The day is much nicer than the last time I made this trip. Four years ago, it was overcast, windy and giant swells continuously sent me flying into the air before landing on the hard bench again. We were the only boat in the area when we finally arrived at the undersea mount. The dives were . . . disappointing, only because we saw nothing but endless blue — no hammerheads were found.
This time, the skies are a clear blue and though my skin is constantly wet from the sea spray, the sun quickly warms me up. There’s still good size swells and I’m still sent flying into the air, but this time not nearly as high or as often. There are several other boats — both diving and fishing — in the area and we have to wait some time for the other divers to descend before we get into the water. The second the first diver hits the water, it’s clear that we’re going to have a strong current on the surface to fight against.
I’m hoping beyond hope that this time I’ll see Hammerheads. Talks with other operators from the previous day give me hope — according to them, most trips out to Gordo banks has resulted in Hammerhead sightings. They can’t really guarantee it, but suggest there’s a high probability that we will.
As we descended into the blue I am . . . once again disappointed. While the water is crystal blue and underwater visibility is incredible we see nothing. No sharks, no turtles, we barely make it to the top of the sea mount. We don’t even see any fish. We’re sure the sharks are around, but currently hiding from us divers. I’m disappointed, naturally. But it’s not like the sharks will show up on demand.
As it stands, Gordo Banks: 2; Me: 0
Maybe next time.