Scratching the Surface

I was scanning the magazine Sport Diver when I came across the article "Scratching the Surface." This article was written by Ted Alan Stedman who is an avid diver and who is always looking for a new adventure under the surface. This article is based off a trip he took to Palawan in the Philippines. The section of the article that really caught my attention was titled 'Nothing Like a 12-Foot Thresher Shark to Stir Things Up.' This section talks about a specific dive that was made during the trip that introduced him to a new and exciting creature. The thresher shark is known for it's tail, which is said to be able to kill or decapitate a man. The author goes into great detail about the experience and how seeing this creature materialize out of the shadows in the water was exhilarating. The details make you feel like you are right there in the water next to him watching this unfold, the gray shadow, the details of the animal, the closeness, and then the retreat. I can relate to this event because on one of my dives a few years ago we saw a Bull shark. Let me tell you right now that seeing a creature of that size was scary. I remember seeing the shadow swimming towards us and then seeing this 8-foot long shark meandering along the ocean floor near our dive group and then with a flip of his tail it was gone. Back to the article, the author goes on to describe the surroundings before the group returns to the surface. The rest of the article goes into details about the Philippine Islands. One thing that I found interesting is that the Philippines consist of about 7,107 islands which amounts to a coastline of about 22,550 miles. If you ask me, that is awesome, and about 2,500 of those islands are unnamed. Just to think about all the reefs and species that are possibly undiscovered. This article was very fascinating and I loved reading about the diving experience and all the possible adventures that await in the Philippine Islands.