Hammer Head Shark Trip
March 1-2, 2001

by Ralph Thomas

In summary, a great trip. Although I didn't get close enough to take pictures of the sharks (my camera is more for close-ups 4-6 ft in distance), I did see them!!  Because of the sheer quantity of variety fish species - individuals and huge schools - the last dive of the trip - my 92^nd logged dive since becoming certified for scuba in Feb '99 - was the most awesome, spine-tingling, experience I've had yet!!

 The Details.

Day one (Wednesday night):

The 3.5 hour drive from Austin to Freeport was without incident and I was there in plenty of time for boat boarding which began about 9pm. Departure from the dock was around 11pm and the time in between was spent checking in with ship personnel, selecting a bunk, a briefing of ship "do's and don't's", and getting one's gear put together. The first dive on the following morning is 7:30am so it's best to have everything put together and checked out beforehand.

 The boat ride out is something I always look forward to. I suppose it would be different if I was prone to seasickness. But I'm not (my sympathy to those who are). Too, it's not something I get to do real often (typically 2-3 per year), so I usually hang out on deck long after all else have turned below for sleep. There's just something about being on a moving ship at night. The moon reflecting off the water, the sound of three diesel cat engines purring in perfect synchronization, the spray of white foamy water that shoots out high into the air and off to the sides as the boat's bow plunges ahead. That, and the smell of the ocean air all makes for an environment that I cherish. When I do turn in, there's something about the gentle figure-8 motion the ship makes that just rocks me to sleep in a matter of minutes.

Day Two (Thursday Morning):

The Texas Flower Gardens is located a little over 100 miles SE of Galveston. At full throttle, the boat only goes at the rate of about 18 miles per hour, so it's a full night's journey. Once we arrive, the crew has much to do in preparation for the dives. The boat has to moor off to a buoy, exit ladders lowered off the stern, tag lines for divers to follow down, other lines lowered so we can do our safety stops before surfacing, etc. While all that is being set up, we're wiping away the sleepy dirt, enjoying a continental breakfast, coffee, fruit, and taking care of head calls before donning our dive gear.

 This would be the first of five dives this day, stretching over a period of almost 14 hours. I knew I'd be exhausted by the end of the day. But for now I was pumped with adrenaline, like a little boy on Christmas eve!!

 I didn't take the camera on this first dive. Primarily because, even though the water is very clear, the overall light would be poor this early in the morning, especially 80-ft below the surface. Too, I was teamed up with a diver whom I had not dove with before.  In the interest of safety and getting familiar with each other under water, we both decided to leave cameras behind.

 That first dive, as was the others to follow, was wonderful. The surface was eerily calm - especially for this time of year. The waves were quite gentle and rolling. As soon as one hit the water and looked down, the bottom, some 80-ft below was quite visible as well as the teaming life that lives on the reef. The water temperature was about 71 degrees, but comfortable with the wet suit on.  There was the usual assortment of reef fish and colorful coral formations. Although spectacular and I never tire of seeing it, it was nothing that I hadn't seen before. No Hammerheads were spotted. When we surfaced, the cooks had a grand breakfast waiting for us - sausage, eggs, bacon, fruit, french toast, pancakes - it was all there. These folks really work hard and do a great job of cooking good balanced meals (bear in mind this praise comes from a bachelor not well versed in the art of cooking - lol) and there's always plenty to eat. They also make an extra effort to cater to those who have special diets as well.

 First, we did two dives on the West Bank of the Texas Flower Gardens and then moved over to the East Bank for three more dives - including a night dive. Although no Hammerheads were spotted, there was much to be seen to make up for it. Anything from Eagle Rays, a very mature Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Nurse Sharks, large Grouper, a few Silky Sharks, Spotted Moray Eels, Barracuda, and the usual assortment of small exotic and colorful reef fish that normally inhabit the area. The bioluminescence during the night dive was great. Little bright blue bubbles would trail off our hands and fins as we swam around - just like the white flashes of a sparkler on New Year's Eve -- visually very cool!!

 There's a whole different assortment of critters out at night. Most notable was the population of Sea Urchins and shrimp. Wherever we shone our lights, pairs of little beady bright red eyes belonging to shrimp could be spotted. Many of which was nestled in the safe confines of the Sea Urchin's needles. And the Sea Urchins came in a wide assortment of colors from black to white and many colors in between. It was at the very end of the night dive that I spotted the Hawksbill Sea Turtle - first I'd ever seen out there. I was hanging off the ladder line with my fins removed, waiting for my turn to come aboard when it swam up from the depths, turned and swam horizontally about 6-ft below me, then banged a U-turn back into the depths.

