This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by @marc-allaria: LE VOYAGE D'AURORA - STOP#9 - Christmas Island, Episode 5...!

^{As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.}

Remember that the person who speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but Marc Allaria (@marc-allaria), a French guy.

THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island
Part 5

Just out of curiosity and with a sailor look, take a look at your chart and look at the tiny dot representing Christmas Island. Yes you saw it correctly. