Klaus Daimler's Journal
February 25, 2010
Having mapped out the majority of Valka Castle, I was thinking it might be a good idea to venture back to other areas of the Ciceros Strait. When Marco and I had passed through, there were quite a few potential shipwreck sites we had skipped over. This was mostly due to the high number of reported shark sightings in the area.
Remembering Jean Cousteau and her adept handling of dangerous fish during my short stint in Brazil, I decided to get in touch with her. I tempted her with the possibility of "studying sharks up close and personal." The giddy squeal she let out almost scared me as much as any shark could, but I had my diving partner.
We ventured out from the boat and made our way to the North Canyon. This place was definitely deep for the region. Over 100 feet down in some spots. As we approached the bottom, my eyes lit up at the sight of jars, crates, and boxes strewn across the sea floor.
We split up and started scouring around. Given the currents in the water, the actual wreck could have been quite a distance from the cargo and debris we were seeing. Incredibly, Jean found the damn thing before I did. How was I to guess that the ship had somehow managed to wedge itself between a couple of rocks on its way down?
I did my surveying while Jean eyed up some hammerhead sharks. I knew they weren't really dangerous, but I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. We moved on from the wreck and promptly found another further down the canyon. I got really excited and swam up for a picture.
I was so focused on the ship, I barely reacted when Jean radioed over that she had spotted some great whites. I was just trying to remain focused on my work, while Jean was busy using her pulsar to calm the sharks down. That was the plan going in and it was working out quite well, until I noticed one of them making its way toward me.
I quickly darted into a compartment in the wreck and hid there. Of course, it's not like the shark was going to let up or anything. He tried bashing his way through the hull, but eventually tired himself out and swam off. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I pulled out my camera and took the picture you see above. Afterwards, all I could think was that someone was going to find my mangled corpse with that picture being the last one taken. Not exactly the legacy I wanted to go out with.
We took quite a bit of time before getting back to the boat. I didn't mind the relaxing atmosphere, as I continued to map out the area. After we had surfaced, Jean mentioned she knew of a wreck further south that would be worth cataloguing. How could I resist? Thirty minutes into our second dive, I was beginning to think that she had some ulterior motives. I let her play with the fish for awhile longer, and then gently reminded her that we had a wreck to find.
Yes, that's another shark in the background. I had become more accustomed to seeing them and was beginning to feel quite at home with the beasts. That is, right until the shark that Jean referred to as "Thanatos" showed up. It was big and I figured if it had a proper name, there was probably a good—or bad, I guess—reason for it.
I quickly darted into the hull and waited for him to leave. I didn't feel too bad about running scared, as even the fearless Mademoiselle Cousteau followed my lead! Thankfully, Thanatos didn't stick around for too long and we were able to make it back to the boat safe and sound.
Journal of Jean Cousteau
February 25, 2010
Well, who should call me up this morning but Klaus Daimler? I last saw him in the Amazon river basin dodging eels. That was only a week ago, if you can believe it. Apparently, he was so impressed by my handling of dangerous animals that he wanted me to do another dive fraught with peril. This time, with sharks. Naturally, I said yes.
Sharks are some of the most important and fascinating fish in the sea. They're a huge family of creatures that occupy more niches than you can imagine, from alpha predator to filter feeder. The Ciceros Strait where Klaus wanted to go diving is home to a plethora of shark species, and I couldn't wait to get into the water.
The first two wrecks we visited were far to the North, where the shallows end and cliffs drop you down a good fifty feet to the sandy bottom. I love how dynamic the sea scape is in this area, full of canyons and towers and arches. It may lack the color of the atoll corals, but it's such a fun place to dive. The first target was a wooden ship that had fallen into a narrow canyon and gotten wedged in tight. Klaus immediately started climbing all over it like a cleaner wrasse. What interested me, though, was what swam above it.
There were dozens of scalloped hammerhead sharks. All sharks are very sensitive to the electrical signals living bodies give off and can home in on them, but it's thought that the unusual shape of these sharks' heads help give them an especially broad sensing range. The wide spacing of the the eyes at the ends of the "hammer" also give them a 360 degree field of vision. Klaus was a little nervous of their presence, but I gave him the OK sign. No, we'd run into the dangerous ones soon enough. After Klaus finished his examination of this wreck, we moved on to the next ship, and there they were.
