11/19/13
Another day in paradise. Due in part to my glowing reviews of my previous whale shark adventure, I was invited to go with a few new friends on their boat, Scout, today for another round. We anchored near the area where the sharks were known to be, and then jumped in the dinghy. Today the sharks were in shallow water, 10-20' deep. As a result the visibility was better. There were only two pangas, which are 20' fishing boats, with paying customers, and 6-7 whale sharks. Once we found them it was impossible not to swim with them. After an hour or so the pangas left, leaving us (4 people) with all the whale sharks to ourselves. I grabbed the dorsal fin of a 25'er and was towed along for almost a minute! What a great view from the back of a huge whale shark! I could easily do this every day. I was a guest aboard "Scout", a 52' Jeanneau sailboat. The skipper, Greg, and his first mate, Tammy, were great hosts to me and the other diver, Gravel, who has the other CSY 44 just a few slips away. After diving with the whale sharks we enjoyed a leisurely sail back to the Marina. We all chatted excitedly about the experience, and all agreed that it was amazing. I recorded about 15 videos on my GoPro camera, so if I ever figure out how to post them, I will certainly share with everyone. I ended the day by going to my new favorite restaurant, Rancho Viejo, for dinner. The evening cooled down nicely compared to when we first arrived. Good night all.