Well, I don't usually have great stories to post, but I just had probably my best PNW dive last night...
I'd been talking with my buddies about taking a tropical trip (I live in Seattle--and 15' viz on a summer dive is considered fantastic) and we started thinking about doing some shark dives and it occured to us that we lived in one of the few places that gets six-gill sightings. So we decided we should start diving after work and doing some night dives and just get some time in the water--cause you'll never see a six-gill if you don't get wet.
Anyway, my friend Chris and I planned to go out on Sunday night, and a couple other friends planned to meet us there. Seacrest seemed packed with divers getting out of the water--end of a beautiful day in the Northweest. I'd asked about six-gills while getting my fills and was told no one had seen anything this week...
Well, Chris had to cancel, and one of the other guys couldn't make the first dive, so there were just Jeff and I heading out. We figured we'd go down to the some tipped over pilings and the I-Beams (a couple of nice landmark structures at about 95 fsw--a couple of dens worth checking out for octos).
Tide was way up, adding another 12 ft of depth or so. Viz was horrible near the top--probably 4 or5 ft max until we got below 40 fsw. Tons of muck in the water. But it was really quiet and calm. We followed the bottom down to the pilings looking for octo's. The viz had opened up to about 15 or 20 ft, but because of the east-facing slope and the poor viz above, it was pretty dark down there.
All of a sudden I see Jeff call my attention with his light and point off in the distance. All I see is this whitish looking diamond shape that slowly forms into the face of a shark with the biggest black eyes I've ever seen... This guy was coming down the slope towards us--passing right under Jeff, so I had a good look at the size of the thing.
Okay, I know everything looks big underwater. But I swear this guy was at least 6 and maybe 8 ft long. I could see him against Jeff--he looked huge. I don't care if it was just a juvenille--that's still a big fish. I guess they grow up to about 20 ft long, but this thing was plenty big for me! I think they look even bigger because their dorsal fin is so far back on their bodies--as it passes you see those eyes (HUGE), and then this expanse of skin before the dorsal goes by--and then there's the huge tail, like a scimitar...
Anyway, he swam under Jeff and passed below my right side, and as he passed, I saw that eye flick up and take me in. He passed me and then turned around--and at that point my heart rate jumped up about 30 beats... He followed me for a bit, just checking me out--I'm shining my light right in his face--he stayed about a body length away from me, but geez... I started repeating to myself, "no one has ever been attacked by a six-gill shark..." Then he swam off...
I know the entire encounter couldn't have lasted more than half a minute, if that--but wow, time really does slow. It would've been something just to have it pass by, but to have it stop, turn around and check you out--taking your measure--that was something.
I was so excited, and my heart was beating so fast, and I was burning through my air. Bottom time: 26 minutes; max depth: 101 ft.
John joined us for the second dive, and we travelled the same profile, but didn't see the shark. Found a huge octo in a den down there--but even that seemed pretty anti-climatic. Nice relaxing dive--but suffice to say, John was pretty pissed. After the dive, a couple other divers got out of the water and had seen him again at 40 fsw--John was even more pissed.
What an amazing evening. I can't believe how lucky I was to see a six-gill my first time looking for one! I'm still on a high. Suffice say, Chris and John have already lined us up to dive again tonight...
I'd been talking with my buddies about taking a tropical trip (I live in Seattle--and 15' viz on a summer dive is considered fantastic) and we started thinking about doing some shark dives and it occured to us that we lived in one of the few places that gets six-gill sightings. So we decided we should start diving after work and doing some night dives and just get some time in the water--cause you'll never see a six-gill if you don't get wet.
Anyway, my friend Chris and I planned to go out on Sunday night, and a couple other friends planned to meet us there. Seacrest seemed packed with divers getting out of the water--end of a beautiful day in the Northweest. I'd asked about six-gills while getting my fills and was told no one had seen anything this week...
Well, Chris had to cancel, and one of the other guys couldn't make the first dive, so there were just Jeff and I heading out. We figured we'd go down to the some tipped over pilings and the I-Beams (a couple of nice landmark structures at about 95 fsw--a couple of dens worth checking out for octos).
Tide was way up, adding another 12 ft of depth or so. Viz was horrible near the top--probably 4 or5 ft max until we got below 40 fsw. Tons of muck in the water. But it was really quiet and calm. We followed the bottom down to the pilings looking for octo's. The viz had opened up to about 15 or 20 ft, but because of the east-facing slope and the poor viz above, it was pretty dark down there.
All of a sudden I see Jeff call my attention with his light and point off in the distance. All I see is this whitish looking diamond shape that slowly forms into the face of a shark with the biggest black eyes I've ever seen... This guy was coming down the slope towards us--passing right under Jeff, so I had a good look at the size of the thing.
Okay, I know everything looks big underwater. But I swear this guy was at least 6 and maybe 8 ft long. I could see him against Jeff--he looked huge. I don't care if it was just a juvenille--that's still a big fish. I guess they grow up to about 20 ft long, but this thing was plenty big for me! I think they look even bigger because their dorsal fin is so far back on their bodies--as it passes you see those eyes (HUGE), and then this expanse of skin before the dorsal goes by--and then there's the huge tail, like a scimitar...
Anyway, he swam under Jeff and passed below my right side, and as he passed, I saw that eye flick up and take me in. He passed me and then turned around--and at that point my heart rate jumped up about 30 beats... He followed me for a bit, just checking me out--I'm shining my light right in his face--he stayed about a body length away from me, but geez... I started repeating to myself, "no one has ever been attacked by a six-gill shark..." Then he swam off...
I know the entire encounter couldn't have lasted more than half a minute, if that--but wow, time really does slow. It would've been something just to have it pass by, but to have it stop, turn around and check you out--taking your measure--that was something.
I was so excited, and my heart was beating so fast, and I was burning through my air. Bottom time: 26 minutes; max depth: 101 ft.
John joined us for the second dive, and we travelled the same profile, but didn't see the shark. Found a huge octo in a den down there--but even that seemed pretty anti-climatic. Nice relaxing dive--but suffice to say, John was pretty pissed. After the dive, a couple other divers got out of the water and had seen him again at 40 fsw--John was even more pissed.
What an amazing evening. I can't believe how lucky I was to see a six-gill my first time looking for one! I'm still on a high. Suffice say, Chris and John have already lined us up to dive again tonight...
