First Encounter with Hammer Head Sharks
Posted: Friday, May 07, 2010
by Chuck Clayton
http://www.inexpensive-vacation-ideas.com
On our forth day of diving in the Galapagos Islands we traveled to a dive site called Gordon's Rock. It is a small volcanic mount that jettisons out of the water. Gordon's Rock is located near the north east corner of Santa Cruz Island.
As we donned our dive equipment we watched the rough seas crashing against the jagged rocks less than thirty feet from our boat wondering to ourselves about the sanity of diving in this untamed area. But, exhilaration and anticipation subdued our concerns.
Our Dive Master Macarron
Into the abyss we went, confident that our experienced guide would keep us out of harms way. The current was about one to two knots and hour. Along with the strong current there were some serious surges as deep as forty to fifty feet.
The swells pulled us upwards about four to five feet and then shoved us back down the same amount a few seconds later. We were being tossed around the seas like leaves in the wind. We tried to relax and navigate as best as possible through the current and surges.
About fifty feet deep we stopped to see a moray eel hiding in a crevice in the rocks. After a few minutes of exploring the underwater wall of Gordon's rock we swam in the open water about fifteen minutes with no structure at all to get our bearings.
Moray Eel Galapagos Islands
It was spooky, especially with a strong current, but we had trust in our guide. Out of the misty haze we saw a dozen or more five to six foot long hammerhead sharks swimming gracefully below us.
They are strange, but beautiful creatures with a fish like body and a T shaped head with eyes on the end of the T. Thoughts raced though my head. It is one thing to watch hammer head sharks on the discovery channel. It is another thing to see them live!
Hammer Head Sharks Galapagos Islands
Epilogue
If you are a diver, the is an amazing place to go. Having significant dives under ones belt is important as the currents and cold water are challenging.
The undersea world is prehistoric, wild and unbelievably beautiful. The trip to the Galapagos Islands surpassed every one of our expectations. The memories from this trip last a lifetime. This is easily a five Goose-bump experience
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