But Ron..."you never see anything interesting in a swim through"...except perhaps for a BIG Caribbean Gray Reef Shark in Punta Sur Sur. Someday I will force you to tell that story. I won't because I never embarrass a diver.
Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
You are free to repeat the story and correct any mistakes in my recollection. Here goes.
I have done swim throughs in Cozumel...including Devil's Throat. As my diving preferences evolve/change, swim throughs have become less and less interesting to me. After all, you NEVER see anything in a swim through. So I will often go around or over a reef segment while others swim through boring dead coral.
If you have been diving with Dave, he seems to enjoy swim throughs. That is fine. For years I have mentioned my view that you never see anything in swim throughs. It is just dead coral. Sure someone ahead might stir up some sand/coral flakes and you could possibly see it as an underwater snow globe, but that is about it.
Yes, I would rather be outside looking for turtles, eagle rays, juvenile yellowtail damselfish, trunkfish or anything besides boring dead coral.
Then one day I end up on a boat with Dave again. I do not remember who else was on the dive but once we approached the reef I was behind and maybe a little to the left of Dave as he enters what I recall as an arch structure. It was a nice big opening and probably not very long...perhaps 20-30 yards but that is not well remembered.
I am already in a relaxed state, just minding my own business when partway into this structure I look up and there is a shark coming at us. This is not a nurse shark or a big trunkfish. Dave IDed it and I will take his word on the species. I do not recall whether it went by us but it probably turned around and left. It must have turned. Had it gone by us it would have been close enough to touch.
No doubt Dave was giddy with excitement that he debunked my view that you never see anything in swim throughs. I will offer up to the assembled divers that where we saw it may not constitute a swim through. If Dave can give a better description of the size and length of that opening, maybe my view of swim throughs is still valid.
Regardless, it was a neat experience. I will note that I had a great experience while waiting on the ocean side of the Devil's Throat reef...north of the throat while others did their thing in those dead coral lined passages. As is often the case, I am just waiting in place, minding my own business, when out of the corner of my left eye I see something. It is a nice loggerhead turtle that is coming right at me. Not aggressively of course, just normal graceful movement as he veers a bit and passes in front of me.