The waters around this wreck swarmed with great whites. I had packed my pulsar gun, and now it was time to pull that baby out. It's a nifty little gadget that harmlessly zaps your target and can calm down aggressive animals, among other uses. While Klaus poked around the innards of the ship, I hovered above it and zapped any shark that became too interested in us. Once they were calmed down, I felt comfortable enough to snap this photo.
What a magnificent animal. I don't think Mr. Daimler properly appreciated them.
Our final target of the day was a ship that had gone down quite a ways farther South so we headed back to the boat first. I lead Klaus the long way around to better my chances of seeing more fish and it paid off.
This pelagic thresher shark cruised right alongside us for a little while, practically posing for this picture. Check out that terrifically long caudal fin. They use their tails to smack the fish they hunt. A stunned fish is probably an easy catch and less likely to fight back.
Once aboard the boat, I didn't take us directly to our target, veering a bit west before dropping anchor. Again, I wanted to maximize my chances of seeing something good and once again I was richly rewarded.
Not a shark, but a close relative, this is the magnificent manta ray. This one was only around 13 feet across. The largest specimen on record was 25 feet from wing tip to wing tip and weighted over 5,000 pounds. They're huge, but they move with such stately grace, slowly flying along while filtering the water for their tiny food.
After I took this picture, I knew it was time to go, since Klaus kept poking me. What an impatient guy! I mean, the ship wreck isn't going anywhere! I'm the one chasing after moving targets!
The final wreck was mostly in one piece with a few holes in the deck and as before the area swarmed with great whites. I zapped any that nosed our way and all remained quiet. Then he appeared. They tell stories about him, a behemoth great white called Thanatos, known to attack divers and even boats.
You just can't appreciate how big he was in this picture, but let me tell you—he could have been Jaws' stunt double. I snapped this picture, then ducked into the wreck where Klaus was sensibly hiding until Thanatos swam out of sight, vanishing into the distance.
At that point, we both decided it'd be best to call it a day.
February 25, 2010
Having mapped out the majority of Valka Castle, I was thinking it might be a good idea to venture back to other areas of the Ciceros Strait. When Marco and I had passed through, there were quite a few potential shipwreck sites we had skipped over. This was mostly due to the high number of reported shark sightings in the area.
Remembering Jean Cousteau and her adept handling of dangerous fish during my short stint in Brazil, I decided to get in touch with her. I tempted her with the possibility of "studying sharks up close and personal." The giddy squeal she let out almost scared me as much as any shark could, but I had my diving partner.
We ventured out from the boat and made our way to the North Canyon. This place was definitely deep for the region. Over 100 feet down in some spots. As we approached the bottom, my eyes lit up at the sight of jars, crates, and boxes strewn across the sea floor.
We split up and started scouring around. Given the currents in the water, the actual wreck could have been quite a distance from the cargo and debris we were seeing. Incredibly, Jean found the damn thing before I did. How was I to guess that the ship had somehow managed to wedge itself between a couple of rocks on its way down?
I did my surveying while Jean eyed up some hammerhead sharks. I knew they weren't really dangerous, but I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. We moved on from the wreck and promptly found another further down the canyon. I got really excited and swam up for a picture.
I was so focused on the ship, I barely reacted when Jean radioed over that she had spotted some great whites. I was just trying to remain focused on my work, while Jean was busy using her pulsar to calm the sharks down. That was the plan going in and it was working out quite well, until I noticed one of them making its way toward me.
I quickly darted into a compartment in the wreck and hid there. Of course, it's not like the shark was going to let up or anything. He tried bashing his way through the hull, but eventually tired himself out and swam off. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I pulled out my camera and took the picture you see above. Afterwards, all I could think was that someone was going to find my mangled corpse with that picture being the last one taken. Not exactly the legacy I wanted to go out with.
We took quite a bit of time before getting back to the boat. I didn't mind the relaxing atmosphere, as I continued to map out the area. After we had surfaced, Jean mentioned she knew of a wreck further south that would be worth cataloguing. How could I resist? Thirty minutes into our second dive, I was beginning to think that she had some ulterior motives. I let her play with the fish for awhile longer, and then gently reminded her that we had a wreck to find.
