drifts over coral cauldrons
and seagrass meadows.
Many moons ago, in 2015, I set off on a dive boat to Ras Muhammad Marine National Park, with a professional dive operator called ocean college network. I would highly recommend them for diving if you're visiting Sharm El Sheikh.
After two amazing dives in the national park where we spotted a large shoal of Jacks, a Moray eel and a massive Eagle ray, we motored on home for a final (optional) dive nearer to Sharm El Sheikh at a spot called Ras Nasrani.
This encounter was one of those amazing moments of luck that you get sometimes when diving. There were so many variables that could have prevented me from meeting this majestic adolescent Scallop Hammerhead Shark.
I debated in my head whether to pay the extra money for this optional third dive, but as it had been such a good day, and I was drunk on diving, I went for it.
The dive proceeded much as you would expect for a shallow dive so close to shore - many beautiful small fish species and macro life like box shrimp etc. The group milled around at about 15 meters enjoying the warmth of sun refracting through crystal waters, shimmering aquamarine patterns across swaying coral in the afternoon current.
At around 50 minutes dive time, most of the rest of the group hit critical air levels and the dive guide ushered everyone to ascend to finish the dive. As we reached about 6 meters, three of us signalled the guide that we still had 90-100 bar of air left... more than enough for another 5-10 minutes safe diving.
Everyone in the small group of three had completed over 100 dives, and one of the two ladies was a scuba instructor on holiday, so the guide signalled us to stay down for a bit longer and send up a dSMB (delayed Surface Marker Buoy) when we were coming up.
The rest of the group surfaced among columns of bubbles, the rattle of their breath through regulators fading to nothing. All three of us were shallow breathers, which could be the reason why our finned friend approached, as sharks really don't like the noise divers make when breathing through their mouthpieces.
As we milled around checking out the cacophony of life drifting over the reef, I heard a frantic tapping of a metal regulator on a tank. This is sound is always a signal for excitement as a diver, as it's basically what you do when you spot something amazing.
I hadn't been messing with my camera for a while but as I turned I grabbed it from where it was dangling around my neck and saw this amazing creature materialize out of the hazy blue. I snapped a bunch of pictures in excitement, and I honestly don't know how I got these shots, as the shark swam past us in a matter of seconds.
The encounter happened literally 2-3 minutes before we were all at the minimum safety amount of 60 bar of air. What was truly remarkable about this encounter is that Hammerhead are usually never spotted in Egypt above 35 meters and are mainly seen out in the open ocean. I'm not sure if this young shark was lost 🦈
The hammerhead swam past us at about 2-3 meters distance, taking a close look at us with those strange alien eyes. As it receded into the distance we started our accent with smiles 'a mile wide' as we celebrated by grasping each other's arms and spinning in a circle.
I consider this to be the luckiest spot I've ever had while scuba diving. To put this into perspective, I have met many divers with over 600 dives who go to Egypt every year trying to spot shoals of Hammerhead at Elephinstone dive site, and are still to see them in the wild.
It's safe to say that everyone who had already surfaced and returned to the boat was green with envy.
Photos taken using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 12.1MP with underwater housing.
This camera has now bitten the dust as water leaked into the housing when I was diving in Mexico in 2017.
I have decided to challenge myself for a month (until the 23rd of July) to post Haiku and accompanying blog on Hive at least 3-4 times/week. Each week will have a different theme based on picture prompts either from my own collection or from Pixabay.com or Unsplash.com.
This week's broad theme is Beneath the Waves.
In this second week, I will share pictures of underwater locations where I have scuba-dived in the past, and write a haiku/blog focused on these places.
To read more about the aesthetics of true haiku, and the difference between haiku and senryu, please check out my post: Haiku Vs Senryu - The Aesthetics of Form
Thanks for reading 🌿
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Wow, that's amazing! I'm quite jealous too, although I'd probably be terrified at the same time haha. Last April, this guy filmed a hammerhead hunting after a stingray in shallow waters in Cozumel. El Cielo. Only a few weeks before that, we were snorkeling in that exact same spot! We hardly saw anything that time, but when we stopped at a beach to have a break, we were all in shallow water and there must have been around 50 stingray just floating by, some came closer to see what we were doing.
