Diving 5

The fifth dive day got off to an early start since we were due to start the journey back towards the mainland that afternoon. The first dive turned out to be the most memorable of the trip. Shortly after descending into the blue, we noticed that the first group was already photographing below. There were multiple hammerheads circling just below. We happily joined in as it almost got a little too crowded. Two more hammerheads joined the party, and we got within 2-3 meters of these graceful creatures. A Silky shark, which is another species just slightly smaller than the hammers, also started circling. He had a noticeably different swimming style with much more swift and inquisitive movements rather than the slow circling of hammers. This dive was definitely one of our favorites due to how close we got to the sharks.

The second dive, in the same spot, was a dud as we spent most of the time staring into the blue with no shark in sight. But that's expected when diving with sharks in their natural environment. Out of the 7 shark dives we did at Daedalus, we had amazing, up-close experiences on 2, saw some sharks at distance on 3, and got nothing on 2.

Dive 3 was back in the anemone garden. Anemone always makes for spectacular pictures due to the vibrant colors and otherworldly shapes of the polyps.

After last dive in the afternoon, we took off on our overnight journey towards Elphinstone reef. Everyone had a few drinks together on the top deck and bow as we cruised into the sunset.Read more