Yes, that's another shark in the background. I had become more accustomed to seeing them and was beginning to feel quite at home with the beasts. That is, right until the shark that Jean referred to as "Thanatos" showed up. It was big and I figured if it had a proper name, there was probably a good—or bad, I guess—reason for it.
I quickly darted into the hull and waited for him to leave. I didn't feel too bad about running scared, as even the fearless Mademoiselle Cousteau followed my lead! Thankfully, Thanatos didn't stick around for too long and we were able to make it back to the boat safe and sound.
Journal of Jean Cousteau
February 25, 2010
Well, who should call me up this morning but Klaus Daimler? I last saw him in the Amazon river basin dodging eels. That was only a week ago, if you can believe it. Apparently, he was so impressed by my handling of dangerous animals that he wanted me to do another dive fraught with peril. This time, with sharks. Naturally, I said yes.
Sharks are some of the most important and fascinating fish in the sea. They're a huge family of creatures that occupy more niches than you can imagine, from alpha predator to filter feeder. The Ciceros Strait where Klaus wanted to go diving is home to a plethora of shark species, and I couldn't wait to get into the water.
The first two wrecks we visited were far to the North, where the shallows end and cliffs drop you down a good fifty feet to the sandy bottom. I love how dynamic the sea scape is in this area, full of canyons and towers and arches. It may lack the color of the atoll corals, but it's such a fun place to dive. The first target was a wooden ship that had fallen into a narrow canyon and gotten wedged in tight. Klaus immediately started climbing all over it like a cleaner wrasse. What interested me, though, was what swam above it.
There were dozens of scalloped hammerhead sharks. All sharks are very sensitive to the electrical signals living bodies give off and can home in on them, but it's thought that the unusual shape of these sharks' heads help give them an especially broad sensing range. The wide spacing of the the eyes at the ends of the "hammer" also give them a 360 degree field of vision. Klaus was a little nervous of their presence, but I gave him the OK sign. No, we'd run into the dangerous ones soon enough. After Klaus finished his examination of this wreck, we moved on to the next ship, and there they were.
The waters around this wreck swarmed with great whites. I had packed my pulsar gun, and now it was time to pull that baby out. It's a nifty little gadget that harmlessly zaps your target and can calm down aggressive animals, among other uses. While Klaus poked around the innards of the ship, I hovered above it and zapped any shark that became too interested in us. Once they were calmed down, I felt comfortable enough to snap this photo.
What a magnificent animal. I don't think Mr. Daimler properly appreciated them.
Our final target of the day was a ship that had gone down quite a ways farther South so we headed back to the boat first. I lead Klaus the long way around to better my chances of seeing more fish and it paid off.
This pelagic thresher shark cruised right alongside us for a little while, practically posing for this picture. Check out that terrifically long caudal fin. They use their tails to smack the fish they hunt. A stunned fish is probably an easy catch and less likely to fight back.
Once aboard the boat, I didn't take us directly to our target, veering a bit west before dropping anchor. Again, I wanted to maximize my chances of seeing something good and once again I was richly rewarded.
Not a shark, but a close relative, this is the magnificent manta ray. This one was only around 13 feet across. The largest specimen on record was 25 feet from wing tip to wing tip and weighted over 5,000 pounds. They're huge, but they move with such stately grace, slowly flying along while filtering the water for their tiny food.
After I took this picture, I knew it was time to go, since Klaus kept poking me. What an impatient guy! I mean, the ship wreck isn't going anywhere! I'm the one chasing after moving targets!
The final wreck was mostly in one piece with a few holes in the deck and as before the area swarmed with great whites. I zapped any that nosed our way and all remained quiet. Then he appeared. They tell stories about him, a behemoth great white called Thanatos, known to attack divers and even boats.
You just can't appreciate how big he was in this picture, but let me tell you—he could have been Jaws' stunt double. I snapped this picture, then ducked into the wreck where Klaus was sensibly hiding until Thanatos swam out of sight, vanishing into the distance.
At that point, we both decided it'd be best to call it a day.