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(albeit nearly imperceptibly) and that it has a mouthful
of sharp choppers — both identifying features of a gray
nurse shark. Another one is visible in the distance, so
we drop into the surgey gutter between the ledges to
put our plan into action. I grip a rock and attempt to
stay still. I am occupied by two major contemplations as
I wait for the shark’s approach (goodness knows I have
plenty of time): One, limited exhalation means limited
inhalation, and two, a better name for these dawdling
creatures is “zombie sharks.”
Over the next two days, the temperature below 30
feet drops, resulting in cruel, 10°F-plus thermoclines.
We’re baited by warm, clear water at the surface,
which switches to ice-cream-headache-inducing, cold,
murky water at depth. We suck it up. This chilly,
nutrient-rich water is frustrating for photographers,
but it’s happy news for zombie sharks. In an attempt
to appear well-rounded, we gamely revisit the
wobbegongs and traverse the cave, but it’s the gray
nurse sharks that have our devotion. By our final dive
day, their numbers are finally swelling, and as we
glumly pack our gear into the car, we promise our dive
guide that we’ll be back soon.
MANTA MAYHEM
We arrive to see the dive boat being launched across
the beach — more specifically, a kelp-covered beach. I
glance toward the captain. “The water’s warm, you say?”
“Yep,” he replies. He sees me warily inspecting
the kelp and says, “There’s colder water right off the
beach. But not out at the islands. They’re in the East
Australian Current.”
That seems like quite a temperature differential,
but it’s what this place is known for. The colder,
inshore current comes from the temperate environs
of Tasmania, while the East Australian Current
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FALL 2016