First Time Diving With Bull Sharks

The day is finally here.

It was moved originally — bad weather across the Yucatan forced the dive to be moved to my final day in Mexico. But it’s finally the day of the dive and I am giddy with anticipation. I arrive at the dive shop early, my enthusiasm getting the better of me and my desire to get out there as soon as possible clearly noticeable. My gear is ready, I’m in my wetsuit and I’m pacing the Playa del Carmen shore line while we wait for the other divers to show up.

The site is no more than a quick three minute boat ride from a beach in Playa — one has to wonder if the sunbathers even know that there are sharks maybe a couple hundred feet from them. But the fact they are there and we don’t hear about attacks shows how docile sharks can be. Even Bull Sharks.

Diving with Bulls has become more and more popular, so much so that it seems that diving has become somewhat regulated. Each dive shop in the area has a designated time to “drop.” If you miss your window. You’re SOL.

We jump in right at 9 A.M. Descending down the line we can see their silhouettes against the white sand. But, at least to me, there’s a lack of thrill. The adrenaline isn’t pumping like I thought it would be.

It’s more of a waiting game. We saw the bulls almost immediately but then they disappeared from our line of sight for 10 minutes — granted, the poor visibility did not help things. Even when they made close passes it was hard to see them. During the 37 minute dive, they only make a few passes, keeping to our periphery.

I’m not disappointed, per se, but I was expecting something . . . more? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the dives and I enjoyed seeing bull sharks for the first time but it felt few and far between. I would love to dive this again, maybe under better weather circumstances.

Searching for Hammerheads at Gordo Banks

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.