Kwaj trip, Post 4: Scuba diving #2

Let's start by talking about sharks.  Many people seem terrified and/or fascinated by the fact that we dove with them.  However, this was our thought process...

"Lots of people go diving off Kwaj.  We haven't heard of a shark attacking any of them.  So... it's probably not going to happen to us either."

And in we went, qualm-free!

(Speaking of lots of people going diving off Kwaj... the Kwajalein Scuba Club is the most active dive club in the world!)

We saw a few sharks while we were actually underwater (and quite a lot more from the shore - i.e. at the Small Boat Marina, Emon Beach, and North Point). We saw one hanging out in a ship wreck, and another just resting on the ocean floor. 

Obviously we didn't try to approach them or box them in, etc... but, in general, it seems that if you mind your own business, they'll mind theirs.  The ones we saw were only 6 to 8 feet long anyway, so they probably would have had a hard time eating us!

White-tip shark resting on the ocean floor

One of our favourite sights while diving were the turtles.  They were mostly green sea turtles (like the ones we dove with in Hawaii the day I fell in love with diving), but I think we saw one hawksbill turtle as well.  We saw too many turtles in total to count... one day we saw six during the first few minutes of a dive!

It was generally Marissa who spotted them first, and she would alert the rest of us by tapping on her air tank to get our attention, and then pointing and making the hand symbol for "turtle".  (The symbol for "turtle" looks like the symbol for "awesome" (see the connection?!), but with the hand tilting back and forth at the same time.)

Even knowing there was a turtle somewhere there, at times I'd have to stare into the distance for a few seconds before I could see the faint outline of one coming into view as it swam towards us.  I think Marissa must have a turtle-sensing sixth sense!

Another awesome sight were the few rays we saw.  Early in the trip we saw a spotted eagle ray, and at some stage Ben saw a sting ray that the locals call "Stubby" due to its short tail.

Spotted eagle ray

"Stubby" the sting ray

"Stubby"

However, the epitome of ray-spotting awesomeness was the huge manta ray we saw one day when we were diving just with Marissa.  It was about 5 feet across, and 7 feet long including its tail.  The Kwaj locals call it "the Australia manta", because the marking on its underside is apparently reminiscent of the shape of our homeland!  (And yes, the locals dive so much that they know, recognise AND name individual creatures!)

The day we saw the manta was actually my worst dive ever (due to a combination of factors including the camera klutziness mentioned in the previous post, a weight dropped (albiet recovered) during descent, and worst of all a constantly leaking mask)... but seeing the manta made it all worthwhile.

If it were possible to gape with a regulator clenched tightly in one's mouth, we would have been gaping.  The three of us watched in total awe as the manta, accompanied by a couple of remora, swam lazily over the top of us and slowly disappeared into the distance.  (But luckily for you, Ben was still able to get some great photos while watching in total awe!)

Manta ray

Pretty majestic, isn't it?!

I originally thought this post would include ALL the underwater creatures we saw, but I've just realised that would make it ridiculously long.  So now that I've talked about the big creatures, I'll focus on the smaller ones in the next post!

To be continued (and in the meantime, we LOVE it when you comment!)...