Some days I think about all the types of certain critters I have seen and then think that I will probably not see something new on the next trip.  It sure is nice to be wrong.  During the last trip to Grand Bahama it was awesome to see a loggerhead turtle up close. 

I had only seen a loggerhead turtle one other time and that was from a boat deck.  The last time I saw one it was only for a brief second because he popped his head up only a few meters ahead of our catamaran and then ducked down again as he saw we were sailing right towards him.  I don’t think I have ever seen a turtle move so fast.  Now he was never in danger because he would have passed between the two pontoons of the boat without any problem.  Nevertheless, because I was close to the front of the boat I could see just how enormous he was.  Most turtles I have seen have been maybe a few feet across the bottom of their shell.  The fellow who swam under the boat was easily 2 meets across the bottom of his shell.  If I had to guess he must have weighed several hundred pounds.  

The loggerhead turtle I saw in the Bahamas raced through the dive site, right past a bunch of divers.  He was huge — well over 500 pounds. 

At first I did not see any reason for why this turtle seemed quite determined to “motor” through the site.  It was only after I took the first shot that I saw why.   Maybe having a grey reef shark following you is no big deal for a turtle that weighs several hundred pounds.  

But then again, maybe having a large shark following you is just an annoyance.  I really don’t know, but even if I had a hard shell, I don’t think I would mess around with those teeth.  So maybe swimming through the circle of divers was the idea after all.  We were the bait. 

Oh yeah, the turtle took a right angle after passing me, and the shark just kept swimming straight.  Who says turtles are slow.