It was on the news the day before yesterday: a “prehistoric” shark normally living hidden away in the depths of the ocean off Japan came up to the surface and, unfortunately, died. Scientists recognized the species, although from 80 million year-old fossils instead of live specimens. A schoolbook example of a “live fossil”: If the environment doesn’t change (and it almost doesn’t, at that depth), there’s no need for obvious evolution. Anyway, the footage looks terrifying (just as one would imagine a prehistoric marine monster), and frankly I wouldn’t have had the guts to almost put the camera in its mouth, as the maker of this videotape did… To list the freakiest close encounters I experienced diving in Oman:
3. Giant Green Turtle emerging from tons of accumulated dead macroalgae at the bottom. It’s usually quite turbid and a bit dark above the dense algal packs at about 10m depth due to the decomposition, and turtles hide in there completely for shelter and feeding. When you’re swimming right above the algae, sometimes turtles emerge because they’re scared and swim away. Although you know what a turtle is and that it’s completely harmless, it scares the hell out of you when a creature the size of you suddenly and unexpectedly appears right in front of you. They swim away so quickly I never had the chance to capture such a moment on camera.
2. A Teira of almost 1m height pops up right in front of your face out of quite turbid waters. It was very inquisitive and followed us for quite some time. At that time I had no idea at all what it was and I didn’t know it was harmless. The picture was taken after I’d drawn my knife in a reflex and I’d put it away when I was at ease a few minutes later. The thing is, as with the turtle, under water you see everything one third bigger than it is (due to the optical properties of water), so I had the impression of looking at a fish that was 133cm high.
1. Fantail Stingrays of about 180cm disc diameter (already more than I am tall!) and 300cm overall length – no need to explain how one perceives that size under water. There’s one bay in the south of Oman we visit each time where you’re guaranteed to see several of those at any given time. Already the first time, 3,5 years ago, I didn’t dare to approach these “monsters” closer than 10m. Over time, I got used to them, but it still frightens me when they suddenly arise from the sand where you didn’t see anything before. And when you did, it’s probably because you saw the eyes or the tail first, and it always takes a few moments before you’d find the other end and realize its full size. Last time I saw them was actually exactly two weeks after Steve Irwin, the famous Australian “crocodile hunter”, got the venomous spine right through his heart while swimming above a stingray like this to film it; he was killed almost instantly…
), served between a tiny crab living a hidden life between coral branches, and of course, a well-known little fellow.
