My first six-gill...

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Cal71

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Well, I don't usually have great stories to post, but I just had probably my best PNW dive last night...

I'd been talking with my buddies about taking a tropical trip (I live in Seattle--and 15' viz on a summer dive is considered fantastic) and we started thinking about doing some shark dives and it occured to us that we lived in one of the few places that gets six-gill sightings. So we decided we should start diving after work and doing some night dives and just get some time in the water--cause you'll never see a six-gill if you don't get wet.

Anyway, my friend Chris and I planned to go out on Sunday night, and a couple other friends planned to meet us there. Seacrest seemed packed with divers getting out of the water--end of a beautiful day in the Northweest. I'd asked about six-gills while getting my fills and was told no one had seen anything this week...

Well, Chris had to cancel, and one of the other guys couldn't make the first dive, so there were just Jeff and I heading out. We figured we'd go down to the some tipped over pilings and the I-Beams (a couple of nice landmark structures at about 95 fsw--a couple of dens worth checking out for octos).

Tide was way up, adding another 12 ft of depth or so. Viz was horrible near the top--probably 4 or5 ft max until we got below 40 fsw. Tons of muck in the water. But it was really quiet and calm. We followed the bottom down to the pilings looking for octo's. The viz had opened up to about 15 or 20 ft, but because of the east-facing slope and the poor viz above, it was pretty dark down there.

All of a sudden I see Jeff call my attention with his light and point off in the distance. All I see is this whitish looking diamond shape that slowly forms into the face of a shark with the biggest black eyes I've ever seen... This guy was coming down the slope towards us--passing right under Jeff, so I had a good look at the size of the thing.

Okay, I know everything looks big underwater. But I swear this guy was at least 6 and maybe 8 ft long. I could see him against Jeff--he looked huge. I don't care if it was just a juvenille--that's still a big fish. I guess they grow up to about 20 ft long, but this thing was plenty big for me! I think they look even bigger because their dorsal fin is so far back on their bodies--as it passes you see those eyes (HUGE), and then this expanse of skin before the dorsal goes by--and then there's the huge tail, like a scimitar...

Anyway, he swam under Jeff and passed below my right side, and as he passed, I saw that eye flick up and take me in. He passed me and then turned around--and at that point my heart rate jumped up about 30 beats... He followed me for a bit, just checking me out--I'm shining my light right in his face--he stayed about a body length away from me, but geez... I started repeating to myself, "no one has ever been attacked by a six-gill shark..." Then he swam off...

I know the entire encounter couldn't have lasted more than half a minute, if that--but wow, time really does slow. It would've been something just to have it pass by, but to have it stop, turn around and check you out--taking your measure--that was something.

I was so excited, and my heart was beating so fast, and I was burning through my air. Bottom time: 26 minutes; max depth: 101 ft.

John joined us for the second dive, and we travelled the same profile, but didn't see the shark. Found a huge octo in a den down there--but even that seemed pretty anti-climatic. Nice relaxing dive--but suffice to say, John was pretty pissed. After the dive, a couple other divers got out of the water and had seen him again at 40 fsw--John was even more pissed.

What an amazing evening. I can't believe how lucky I was to see a six-gill my first time looking for one! I'm still on a high. Suffice say, Chris and John have already lined us up to dive again tonight...
 
Thanks for the report Cal71, a six gill sighting is incredible!! Were you at Alki? We've heard several reports of a six gill seen on night dives in that location.
 
cool, hey didnt my GF and i run into you guys as we were going down the rope and you took a right to the I-beams :confused:
I was the one wearing the doubles.
I wasnt lucky enough to see another shark but we saw a big octo at Olive's old den. :)
 
Yep, the dive was at Alki--Cove 2. Some other divers told me a 5 footer had been seen recently (last week or so). I'm fairly sure this was a different shark. I had a good look at him with my buddy in the background for size comparrison and I think somewhere in the 6-8 ft range is right on (maybe it was the same shark, and it just grew!! okay, maybe not).

Sheck, I don't think we ran into you in the water, but I think we chatted with you on the shore--if you were driving a tan jeep. We were actually right at Olive's den when the shark appeared and we forgot about everything else--we went back on the second dive and saw the big octo that's taken up residence there. Although we'd planned to tour the I-beams, we didn't get out there on either dive...

You know, the most amazing thing about the dive is that I really have no idea how long the encounter with the shark lasted. It seemed like it lasted forever, but I don't know... It doesn't seem like he would've hung around for more than half a minute--but to me, it seemed like an eon...
 
tan jeep, that was me :)

we must have bumped into some other divers then that were there too....
 
Damn!

You're lucky. That's a nice area to live and dive. Dive and live!
 
Lucky you Cal ...

I've been down to the I-beams and to Olive's old den a few times this past month or so .... and haven't seen a six-gill yet. In fact, about the most interesting thing I've seen at the I-beams lately is a pair of decorated warbonnets that seem to have taken up residence down where the southernmost beam bends from vertical to diagonal.

There has been a rather large octopus living in Olive's old den from time to time ... we're wondering if it was the one who last year got named "Popeye" (used to live at the end of the same piling). Size seems about right ... dude's got to have tentacles on the order of 11 or 12 feet in length.

If you happen to spot a tan Mazda pickup with canopy down there sometime, stop by and say "Hi". If the tailgate's closed, my "Grateful Diver" sticker's quite visible ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Will definately stop and say hullo...

Went again tonight. No luck. No shark. No octo even. Just lots of other divers. Oh well... Stll fun.
 
I was there this morning. Two really nice dives. I'll be back there tomorrow afternoon and evening.

I'm part of the group that's installing the buoys and maintaining the cable around the fishing pier. We just got another length of cable donated, and we're gonna be down there tomorrow afternoon to determine where to put it ... perhaps from a central buoy to the I-beams or something.

Then tomorrow night some of us are meeting at 8 PM for a night dive. Stop by and join us if you're in the area.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Wow, you are so very fortunate. Glad you have had the opportunity to experience such a wonderful thing.
 
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