Dive Pacific 175 Dec2020 Jan 2021
Dive Pacific, New Zealand's Dive Magazine , captures the best of diving in New Zealand and the Pacific. with adventures, top photos and expert technical advice
Dive Pacific, New Zealand's Dive Magazine , captures the best of diving in New Zealand and the Pacific. with adventures, top photos and expert technical advice
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Story and photos<br />
by Sarah Ford<br />
perpendicularly through it,<br />
before passing outside. Denser<br />
food particles continue to the<br />
back of the throat. This suctionfeeding<br />
system allows them to<br />
swallow schools of small bait<br />
fishes along with many litres<br />
of water, retaining the fish and<br />
pushing the water back out.<br />
The night before Leeza had<br />
explained how gentle these<br />
creatures are. We could approach<br />
closely to them and, if we kept<br />
still, they would know where<br />
we were and avoid us. The dive<br />
guide signalled for us to come<br />
and hold a rope right near where<br />
they were coming to feed. But as<br />
they came right up it was hard to<br />
stay our ground. They eye balled<br />
us, and with their giant mouths<br />
open.<br />
…They grow very slowly reaching maturity when around 30<br />
years of age, and live to be 60-100 years old. They reproduce<br />
only slowly…<br />
We were so lucky to spend an<br />
hour in the water within a metre<br />
or two of these massive creatures<br />
as they fed and swam around us.<br />
When we reluctantly boarded<br />
the dive boats everyone was on a<br />
high. The excitement was clearly<br />
visible on everyone’s faces. We<br />
www.dive-pacific.com 41
Change language