Just a couple more

Just to finish this out. Here is a side perspective of the whale shark with a couple of strangers as points of reference.

And here's someone you all know in he picture with the shark. Yup, that's Michael swimming towards me. Just as proof that he did, in fact, get in really, really deep water with something really, really big.

Good times.



Dropped right on top of the whale shark

This is a slow motion (1/4 time) video of the second drop. I was trying to swim from the boat toward the other people already in the water unaware that the shark was between them and me until the guide told me to look down. Apologies for the splashing. The camera is strapped to my left wrist so whem I am swimming (or scrambling to move away from the shark) the camera flails in and out of the water along with my arms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3ivePnwEw0

And just for good measure, here are some still images captures from that video. I don't even know if I saw it at this point or if my wrist was just in the water.

I DO KNOW I saw it at this point. (That is my own hand in the picture.)

I wish I had had the presence of mind to just float and let it slide under me but natural instincts or panic (depending on how you look at it) took over and I scrambled to get away. Even so I guess I wasn't really fast enough given the next image.

I asked someone at the dive shop later if it would have avoided me. For better or worse she said that sometimes they are just so much in the 'zone' eating that could have bumped into me (slammed into me, more likely) before it realized I was there.

Whale Shark

OK, here's a link to a brief video of part of our first whale shark encounter. (We had two encounters with the same shark. They drop you in. You try to keep up. When you give up, the boat picks you up and drops you in front of it again.)
Please note that this camera has a fish eye lens to the shark was closer than it appears in the video. TRUST ME.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drut-pLNQjQ

On second thought

Maybe I'll post one more mention.
As a point of reference, we packed really lightly for this trip. Ask anyone traveling with us who had to see us over and over again in the same three outfits.
That intent along with our complete ignorance of the ever-changing seasons in the rest of the world resulted in my arriving at Heathrow in my comfy, negligee-esque, halter maxi-dress in the bold, giraffe print. Then while wearing said attire I had to catch the limo to Gatwick and transfer between terminals there moving in and out of the chill and rain with crowds of sad Brits bundled up in boots and woolens in all shades of gray and black rather like a naturally camouflaged kudu suddenly set against a black backdrop. But the fellow working here at the BA airport lounge told me how lovely and trendy and cheery my dress is. So without predators I guess it's ok to stand out.
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Saying goodbye to Mozambique

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Sitting in INH

The airport in Inhambane, Mozambique in the bar (I.e. At the plastic tables next to the tarmac.) Drinking my final 2-M beer while Georgia downloads photos from the camera.
Today was spectacular as far as weather goes. Perfect temperature. Bright blue skies. Sunny with a refreshing cool breeze. Of course we are leaving. At least we aren't heading to Wisconsin or London :-)
Will post a beach picture and a local fishing boat picture and then that will be it until we can capture stills and/or edit whale shark videos.
Until then, happy trails.
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Mozambique

So here is this morning's photo of the Indian Ocean.
Yesterday stayed pretty miserable. More Mexican train. Then dinner with live music - a guitarist who played everthing from Elvis and the Beatles to the Animals and what must have been local songs.
This morning's walk on the beach revealed some really colorful if teeny shells and three sets of turtle tracks. A local boy tried to sell us a beautiful lobster that was a brilliant rainbow of colors and so big its tail had to be folded underneath to fit it into the ice chest.
The weather appears to be clearing but not fast enough for me to squeeze in another ocean safari before we leave tomorrow.
So for today we'll just head over to another resort for lunch just for a change of pace.

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Dreary in Mozambique

Well, a greater power made the decision whether I would take another run at whale shark chasing. The rain came in overnight and it has been on and off drizzling and on and on dark, damp and cold. The Ocean Safari was cancelled.
Melody and Jon jumped into a sucker hole and went diving but tales of rough seas on and off the boat (you don't really want to know the procedure for vomiting 15 ft below the surface) make one glad to have stayed home drinking wine and playing Mexican Train.
Now, what to do with the rest of the day....
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