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Kate’s Ocean Creatures Bucket List

a man holding a glass of water

kate-and-the-whalesharkMeet the underwater world!

So maybe you’re already a scuba diver and maybe you’re thinking of becoming one, either way I’m sure you have a list of underwater animals that are on your ‘Bucket List’.

When I first started diving back in 2007 I was excited and even nervous of what I might encounter while on my dives. The thought of seeing a shark and feeling the unknown is a feeling I’ll remember forever. On my very first dive in my Open Water course I saw a shark…most likely a small white tip reef shark (nothing at all to be afraid of) and the fear I had before my dive was gone and I remember trying to chase the shark thinking how magical it was. From that point on-diving for me was my drug and I knew I wanted to do this so I could have many more magical moments like this.

What are your Bucket List Creature?

From that point on I am always on the search for new and exciting things-whether it be different species of sharks, strange and unusual fish I’ve never heard of let alone see or the tiniest critters of the sea. After all my years of travelling and hundreds of hours under the water I thought why not write about what ocean animals I have had on my Bucket List and been fortunate enough to tick off and what is still on my list and let’s hope in the upcoming years I can get through my Bucket List of ocean Encounters:

  • Manta Rays Done My first ever encounter was in Coral Bay, Ningaloo Reef Western Australia. I was on a snorkelling eco tour and this was what we were on the lookout for. Seeing mantas for the first time was magic but it wasn’t until I was diving in Fiji when leading a dive and a manta came right up to the group and started barrel rolling in front of us. We spent the whole dive watching this magical beast dancing around us and I almost had tears in my eyes.

 

  • Whales (while diving) I have been lucky enough to have many whale interactions-both from a boat and when snorkelling but never diving. Humpbacks, Blue Whales, Sperm Whales…Im really not that fussy. Hopefully I get to Tonga one day as I hear they have epic whale action there.

 

  • Sunfish (Mola Mola) The thought of seeing a sunfish-diving, snorkelling or any sighting gets me excited. Such unusual, majestic and beautiful animals and only seen them in photos its definatly on my bucket list

 

  • Dugong DONE While working in the Ningaloo Reef one day we happened to have a mother and her calf (if that’s what baby dugongs are called) right next to our snorkel sight. They happened to swim right past me-looking ever so graceful and slow yet I was kicking as hard as possible and no way could I keep up. Such fat creatures yet so very fast!

 

  • Orca What can I say? Imagine you’re going for a dive and you come across an orca…nothing more to add!

 

 

I always love to see and experience new underwater creatures and one of my favourite parts it to be able to share them with other divers. Seeing my students faces light up when they have seen a fish only viewed on ‘Finding Nemo’ is priceless. Whether it’s something as big as a whale or small as a shrimp-What’s on your Bucket List of Ocean Creatures?

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