We anchored off of Eel Cove on
the Kona Coast on the Island of Hawaii.
Each of the three dive leaders briefed their assigned divers as to what
we could expect to see on the dive, with reference to fish guidebooks and
species behaviors. They related how the
site is “a very fishy place.” They were
not kidding. In the momentary lull
between completion of the briefing and getting into our gear a whale shark
approached the boat. “Encounter” does
not quite describe the event which was more like he came by for a long visit.
I was standing on one of two
ladders on the transom of the boat when someone yelled “whale shark.” I turned and spied a submerged shape a few
yards off the port side of the boat, announcing “yeah, there it is.” For a moment we just watched the shape, as if
mesmerized by its presence. As it came
closer to the surface people started entering the water to get a better
look. For a while we had a private
audience. Boats of snorkelers moored nearby
were not yet aware what was going on although our excitement must have signaled
something special. Most divers don’t
rush to the stern and enter the water without full gear. The skipper cautioned, “let it come to us, if
you swim toward it you may spook it into leaving.” For the next few minutes we floated in the
calm water observing the shark as it swam in review, turned, and then came
back. By now, the snorkel boats had
recovered their people in the water and moved toward our location. We exited the water to gear up and commence
our dive, figuring the snorkelers would overwhelm the site and drive the whale
shark away.
As we descended, the whale shark
returned, passing in the space between the divers and the boat. It seemed intent to scratch its back on the
side of the boat. There was no real need
to try frame a critter that big and that close in the view finder on my camera. It was just a matter of keeping the camera
pointed in its general direction and let size, light, and kismet count for the
quality of the shot.
The whale shark seemed oblivious
to us as it made multiple swim bys for about 20 minutes, during one of which I
had my “Jonah moment” with the biggest fish in the sea. Recall the Old Testament passage where Jonah
was cast into the sea by the crew of a boat to quiet a raging storm “but the
Lord sent a large fish that swallowed Jonah” (Jonah 2:1). As it approached head
on, I was able to look into its gapping maw as it filter fed, its massive tail
lazily swishing back and forth and thought, “I wonder if this is what Jonah saw.”
The fish continued to swim with a
unhurried nonchalantness. I watched in
disbelief as surface swimmers and snorkelers attempting to grab its dorsal fin
as if to ride on the back of the shark. The
shark seemed to shrug these attempts off, accelerating away with a swish of its
huge tail. Fortunately, none of the
swimmers were slapped by the tail, which I imagine would be like getting hit by
one of Mohamed Ali’s hooks.
I am told there is no real “season”
for whale sharks in Hawaii, although the winter months offer the best chance of
seeing one of the critters. I was there
at the end of March, so I feel fortunate for the event. This instance was not my first
encounter. I had the fortune of diving
with a whale shark in the Galapagos Islands in 2004. Both encounters bring to mind another Bible
verse, Pslams 107:23-24 “some went off to sea in ships, plied their trade on
the deep waters. They saw the work of
the Lord, the wonders of God in the deep.”
On those dive, I did indeed get to see one of His many wonders.
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