Dove out at West Seattle last night with some friends of friends as all my regular dive buddies are in Florida for DEMA or packing for a Thursday flight to Hawaii the lucky buggers, we dropped down to some structure at about 85 fsw where there is known to be a good concentration of fishlife and invertebrates, nice nudis and hermit crabs usually seen here. Joking about it on the way out we mentioned that many sightings of Six-gill sharks have been in this location this summer (joking because the six-gill doesnt spend much time in shallow water, and its getting a little late in the season). Once we arrived at the destination I looked to the north and saw a 6-7 footer broadside to us turning to swim away, I flashed my lights at the three divers with me and considered giving chase. Didnt for two reasons, odds of catching up with the shark being slim and the uncertain looks from one of our companions, and just contented myself with the sighting. (I know several divers who have dove the sound for years and not seen one, others have caught a 5-30 second glimpse of one.)
I looked back in the direction the shark had taken and saw her turning back, and swim right for us. This shark swam right into the middle of our group. Cutting between me and the others, as I had sort of pulled a few feet in that direction, and then circling us three or four times. Swimming below us, then darting up over our heads and arching back over itself leveling out about head height and circling again. So close I could have touched it on several occasions. Swimming up face to face with one of the group, so close at one point I wondered whether shark skin was more abrasive than trilam is resilient. The shark finally settled to the bottom with its head under one of the steel I-beams that make up the structure in the area and we all just kind of gawked in awe at the sight. This is very uncharacteristic of these sharks, they are reclusive and avoid contact by most accounts. We just marveled at the docile nature of the shark as she circled near all of us and settled in to what appeared to be a nap. We spent a good three minutes swimming around this monster until air supply forced us to begin our ascent toward shallower water, you'd be surprised how fast some folks breathe through it in the presence of such a beautiful creature. She was still lying still on the bottom as we swam away.
Oh and we saw four red octopus out in the open, sailfin sculpin, warbonnets, stuff that usually does it for me but paled in comparison last night.
Dive safe,
Chris
I looked back in the direction the shark had taken and saw her turning back, and swim right for us. This shark swam right into the middle of our group. Cutting between me and the others, as I had sort of pulled a few feet in that direction, and then circling us three or four times. Swimming below us, then darting up over our heads and arching back over itself leveling out about head height and circling again. So close I could have touched it on several occasions. Swimming up face to face with one of the group, so close at one point I wondered whether shark skin was more abrasive than trilam is resilient. The shark finally settled to the bottom with its head under one of the steel I-beams that make up the structure in the area and we all just kind of gawked in awe at the sight. This is very uncharacteristic of these sharks, they are reclusive and avoid contact by most accounts. We just marveled at the docile nature of the shark as she circled near all of us and settled in to what appeared to be a nap. We spent a good three minutes swimming around this monster until air supply forced us to begin our ascent toward shallower water, you'd be surprised how fast some folks breathe through it in the presence of such a beautiful creature. She was still lying still on the bottom as we swam away.
Oh and we saw four red octopus out in the open, sailfin sculpin, warbonnets, stuff that usually does it for me but paled in comparison last night.
Dive safe,
Chris
