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Swimming with sharks
Vance Stevens, an avid diver, has logged 486 dives in 15 years. Hailing from Texas, he's always been fascinated by the underwater world.
- By Sujata Devadas and Diane Miller
- Published: 00:00 December 28, 2006
- 'Every time I swim alongside (the whale shark), so huge, and yet so gentle, playful and tolerant, I realise just how insignificant I am in nature's scheme of things' - Vance Stevens.
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Vance Stevens, an avid diver, has logged 486 dives in 15 years. Hailing from Texas, he's always been fascinated by the underwater world.
His diving experience spans 40 years (1966-2006), during which he has plunged into several ocean waters. He did his 756th dive (since 1991) on Saturday, November 2, 2006 at Dibba Rock along with his wife and two others.
But it's the Lima Rock dive that he counts as one among his best.
On Friday the 13th, June 2003, Stevens and his family joined a group of friends for a diving trip. They split into groups of four and each group went out to sea in a dhow.
And the fun began.
"As our dhow pulled up to Lima Rock, those at the stern shouted 'shark'! The giant creature had just passed under our dhow and as it glided past, it was clearly visible from the deck and easily identifiable - a whale shark. We kitted up quickly and I was the first from our group to dive into the water," says Vance.
"The whale shark passed beneath me and I signalled to the others to join me.
"The bottom was 15 metres deep but we stayed at a depth of 5 to 10 metres and looked around to see where the whale shark had gone. As we searched for it, I saw Dusty pointing behind him. There it was!" Stevens recalls.
The whale shark is a gentle and slow marine animal and the largest living fish species. Despite its enormous size, it does not pose any significant danger to humans, as it feeds on small marine organisms only.
Divers and snorkellers can swim with this giant fish without any risk, apart from accidentally being hit by its large tail fin.
"What amazed us is that this whale shark swam around and amongst us for as long as we cared to play with it. It would swim away and then circle back. It was easy to place yourself so that it would cross paths with you.
"As it made its turn in the water to face us again, I would position myself to watch as its big head approached. I'd see its eye blink as it passed within stroking distance.
"The first time, I held its fin momentarily. But then as I held it again, I could feel it surge forward to get away, not frantically, but like a cat might disengage itself from your cuddle when it wants to get down. So I let go.
"But the creature's interest in us continued to compel it back towards us, as it circled and passed around us repeatedly, allowing us to play with it as long as we desired.
"On one pass, I stroked its silky side, on another, I grabbed its dorsal fin. And again, our friend intimated via its body language that I should let go. At one point, my son Dusty moved up and put a hand on its fin.
"It continued to be around us until we reluctantly decided it was time for us to get on with our diving plans for the day. We had spent 10 minutes playing with the whale shark.
"Lima Rock is full of fish in shallow waters. You also get to see lovely soft yellow and purple corals. After leaving the shark, we came upon an eagle ray that glided into view, saw us, and quickly departed up the corals. Eagle rays appear supple when swimming, but rigid when they speed away.
"As we got to the east end of the island, the current picked up and the visibility became grainy. I saw a tuna swim right past my friend, Andres. As the current got stronger, Andres got swept into it.
"As Andres made his way back, I saw our friend the whale shark pass overhead. The whale shark made a couple of passes but by now we were trying to shoo him away so that he would not block our view of the other fish.
"I saw a turtle up ahead and decided to lead our group in that direction. This took us around the island to calmer waters where we finished our dive in the shallows, and enjoyed the schools of tropical fish."
"It is rare, even for someone who dives as frequently as I do, to experience such interesting interactions with marine life. I count this as the best dive I've ever had in the UAE, and among the best I've had anywhere.
"Every time I swim alongside (the whale shark), so huge, and yet so gentle, playful and tolerant, I realise just how insignificant I am in nature's scheme of things.
"We, human beings, with all our so-called 'knowledge' and our 'superior intellectual capacity' stand to lose by not widening our horizons to include all of God's creatures. Motivation for exploration activities such as diving comes from this realisation.
"Interacting with these creatures has made me more tolerant and accommodating. I have learnt not to abuse my powers, throw my weight around or bully others just because I am stronger or older than them."
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