A shark, two sharks, three sharks ...
ENIn the remote Komodo archipelago, in Indonesia, there is a dive site with the beautiful name of Castle Rock. Its particularity? Sharks love to hang around there... I even made a little video of it.
Diving in Castle Rock
For divers, this is THE site not to be missed, when making the long trip to Komodo. Castle Rock - also called Takat Toko - is a pinnacle in the middle of the sea, whose top is about 7-8 meters deep. In addition to the usual abundant underwater fauna that revolves around it, there is a good chance to see sharks, in high doses.
When I get into the water, with Jérôme, the diving guide of the Pascha, I do not doubt yet the profusion of sharks that turns there ... We go down quickly in the area of 20-25 meters. You do not even have to look for them. They are there.
One shark, two sharks, three sharks... I can't count 'em. They're everywhere!
Here is the ballet of the sharks of Castle Rock, in video. I've put together a one minute sequence, which gives a good idea of the atmosphere under the surface.
Many white tip sharks (coral sharks), but also some grey reef sharks. And some good-sized specimens... I am absolutely fascinated. Amazed, again.
People often ask me if I'm not afraid of sharks. But I'm not. I really am.
I have never yet been confronted with any aggressive behavior from them. The bubbles released by divers with tanks tend to frighten them more than to attract them. As soon as they spot us, the sharks prefer to deviate slightly from their trajectory and swim a little further offshore.
At Castle Rock, they pass and pass again in the blue, propelled smoothly by the lateral movement of their tail, indifferent to the furious current that whips the drop-off. Curiously, the violence of the current is not too obvious in the image.
On the contrary, my little video montage gives off a very serene impression, I think. It's amazing.
Why I started to crochet
Because if the sharks swim effortlessly, quietly patrolling along the reef, for me, it's another matter. For the first time in my diving life, I use this trick:
Yes, a hook. Not to scare the sharks, right. They don't care about me! But to tie me to a piece of dead coral and avoid drifting away like a piece of straw, carried away by the underwater gust. This one stretches the string of our bubbles according to a trajectory a little too horizontal for my taste - when it doesn't suddenly make them spin in all directions.
I attached the carabiner to the ring of the left strap of my stab (the stabilizing vestin the divers' jargon). The ring on the right is already occupied by another carabiner, the one that secures the attachment of my waterproof housing containing the camera, which also makes video (the Canon Eos 7D).
Violent currents
I'm not used to being hung on the end of a line like this, floating like a little flag in the underwater wind. Being held on one side only makes me unbalanced. I would have had to tinker with a system to be able to attach the carabiner to the center of my gear instead.
Fortunately, Jerome holds me with a firm grip. I am stabilized. Secure. And I manage to make a few images that don't shake too much.
What a luxury to have a guardian angel just for you... I'm exultant behind my mask, too happy that there are only two of us, and not a whole group!
For the other dives, I will regularly use the hook again. I finally adopted it. It has become indispensable for me to succeed in making images in the waters of Komodo, crossed by often capricious and irresistible currents.
👌
Superb video! Sharks are as fascinating as ever 😉
Super super super!
I love sharks and I love Bonobo 🙂
Impressive!
Like David, I find the video beautiful.
Me, I'd still be a little scared, but I wouldn't stop....let's call it adrenaline 😉
Am I the only one who doesn't like sharks? 🙁
Castle rock ... Very good
@David: Thank you. «Fascinating is the word!
🙂
@Guillaume: I chose the music well, so...
8)
@Alex: In fact, we're not scared at all underwater. We're just wide-eyed behind our masks, so amazed by the spectacle. The sharks, on the other hand, tend to stand back a little, so it's us who scares them.
🙄
@Ysbilia: Sharks suffer from a bad reputation, which is a pity, as they are magnificent and fascinating animals to observe... In this area, they don't represent any particular danger. To my knowledge, there is no feeding that would modify their behavior and make them aggressive. That said, you can't be a friend to all animals... I don't like spiders or scorpions, which also have a bad reputation, but because they're much less beautiful than sharks!
😀
@Annabel: As you say.
😉
Beautiful images, I would have been a little scared, even a lot!
Great video captain crochet! 😀
@oceane: Thank you!!! 🙂
@Land: I thought it wouldn't be long before someone made the Captain Hook joke!!!! 😆
Superb video, which gives a rather gentle impression compared to the force of the current. I'm on my way to dive Sipadan and other spots in Indonesia... Thanks for the quality of the images and the accompanying text. Enjoy the bubbles!
Rémi
Komodo's nice, I'll have to dip my flippers in there.
For the hook, I discovered this accessory in the Maldives. It's almost indispensable in the passes when you set up at the “corner” to watch the sharks. It frees up your hands and preserves the coral.
Now I always have one on me okazou 😀
@Remi: That's right. I myself was rather surprised by the video's rendering. The violence of the current is completely unnoticeable... That's because the sharks are perfectly at ease in it, no doubt!
🙂
@Alimata: So much fun, I'm thinking of going back one day soon... Top diving, really!!!! I'm impressed with the line on your hook: it's super long, isn't it? Is that a regulation hook? 😉 In any case, it's the same for me: never again without my hook, ocazou...
😀
You're not the only one impressed by the length of my tools 😆
I don't know if it's regulation or not, but it's always allowed me to rise above the others, to take some re-cul in the too crowded passes and for the delicate sites, I always have the possibility to reduce it easily to take full advantage of the place put at my disposal and not to disturb the biotope that welcomes me 😀 😆 ➡
Hey, well, with comments like this ELLE risk more retaining your blog in the category SEX than in that of VOYAGES 8)
I've heard that in Castle Rock you can also see Hammerhead Sharks from time to time! I hadn't been so lucky, only Whitetip Sharks. Your video is superb!
@Julien: I wasn't that lucky either, but I was still quite impressed by the profusion of sharks. Thank you 🙂
Hello Corinne,
You regularly visit Indonesia and Komodo sounds like an exceptional place 😀
From your many trips to Indonesia, it seems to me that you haven't returned to dive in Komodo. Are Sulawesia and Raja better diving spots?
Soon,
@Sletter: I haven't been back to Komodo yet, but I intend to... Raja Ampat is a step above Komodo in my opinion, and has the advantage of being possible without a cruise. Sulawesi is nice and easy to get to, and less expensive. I'm thinking of going back to dive Komodo, but being land-based, perhaps, on an island not too far from the sites... Maybe this summer 2016?... To be continued 😉