eagerbeaver
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I just have to tell someone...even though the worst part is admitting that I left the lense cover on my camera so I don't have any photos. I knew when that happened it would be a good dive.
So we were the first divers to splash in at Monad Shoal at 535am this morning. As we hit the bottom[not literally] a devil ray scoots over the top of us, and then a large yellow fin tuna cruises by slowly over the drop off. At the first cleaning station we find a nice spot to hang out and a large school of skipjack tuna came racing across the plateau right into us, around us, above us. My buddy Steve turned to look at me with bug eyes that just said "COOL!" The dive was already pretty good.
Then after about a minute a thresher came into the cleaning station, circled and left. "See that Steve?", a nod, cool, happy customers... Almost immediately the shark came around again, and for the next 15mins we sat there, just the 2 of us, watching this shark pass over and over the station being cleaned. Fantastic.
Just when you thought it couldn't be better a second shark came in and the 2 of them were circling together over the cleaning station. Pretty damn cool.
Oh, look over there to the left - here comes a massive manta ray the size of a f***ing truck just gently floating over to the cleaning station, he went around a few times...
Things calmed down a bit and we decided to move down the reef. As we arrived at the next station another giant manta[possibly the same one] was happily being cleaned, he circled and circled for 15mins plus...he was joined by a school of 4-6 devil rays who passed over and over the cleaning station, and seemed to particularly enjoy cruising in formation...what a sight.
The peak for me though was watching a Thresher come in from my left and as I followed him with my head the manta and devil rays came across from my right, so I had it all in my field of view at once....blow my mind!
Unfortunately after a hefty 48mins we had to start to leave, even with nitrox helping our bottom time, the tank only lasts so long.
Just as a finale, as we ascended the mooring line a thresher came and passed by twice just to say goodbye...
No doubt in my mind when Monad shoal is good it is off the charts
What dive to do next to day that can even come close to that?
So we were the first divers to splash in at Monad Shoal at 535am this morning. As we hit the bottom[not literally] a devil ray scoots over the top of us, and then a large yellow fin tuna cruises by slowly over the drop off. At the first cleaning station we find a nice spot to hang out and a large school of skipjack tuna came racing across the plateau right into us, around us, above us. My buddy Steve turned to look at me with bug eyes that just said "COOL!" The dive was already pretty good.
Then after about a minute a thresher came into the cleaning station, circled and left. "See that Steve?", a nod, cool, happy customers... Almost immediately the shark came around again, and for the next 15mins we sat there, just the 2 of us, watching this shark pass over and over the station being cleaned. Fantastic.
Just when you thought it couldn't be better a second shark came in and the 2 of them were circling together over the cleaning station. Pretty damn cool.
Oh, look over there to the left - here comes a massive manta ray the size of a f***ing truck just gently floating over to the cleaning station, he went around a few times...
Things calmed down a bit and we decided to move down the reef. As we arrived at the next station another giant manta[possibly the same one] was happily being cleaned, he circled and circled for 15mins plus...he was joined by a school of 4-6 devil rays who passed over and over the cleaning station, and seemed to particularly enjoy cruising in formation...what a sight.
The peak for me though was watching a Thresher come in from my left and as I followed him with my head the manta and devil rays came across from my right, so I had it all in my field of view at once....blow my mind!
Unfortunately after a hefty 48mins we had to start to leave, even with nitrox helping our bottom time, the tank only lasts so long.
Just as a finale, as we ascended the mooring line a thresher came and passed by twice just to say goodbye...
No doubt in my mind when Monad shoal is good it is off the charts
What dive to do next to day that can even come close to that?