When your best made plan FAILS!

[Randy g]

Our Manta Story.

We had made plans all week to make a long run 55 miles down to the Normannia to scooter it and Eds Lobster Wreck to collect dinner this last saturday with our favorite local MHC Dive Boat Capt onboard Tortuga. We were really looking forward to diving the 400+ ft Normannia, reported to be the most beautiful wreck in the NC coastline and bringing home some big bugs. We watched all the video's to get an idea about how the wrecks are laid out and get a plan of attack for our little scooter team.

We arrived at the boat at 0630, not really paying attention to the weather since we last checked the day before. Unloaded and loaded the boat at twilight then all the sudden Kate looked south, towards the direction we were to be heading and woke us all up, very quickly. A HUGE storm moved in overnight and the wall of clouds looked "Evil" to put it mildly. Capt James pulls up the radar and it's a solid red wall coming across from the west. Right were we were supposed to be going. Capt asked me what I thought and I told him there are way to many nice wrecks east of here to be dealing with that stuff. Asked for an alternate site and the first thing that popped in my head was The Atlas! Sharky with good structure and big. Great for scootering!! We dove it last year and really enjoyed to dive site. This season we are scootering and getting a lot better feel for the wrecks and creatures that live there.

We promptly set about and headed east over the shoals. Honestly I was a little sad that I couldn't see the N and get some bugs at the lobster wreck but when the best laid plans are unexpectedly changed due to mother nature. You just have to go with the flow.

We were well rewarded for "going with the flow".

We dropped in on the stern quarter and the bottom was so thck with bait balls it darked the area around you. Big sharks and babies were everywhere and some big barracudas. I jumped in to look at the hook and when I get down to the anchor, it's barely holding on, with one tine. I take up the extra chain and wrap the structure with it and attach it back onto the lead chain. All good and we go about our dive plan.

Kate and Patrick are leading the way towards the bow checking out the great wreck that The Atlas is, following some juvenile sandtiger sharks along and seeing some really, REALLY BIG females. Full grown, healthy 12 footers and lots of them. We zoom around with forward motion, up to the bow area. We all stop to look at some big sharks and all of the sudden we look up to see a Manta circling the bow structure.

All of us were in awe! :shocked2:

In shock!!..................How freakin cool is this!! :cool2:

None of us had EVER expected to see such a rare and unique creature on this dive, or any dive in the area. They are that rare here. I was dealing with a free flowing wing inflator from the get go and having to burp the wing every few minutes. So I was very aware of going up in the water column to play with the Manta on the scooter, could get me in trouble quickly. Getting out of sight of the wreck was also on my mind. I quickly got a few seconds of video and descended back onto the wreck and disconnected my hose. I really wanted to stay and video the animal but good training told me otherwise with this given situation. Better safe than sorry.

30 seconds at 110 ft made my day last saturday!!

Video to follow. Gotta unload and clean gear now.

Thanks Capt James! You always deliver!:cool2:

Thanks for reading.

---------- Post added September 22nd, 2013 at 02:27 PM ----------

Quicky video that Kate threw togather.

[video=youtube;cfWiqd54REQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfWiqd54REQ[/video]

More to come.

---------- Post added September 23rd, 2013 at 09:42 AM ----------

Full movie, no music on video.

Turn up "your" radio/mp3 to your favorite music and enjoy our day.

MANTAS AND SHARKS Morehead City Style - YouTube

 

[Tortuga James]

That is a great video, and as always I love having you guys on the boat. It sort of makes my business seem like a hobby and not a job.

 

[Randy g]

Thanks Capt James!! :cool2: That was a fun, fun day. As were the many we had with you this season.

That was the best it could have possibly gotten for a last dive of the season down there. We loved the icing on the cake!!

We are looking forwards to next years dives with you.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Cool Video

You guys get that close to large sand tiger sharks....If you ever saw the shark attack photos I have seen from one of those sharks you might be a little more careful.

You let those sharks get a few feet from you, yet you bail on a cool dive because a power inflator is sticking? I guess we all do our own risk/reward analyses.

 

[Randy g]

Thanks DD,

Yes I know of the attacks from Sandtiger Sharks. None locally or regionally in recent history though. Any shark can hurt you if you get stupid with them, they all have those nasty sharp teeth for the most part. I respect them and understand that we are not the apex predator when we dip down into their world and I don't spear (other than lionfish) when they are around. I recommend keeping arms and legs in the ride when you get that E ticket shark dive. In other words, no shiny danglies or waving appendages for them to get attracted to.

We humans are not on the menu! To big and the neo gets stuck in their teeth. And if we were, Gary has more meat on him than I do and is that yummy Euro flavor instead of the bland US redneck flavored, so naturally they would have gone for my trolling line instead of me.

Stuck inflator was a pain in the ass but loosing the wreck w 30' of vis, 30 miles offshore, mid water column, while chasing animals on a scooter with a stuck inflator sits a little higher on my "Oh Crap" scale than swimming with sharks. Getting bent is a reality that could happen if not paying attention, shark bites are not really a reality on NC dives if you use your head. The babies/juveniles are the ones I worry most about, the adults are like herding cows during the daytime. Although I do not recommend anyone try cow tipping with them.

YMMV

 

[Steve_C]

Beautiful creature. Thanks for posting.

 

[AfterDark]

Cool Video

You guys get that close to large sand tiger sharks....If you ever saw the shark attack photos I have seen from one of those sharks you might be a little more careful.

You let those sharks get a few feet from you, yet you bail on a cool dive because a power inflator is sticking? I guess we all do our own risk/reward analyses.

I don't dive NC as often as these guys but when I do the sharks are always a treat. Those sandies are more like dogs than fish. I've sawm in cricles with them. I almost cornered one in the Spar last June, the vis was BAD but inside the Spar it was a better. Swimming to the next hole I see a sandie coming right at me slow. I hit my inflater rose up the sandie diverted down and we pass each other without a hitch. Two years ago one passed behind me while I was taking a picture, I was between it and the hull of the wreck, it was surprising close maybe 1' away, it did startle me but it just kept going. That same year I wanted to touch one but only if I could do it on the last dive of the last day in case I got bit it wouldn't ruin my trip. It happened just that way! I 1st touched it with back of my fingerless gloved hand then with the tips fingers. As soon as my bare fingers touched it, it gave a huge sweep of its tail and sped away. It was about a ten footer,the pressure wave from the tail moved me back, a very poweful fish. I respect anything with teeth like that but I don't see any reason to fear them.

Sorry Randy, great vid! Beautiful beast! Someday maybe I'll that lucky!