I was just telling my son to look to the left as three were swimming past, when I felt something bump into me on the right. A stingray! Haha. He/she must have thought: You're in my way, I'll just push you a bit.
Not sure how I would have responded if he would have been followed by a hammerhead shark though, hahaha.
It was an amazing experience.
But here's the video of the hammerhead in Cozumel.
Not sure if the stingray got away.
Hi misslasvegas
Sry it took so long to respond to ur comment, life has been getting in the way of hive recently.
That is really cool that you snorkelled where the Hammerhead has been chomping on the stingray 😂 P.s. I totally get why you might not have wanted to see the shark. Lol, even this mad Brit might not want to bump into one while snorkelling. They're safer to be around when scuba diving tbh as you're on their level beneath the waves 🦈
Much safer...hahaha, I love it. Safe sharks...that's a great one. But yeah, I get what you mean. They're more inclined to try and take a bite if you're above them.
There was one moment when I was getting quite nervous snorkelling in that area actually.
It was when the guide came with us, and told us to swim to a different area.
I think we swam around 150 meters or something, so it wasn't that crazy but pretty much from the beginning, I was pushing and pulling my son along, who wasn't a great swimmer yet at the time. The rest of the group was swimming and snorkelling ahead of us, and at some point, they must have been around 100 meters in front of us. Of course, I didn't do any snorkelling in that spot because I couldn't do 2 things at the same time.
It took a while for the guide to notice but when we caught up, he finally did and told my son he could hold on to the lifesaver ring he had with him, so I could do some snorkelling without having to drag him along.
In that time while we were trying to catch up, my heart was racing though...safety in numbers right?
And that was close to that spot, so when I saw this video later I did think of that moment haha.
Especially since they also said that 'hammerheads often frequent shallow waters in Cozumel to wait for their favourite meal, the stingray.' Well, good thing I don't look like a stingray then haha.
Ha ha, yeah... safer is definitely the word... as opposed to safe 😉
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By the way...Two of my greatest fears (WHAT is that @misslasvegas? You have fears?😆) were always to be eaten by an animal or to be swallowed up in an earthquake (you know: where the ground splits open and you fall in). When I was a kid I actually had nightmares about this. And no, it wasn't because I watched too many movies...I grew up in a household where watching TV was a rare occurrence. The Muppets Show on Sundays, and Star Trek Enterprise with my Dad. No sharks or earthquakes in that. I don't know. It's probably irrational fears, or a dream from a former life but it has always made sure that I had a healthy respect for both...
Great minds think alike, or perhaps... lunatics rarely differ 😉 I have had dreams of being eaten alive by a tiger since I was a small child, and even used this experience as inspiration for a character in my latest short story routine procedure.
It sparks a memory of a recurring dream I had as a child of being eaten alive by a tiger.I could feel my bones crunch and my limbs being torn apart. As I was being devoured, there was a switch, a strange sensation, a duality of thought. I felt my body change, like a spring of death uncoiled.The pads of my feet tingled in the spreading pool of warmth. I could taste and smell a coppery tinge as my teeth chewed briefly on a slip of muscled meat, could feel my powerful neck bracing against a weight as I dragged away something that hung limply to the side of my head. A misty image would form out of the darkness, of my face half-eaten, bobbing lifelessly in front of my eyes.That excerpt is lifted directly from the story, and before that, it was minded directly from my loopy subconscious.
Lol, being normal is lame and boring... I'd much rather have this type of crazy to draw upon for inspiration than be 'normal' 🤣
Haha, I like both 😆
But hold on! I don't get it. Part of that story...
Now you're making me read it all at 6 in the morning. Pfff. LOL.
THANKS. That's just fracking sauce awesome!😉
But yes, I agree: Normal is boring.
I have enjoyed your poems and stories @raj808, It is nice seeing you out there catching all these fun, beautiful photos.
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The haiku is wonderful, and the blog is amazing, especially the pictures.
Hope you are well, my friend.
I'm glad you enjoyed the Haiku @agmoore
Sry it took so long to respond to ur comment, life has been getting in the way of hive recently.
Great post with wonderful underwater pictures. Thanks for sharing.
No worries rcaine
Sry it took so long to respond to ur comment, life has been getting in the way of hive recently.