The sun came out this afternoon and the wind dropped off to just two knots. Eager to see if I could find a Port Jackson Shark at Ricketts Point again, I headed out in front of the yacht club past the white markers. The sea was a lovely 19 degrees once more and there were lots of snapper about. After about 40 minutes I came across this guy sitting on the seafloor. Initially I didn’t dive down as I wanted to give it time to get used to my presence. When it swam away I figured I’d disturbed it. However, it stopped a short distance away, perched on downward-swept pectoral fins and grabbbed a sea star from the sand. It began munching away attracting a posse of snapper eager for some of the spoils.
At this point I dropped down to take a look. It swallowed the sea star before it moved off again.
For the next 20 minutes or so I followed the shark as it quartered the nearby reef. It appeared to be searching under ledges for food. Then it would rest occasionally on the sand in between. The snapper remained in tow and it didn’t seem at all concerned by me ducking down to take photos. I’ve never had such a prolonged encounter. It was lovely to watch it snaking around beneath, soaring over reef sides and settling in amongst the lush caulerpa.
Another memorable snorkel and hopefully a sign of more to come as Autumn progresses. The next day or two is going to be light winds and 23-24 degrees. Better make the most of the conditions as it’s set to be wet and windy again before the weekend.
Such a challenge taking photos like this on breathhold, especially when the animal is constantly shifting position. Not the best but a nice little portfolio of activity.
