every square inch of wall was covered with coral, fish and anemones that jostle each other for space.
Uepi point was interesting because you start at the edge of a large channel between two islands and grab on to a piece of rock so you don't get swept away by the current. At about 70 feet deep you can see large fish and sharks as they come out of the deep. Some of the Black Tipped reef sharks were over 6 feet long, but they never really came close to us, then. After a while we let go of the rock and let the current take us back to the dock.
The highlight of the trip so far came on the second day we were here. We were diving off off Elbow point, and as we descended down to 100 feet the shadow of a shark came out of the gloom. At first I just thought that it was just another reef shark, though a big one. Then I saw the head and realized it was a Great Hammerhead shark. It was only there for a moment and then disappeared. A couple of minutes later Anna was trying to signal something to me. My back was to the wall and she was facing me. Then behind her came the same shape, but much closer. I pointed behind Anna and we both watched as the Great Hammerhead cruised by about 20 feet away. We guess that it was somewhere between 10 - 12 feet long, and it was very beautiful. It strangely shaped head swung back and forth as it disappeared one more time into the depths.
That afternoon we took a break from diving and went snorkeling off the dock instead. Just off the dock is another drop-off and we floated above the reef checking out the cool fish and corals. Then Anna looked up and said, "Did you see that shark?". I hadn't, but I wasn't too worried. There are sharks all around the island, and they normally kept to themselves except for some curious glances. But then I started seeing them. There were two Black Tips and they were larger than average, about six or seven feet, and they kept swimming by and darting off. Each time they passed they would get closer and more curious. Finally, Anna looked at me (it was just the two of us) and said "Why don't we get out". We quickly got out of the water, and I thought our snorkeling was done. We went over to the Welcome jetty in front of the lodge, looking to see if we could snorkel there. The water was full of sharks, as you can see above. There was ten or twelve that we could see, all circling and obviously hunting the local fish.
Anna wanted to get in anyway, and I told her she was crazy. Let's jump into a mass of hunting sharks and see what happens. I was not about to do it.
Anna tried to reassure me and said "Look, I bet if I throw this seed pod into the water, they'll all scatter". She tossed the seed pod, about the size of a gold ball, into the water, and every shark in the area came rushing up and snapped at it. I looked at her and said "yeah, right!".

She then wanted to go back over to the dock. We went over there and there were more people snorkeling who'd just gotten back from a dive. We told them about the sharks and their response was "Cool! Let's go see!". Anna said there was safety in numbers and got in the water and began swimming after the others toward the welcome jetty. I thought everyone had lost their minds, but I couldn't let Anna get in the water on her own, so I followed.
Sure enough, we got over there and the sharks were still there. They made room for us though, and even though they were close (I could've reached out and touched several of them) they never acted aggressively, and no one was hurt.
After my initial worries went away, I began to enjoy it. The sharks were amazing, and they were everywhere. Every way we looked, they filled our vision. I tried to count them, but I lost track at twenty. It is wonderful to watch how graceful they are in the water and how inquisitive. As they swam by you could see them checking us out and the wheels turning in their heads as they tried to sort out what we were and if we were a threat.
After a while we went back to the dock. On the way back one of the sharks broke off from the group and swam next to us for several metres. It was great fun. I'm glad I got back in the water.
Since then we've seen some wonderful things including huge Humphead Wrasses, White Tipped Reef sharks, Eagle Rays, and one very playful Sea Turtle who our dive guide played with and spun around in the water.

This afternoon we are doing some kayaking after a backgammon tournament (we call this formation "more bars in more places"). Then tomorrow we are going to dive on some wrecks including a couple of WWII planes, and a tuna boat that is sitting on it's stern on a wall. I won't let the fact that I've come down with a bit of a cold stop me. Anna may be right. If there is a paradise on Earth, this may be it. - Scott