Spinners . . .
Wheeew!
After a week of balmy 70-80 degree temperatures, my lovely wife and I are securely on the ground in the wintery northeast. Nothing quite says Christmas in Philly like 22 degree wind blasts through the airport shuttle ways.
Anyway, I've been instructed to tell one story from our stay in Key West, that of Diana's snorkeling adventures. I promised I'd put it on the blog so here goes.
Back some time ago, I took scuba lessons, and really got into the sport. The first time I used scuba in the local college pool, I got the feel of flying in slow motion, and I was hooked. I've since gotten more advanced certifications and even considered teaching, but life happened and I've gotten away from the sport. But a few years ago, while vacationing in the Keys, we introduced Diana to snorkeling.
She loved it. The only drawback was that while snorkeling on Looe Key Reef, the sun disappeared, so she never got the full impact of what reef diving can be. We did paddle around one of the coves but that is nothing compared to the reef. So this trip, our friend Leslie and her sister and brother-in-law, Maryanne and Bob, wanted to give Diana the opportunity to try it again, though this time the location was some coral heads that were much closer to shore.
Typically, the weather did not cooperate, and as we anchored, the sun disappeared. Ever the trouper, Diana donned mask and snorkel and went in anyway. I had to pass, as my back is kinda cranky these days and swimming with flippers tends to tighten me up quite a bit. Bob, hoping to catch a little dinner, grabbed his spear and went in as well.
Even though the sun was hidden, it was a pleasant day, and Les, Maryanne and I chatted as the other two floated about. Then I caught sight of something out of the corner of my eye, a large splash off in the distance, maybe 40 feet, maybe 50.
"Oh", I said. "Do you think those could be dolphins.", pointing to the area of the splash where a bronze colored dorsal fin turned quickly though the water in tight circles.
Les turned and gazed out at the activity in the water, which was now joined by another curved dorsal . . . and then another.
"No . . . ." she said, "I don't think they're dolphins . . ." As she spoke, one of the fins rotated into the water, exposing the sleek white underside of what was unmistakably a shark. And a pretty large shark at that.
"Uh . . . they are a ways off, do you think we should call Diana and Bob back in?", I said.
"Well" said Les "I don't think it would be a problem, except that Bob is spearfishing. If he were to hit something and it bled into the water, or didn't die immediately, that could bring them over."
I called to Diana, who poked her head out of the water, and we waved her back toward the boat.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I don't want to tell you, not until you get back in the boat." Les quipped.
Diana swam back, not hurried, but not slowly either. Maryanne called out to Bob, who was probably three times as far away and put her finger tips together and spread her elbows to make a triangle, then pointed in the direction of the splashing sharks. I turned to look at them, then back to the swimmers. Bob had covered the distance to the boat rather quickly and was helping Diana remove her flippers so she could climb the ladder.
Once everyone was back in the boat, we all watched as the sharks closed to within 30 feet of the boat, before drifting back away, probably with the school of fish they were feeding on. I did take some blurry video of the cavorting sharks, but it was too shakey and too far to get any good footage. But I think we have been able to identify them as Spinner Sharks. It is difficult to tell size without a frame of reference, but they were easily the length of a human, and they are known to get up to 9 or 10 feet. I'd estimate that one was full size.
In all the time I scuba'd, I never once saw a shark while in the water. (Half my dives were probably at night over the last few years I dove, so ignorance is bliss.) But for Diana, this was just her third time snorkeling. It's the luck of the . . . er . . . Italians?
But it reminds me what one of my instructors once told me. Every time you put your feet into salt water, statistically you are within 300 feet of a shark. Unless, of course, you are diving a reef, or in Australia.
Then the distance is within 100 feet.
There is much more of our adventures in the Southernmost City, and there may even be nudity. Stay tuned.
After a week of balmy 70-80 degree temperatures, my lovely wife and I are securely on the ground in the wintery northeast. Nothing quite says Christmas in Philly like 22 degree wind blasts through the airport shuttle ways.
Anyway, I've been instructed to tell one story from our stay in Key West, that of Diana's snorkeling adventures. I promised I'd put it on the blog so here goes.