 Following the night dive, the galley cooks treated us to hot homemade brownies and vanilla ice cream. Afterwards, bushed, but with many fond memories of the day's five dives, I retired for the evening, not even aware of when the boat began it's overnight journey to the next location - Stetson's Bank.

Day Three (Friday Morning):

This morning was a repeat of the previous morning with the continental breakfast and preparations for what was to turn out to be the day's only dive.  Stetson's Bank, part of the marine sanctuary, has a geographical profile like that of west Texas - the hill country so many of us are fond of. The only difference being this one is well out to sea and 100 feet below the surface.

 This, my 92^nd dive was to be memorable.  Descending spread-eagled like a skydiver, I immediately saw the prize and objective of this trip - a magnificent specimen of a Hammerhead Shark swimming right at me. In my excitement, I was blowing air bubbles and blubbering excitedly to my dive buddy. I tried to shout "look, look!" but under water it sounds more like a garbled  "bla-lillip bla-lillip!!" But no matter. She too had seen the Hammerhead and was pointing and making the same sort of alien noises as me (smiling). The Hammerhead got within about 30-ft then became spooked, turning around then and heading back to the relative safety of the depths.

Looking further below was another 12-15 Hammerheads mingled amongst a school of Jack Fish without a care in the world until we approached. Then, being a very shy creature, they departed quickly to areas unknown. But that was okay with me. I'd seen the majestic and unusual creature that was the objective of this trip. Who knows when/if I'll ever get to see it again.

 Stabilizing at a depth of about 90-ft, we (a group of about 8 divers) floated in stared in awe of a huge school of Barracuda like none of us had ever seen before. The fish varied in size from 4-7 feet in length. The height of the school occupied a column of about 30-ft. Visibility was about 70-ft in any direction and the school extended in a straight line as far as the eye could see in either direction. But it was as if some sort of invisible barrier kept them contained in a tight pack and they were oblivious to our presence.

 But there were schools - whole communities of fish of varying species everywhere we looked. The water was absolutely saturated with fish life. The last thing I zeroed in on before my ascent was a beautiful specimen of a Spotted Moray Eel. With this dive, my trip was whole. I didn't care if I went on another dive or not. As it turned out, it was to be the last dive.

 When we surfaced, we discovered the seas had worsened. A number of divers had considerable difficulty climbing onto the steel ladders because of the pitching motion caused by the waves. But everyone got onboard without incident.  According to the agenda, there was to be one more dive after a surface interval of 2.5 hours (the standard safety interval between dives of this nature for "off-gassing" purposes).

 The last dive was to be at about 11:30am. The Captain and Dive Masters were huddled at the back of the boat studying the waves and rain squalls that had moved in. Had there been lightning in the area, the decision to dive or not would have been easy. But it was only raining and the seas were kicking up. The waves were coming from the southeast and the wind was coming from the north, which made for a "confused sea" situation. The boat, M/V Fling (owned and operated by Rinn Boats in Freeport, TX) is a significantly sized vessel, about 100-ft in length. But the waves and contradictory wind was pushing us from one side to another. That would definitely make for difficult exit by divers trying to catch up to a ladder that was not only pitching up and down but moving sideways as well.

 While the Captain and Dive Masters surveyed the situation, us divers stood behind them (well, staggering around like a bunch of drunken sailors is more like it - rough seas!!) wondering what the decision would be - would there be another dive or not.  Suddenly, off to the port side of the boat, we  saw something that gave us all an eerie feeling. Unmistakable, not 10-ft from the M/V Fling was the bottom floor of a crashed helicopter.  The entire bottom, with foot pedals and stabilizer arms in tact, simply floated by in a silence void of human life - all of us just stared quietly while the wind, rain, and seas performed according to the laws of nature.

 After that, there was but a little more discussion between the Captain and the Dive Masters. The Captain then announced "Sorry folks. But we're going to quit while we're ahead. It's too dangerous. There will be no more dives. We're heading home."

 There was no objections from any of us.

 For me, this was an incredible trip. I appreciate the safety conscious and customer oriented attitude of the crews working for Rinn Boats (http://www.rinnboats.com). This was by sixth trip out to the Texas Flower Gardens and all have been professionally managed and operated. There's a number of local Dive Shops here in Austin that book trips through Rinn Boats. Personally, I go through Tom's Dive & Ski (http://www.tomsscuba.com) on Burnet Road.