10/22 ~ 10/23, 2023：ハンマー狙いで伊豆大島へ

晩秋の１０月２２日、ハンマー狙いで大島に渡った。すでに月末になり、ハンマー狙いはゲーム終了のムードが漂っていたが、１０月２３日のケイカイ浜での早朝ダイブは予想外のホームランとなった。この日、我々はガイドと共に４人のチームで午前６時半頃にケイカイ浜からエントリー。薄明かりの海中を沖に向け２５０mほど移動し、潮通りのよい水深18m程のポイントに向かった。ガイドは昨日、ここで200匹ほどの群れを見たという。ポイントに到着し、海底で息をひそめて待つと早速ハンマーが二、三匹頭上に出現。連隊の先行隊らしい。先行隊に続いて個体数は増えていき、最終的に３０〜４０匹の連隊が潮流に沿って移動していくパターンだ。早朝の薄明かりの海中に丸々と肥えた２メートル超のハンマーの連隊が真近に、次から次へと出現するというド迫力の水中ショーは同じパターンで断続的に続いた。薄明かりの海中でみるハンマーのシルエットは幻想的である。チームは２０分ほどポイントに留まっていただろうか。至福の時間はあっという間に過ぎ去り、帰路の残圧と水中ショーの余韻を残しつつチームは帰路に着いた。ケイカイでのハンマー狙いは観客のダイバーは海底に留まって、主役のお出ましを静かに待つスタイル。僕はこのスタイルが好きだ。ハンマーを見ると突進するようなスタイルは邪道だと思う。バディーに感謝。ガイドに感謝。素晴らしいダイブだった。
On the late autumn day of October 22nd, I crossed over to Oshima Island aiming to spot hammerhead sharks. As it was already the end of the month, there was a lingering sense that our quest for hammerheads might be futile. However, the early morning dive at Keikai Beach on October 23rd turned out to be an unexpected grand slam.
That day, our team of four, accompanied by a guide, entered the water from Keikai Beach around 6:30 AM. We swam out about 250 meters into the dimly lit sea, heading towards a spot at a depth of approximately 18 meters with good tidal flow. Our guide mentioned seeing a school of about 200 hammerheads in this area the previous day.
Upon reaching our destination, we huddled close to the seabed and waited in anticipation. Soon enough, two or three hammerheads appeared overhead, the vanguard of what was to come. Following them, the numbers grew, and eventually, a battalion of 30 to 40 hammerheads swam past us, moving along with the current.
The underwater show of these rotund, two-meter-plus hammerheads appearing one after another in the dim early morning light was nothing short of spectacular. The pattern repeated intermittently, creating a dramatic display. The silhouettes of the hammerheads in the dim light were ethereal.
We must have stayed at that spot for about 20 minutes, basking in the bliss of the moment. The time flew by, and soon we were on our way back, still basking in the afterglow of the underwater spectacle and mindful of our remaining air pressure.
The style of hammerhead spotting at Keikai Beach is to have the audience of divers remain on the seabed, quietly waiting for the stars to make their entrance. I love this style. I think it's heretical to chase after the hammerheads as soon as you see them. My gratitude goes out to my buddy and our guide. It was an incredible dive.
#伊豆大島 #oshima #scubadiving