Back some time ago, I took scuba lessons, and really got into the sport. The first time I used scuba in the local college pool, I got the feel of flying in slow motion, and I was hooked. I've since gotten more advanced certifications and even considered teaching, but life happened and I've gotten away from the sport. But a few years ago, while vacationing in the Keys, we introduced Diana to snorkeling.
She loved it. The only drawback was that while snorkeling on Looe Key Reef, the sun disappeared, so she never got the full impact of what reef diving can be. We did paddle around one of the coves but that is nothing compared to the reef. So this trip, our friend Leslie and her sister and brother-in-law, Maryanne and Bob, wanted to give Diana the opportunity to try it again, though this time the location was some coral heads that were much closer to shore.
Typically, the weather did not cooperate, and as we anchored, the sun disappeared. Ever the trouper, Diana donned mask and snorkel and went in anyway. I had to pass, as my back is kinda cranky these days and swimming with flippers tends to tighten me up quite a bit. Bob, hoping to catch a little dinner, grabbed his spear and went in as well.
Even though the sun was hidden, it was a pleasant day, and Les, Maryanne and I chatted as the other two floated about. Then I caught sight of something out of the corner of my eye, a large splash off in the distance, maybe 40 feet, maybe 50.
"Oh", I said. "Do you think those could be dolphins.", pointing to the area of the splash where a bronze colored dorsal fin turned quickly though the water in tight circles.
Les turned and gazed out at the activity in the water, which was now joined by another curved dorsal . . . and then another.
"No . . . ." she said, "I don't think they're dolphins . . ." As she spoke, one of the fins rotated into the water, exposing the sleek white underside of what was unmistakably a shark. And a pretty large shark at that.
"Uh . . . they are a ways off, do you think we should call Diana and Bob back in?", I said.
"Well" said Les "I don't think it would be a problem, except that Bob is spearfishing. If he were to hit something and it bled into the water, or didn't die immediately, that could bring them over."
I called to Diana, who poked her head out of the water, and we waved her back toward the boat.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I don't want to tell you, not until you get back in the boat." Les quipped.
Diana swam back, not hurried, but not slowly either. Maryanne called out to Bob, who was probably three times as far away and put her finger tips together and spread her elbows to make a triangle, then pointed in the direction of the splashing sharks. I turned to look at them, then back to the swimmers. Bob had covered the distance to the boat rather quickly and was helping Diana remove her flippers so she could climb the ladder.
 |
Once everyone was back in the boat, we all watched as the sharks closed to within 30 feet of the boat, before drifting back away, probably with the school of fish they were feeding on. I did take some blurry video of the cavorting sharks, but it was too shakey and too far to get any good footage. But I think we have been able to identify them as Spinner Sharks. It is difficult to tell size without a frame of reference, but they were easily the length of a human, and they are known to get up to 9 or 10 feet. I'd estimate that one was full size.
In all the time I scuba'd, I never once saw a shark while in the water. (Half my dives were probably at night over the last few years I dove, so ignorance is bliss.) But for Diana, this was just her third time snorkeling. It's the luck of the . . . er . . . Italians?
But it reminds me what one of my instructors once told me. Every time you put your feet into salt water, statistically you are within 300 feet of a shark. Unless, of course, you are diving a reef, or in Australia.
Then the distance is within 100 feet.
There is much more of our adventures in the Southernmost City, and there may even be nudity. Stay tuned.
posted by (jim) Bo Ba Log at 10:45 AM
4 Comments:
Well, I'm never going to Florida again.
From where is that picture of the shark?
Nudity? I can wardly wait.
One of my tiny disappointments living in Miami for so many years was not going to Key West. I hope to make it there some day. This post reminds me why.
The shark photo was just for reference, snagged from a website somewhere..
And Key West is WONDERFUL. It isn't was it used to be, as it has become a destination, but the weather was great, and people were nice and friendly.
Of course, coming from the northeast, I think anyone who isn't surly is nice.cpmll
I am very very glad that Diana didn't become shark chow!! And I KNOW Christopher got the willies reading your post!!!
And I hope that you had a wonderful birthday. And have many many more!
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