ScubAnita: Anita the Awkward

Welcome back everyone!

This weeks topic was chosen in our community, a group on Facebook around my blog.

It seems like you guys like silly stories, so I will share a special one with you today.

First I need to explain you something about myself. I'm awkward, clumsy as it's explained in the dictionnary! I can fall down while standing, I can cut myself with a spoon, so get ready for some laughters :-)

Let's start with from the beginning.

I was working on the beautiful island of Fuerteventura, located in the Atlantic Ocean where you can encounter some really nice stuff!

Something very special to find there are the "Angelotes", Angel Sharks, an endangered species of flat, ray-like Sharks. They are the most beautiful creatures I know! They have the name from a move they make. They cover themselves in the sand and when they start to swim away the have a "cloud" of sand behind them that make their pectoral fins look like large angel wings. Have a look at them:

Especies de Canarias - Angelote

I'm really fascinated about them, they are just unusal und their patterns are stunning.

Fuerteventura is a volcanic island but quite flat (also underwater) what makes tit a perfect nursery for the Angel Sharks. The topography is simple, sand and rocky plateaus and shelters :-)

Nevertheless it has a variety of marine life there that makes it worth to dive down and explore. Because of the sandy ground, it is also a preferred spot for Torpedo Rays (Marbled Electric Ray).

So I was in the Dive Center one morning, as usual, preparing the forms for the guests and there was this one guy with his camera that didn't want to join from the boat as he knew that entering from the shore gives you more variety on the dive on our big reef (Veril Grande), escpecially with the camera.

So I took him and I grabbed my torch that all the colors appear at deeper depths. It was such a beautiful day with stunning light underwater and we decided to stay in a depth around 20 meters on top of the plateau

Big reef, front view

So as we were diving around, looking for nudis and flatworms i recognised some shape under a rock, thinking it was a Torpedo Ray

Torpedo Ray, hidden in the sand

I pointed my torch on it, turned around to my buddy and wanted to inform him about my encounter, still pointing the torch down.

Suddenly I've felt a pain in my hand. I was shocked and didn't realise what was going on! Had a look down and saw my torch laying next to an Angel Shark... I turned back to my buddy and the only thought I had in this moment was: DID HE CATCH THAT ON CAMERA?

Unfortunately he was filming some Barracudas in the same moment and just swam by after he heard me screaming :-))

So there's no video proof of the bite, I'm sorry that I don't have this footage available for you... Here's a video where you can see the Angel in slow motion:

Especies de Canarias - Feeding

He asked me if I'm fine and I was checking my hand. Nothing special, some scratches on the skin and that was it. So I grabbed my torch in front of the Angel Sharks head, asked my buddy about the remaing air and we decided to turn back to the exit point. There was no pain, no weird feeling, just nothing left from the bite. Until we reached our safety stop depth on 5 meters. Slowly we have been covered in a brownish cloud and we were wondering if the wind changes and the current is bringing particles that are usually found in shallower depths.

He pointed on my hand and then we realised that due to less pressure in shallower depths, I was bleeding like crazy. This time I saw that this little scratches in 20 meters suddenly appeared to be open and deep wounds. Still no pain ar any other feeling at this time in my hand, just wondering...

So we finished our safety stop, went back up to the surface, took our fins off and started to walk back to the parking (around 400 m over sandy beach). We crossed some other divers that were on the way to start their excursion and they asked if the Angels are around. My buddy just replied with a dry "yes and they are in cuddling mood". Everyone was laughing and each group continued to walk until one guy of the other group turned around and startet to shout something about "blood" and "someone needs help" and things like this. We also turned around and noticed, that I left a bloody trail all over the beach :-)

My hand started to be swollen and I felt the pulse now in every finger. It started to hurt slowly and I began to feel a bit dizzy. I guess the shock was over and the adrenaline disappeared.

I grabbed my T-Shirt from the van and put it around my hand and my colleague (she was waiting for us in the parking) was nearly blacking out (she doesn't like blood). That was a drama during our 5 minutes car drive :-)

Back in the center, washing and desinfecting the wounds of course. As we had our medical box on the boat I improvised with cotton and insulation tape (cable tape)

I was 2 days outside of the water when I already started to freak out about the long dry period. I grabbed a silicone glove, taped it well around my wrist, put my diving glove on top and headed back to the water. It took several weeks until it was completely healed.

IMPORTANT:

- That the Angel Shark attacked me, was completely my own fault!! First of all I pointed a torch towards marine life's face, in the eyes. Don't do that ever. Point the torch next to the animal, you still catch it in the beam.

- Don't blame sharks in general! They are indispensable for our ecosystem under water! They eat the trash, the sick, the dead and the injured fish (or birds) and avoid them to spread necromanitc bacteria and parasites through the water.

- Don't take it as easy as I did, if you got stung or bitten or scratched by marine life, go and see a doctor. It can happen that there are remainings inside the wound that can cause infections. If this would happen to me again, I would go straight to the hospital.

- Don't blame any animal for your wrong interaction and behaviour! Mostly you know you're doing something wrong, just leave it ;-)

And here are some more photos for you: