Bull Sharks of Bat Island

Jutting abruptly from the sea is a spit of volcanic rock next to Bat Island also called Islas Murcielagos, or the Islands of the Bat. This is to be our dive site, this rock, surrounded by surge and current and aptly named "Big Scare". This same surge and current attracts large schools of snapper, wahoo, pompano, horse-eyed jacks and eagle rays. And, bull sharks!

Our dive master was Diego. We had met Diego the year before in a chance encounter at the Greater International Airport of Utila, Honduras (a lean-to next to a crushed shell airstrip and a large bra hanging from the ceiling). We were there to dive and Diego was there to get advanced instructor training. Diego is from Costa Rica and we struck up a conversation, exchanged addresses and went our separate ways.

The following year Mary and I walk into the dive shop at Ocotal Resort in Costa Rica and who do we meet but Diego. Call it fate or circumstance but this is how we came to dive Bat Island in search of bull sharks.

As we descended into the dive the surge became worse. The schools of fish undulated and I found myself getting seasick. The visibility was very poor only about 15 feet. Mary is following Diego and I am looking into the abyss for sharks when I see something that looks like a submarine coming straight toward me. It is a bull shark and begins to circle me. Soon others arrive, all between 8 – 15 feet long, and begin circling as I try to take pictures in the murky water. As the circle becomes tighter I notice that when my back is to the bull sharks they advance toward me but when I turn toward them they glide away.

I had gotten separated from Mary and Diego and as I began to ascend in search of their bubbles the bull sharks kept circling. Finally I saw bubbles and swam over to them. They too were enjoying the bull sharks but soon the sharks lost interest in us and disappeared into the abyss.

Leave us your comment and let us know what your most memorable shark moment was?