Never say no to a dive. You just don't know what you'll miss.
        Every Monday myself and 2 buddies go for a midweek dive just a
few minute from our compound. However, yesterday, not because I didn't
want to go but because I couldn't go due to a severe sinus infection, I
missed a great experience.
        I saw my buddy after his return and expected to hear of a
routine but enjoyable dive. Soon as I saw his face I knew it was had to
be an exceptional dive as he was grinning ear to ear and giving me the
big thumbs up as I approached him. "Whale Shark" he cries out. "Whale
Shark"! Bullshit I say. "Whale Shark" he says again.
        Yup I missed the big one. Something I have yet to see here and
want to see badly. They were at about 45' moving along the reef when the
trailing diver was actually brushed by this 15 to 18 foot whale shark.
He said his heart almost exploded as it was so close he could not even
tell what it was! The whale shark continued towards the other diver and
just before he reached him the diver turned around and saw nothing but a
huge mouth 10 feet away. In his panic he held his breath, ascended a bit
and could then identify it as a whale shark and swam towards it and
managed to grab its tale which the shark quickly game a sharp snap and
carried on up the reef. With heart rates high they watched the whale
shark fade off into the distance.
        I was choked having to just listen to the story but knew I could
have not gone due to my sinus condition. However, if it had been one of
those days where I just said "Not today, I don't feel like diving" I
would probably jump off a tall building somewhere.
        As I said earlier, the moral of the story, never pass up a dive
that you can possibly make!
Cheers, eh!                     Email: ron.whalen@svcity.usbbs.com
Ron Whalen
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
cc: Brian Richardson [Richer@planet.eon.net]
    Ken Glinz [ken_glinz@wclinical.com]
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