the LONGIMANUS

in italiano

We had just arrived in South Elphinstone from North Elphinstone where we had had a marvellous diving together with the hammer-head sharks; we had just had lunch and we were sunbathing on the boardwalk waiting for the third afternoon diving.

Suddenly Birga, our German guide, came towards us crying out: “Longimanus! Longimanus!” Curiously, I raised my head and I saw everyone plunging in the water; I immediately went to my cabin to take my underwater digital camera and, after wearing fins, mask and snorkel, I plunged as well.

I began slapping my fins to reach the snorklers, looking through the blue sea without noticing anything in particular and, thinking of a false alarm, I could imagine what the people in the other boat could see; suddenly I raised my head and I saw it just in front of me: a wonderful white-pointed ocean shark, about a metre and a half long, probably a shark cub (Carcharhinus longimanus), accompanied by a sharksucker and about thirty pilot fish (Naucrates ductor). I rapidly swam towards it, taking pictures from afar and, when I reached it, I finally succeeded in taking an almost decent picture of it from the back.

click to enlarge

I was really excited. I had never been so close to a shark. Although the longimanus is considered one of the 4 most dangerous species, I was not scared, on the contrary, I wanted to film it, so I decided to go back to the boat and take the video camera. When I went back on board I proudly showed the picture to the others; in a few minutes we were all equipped with regulators; the third diving took place under the boat!

When we plunged the shark was still there. It was curious and continued to go around us; I was so excited that when I took the film I forgot to press the record button!!!! But I was able to manage afterwards.

click to PLAY

In the water there were about forty divers, all equipped with cameras; Michele, an 18 year-old open-water, succeeded in taking these beautiful pictures of it and made these two incredible films.

			click to enlarge
			click to enlarge
			click to PLAY

In the second video, you can clearly see the shark under the boat hitting the weights rope under Paola’s watchful eyes who cautiously raised her legs.

After almost one hour spent between five and ten metres we went back on board, excited. We had all spent the most unforgettable hours.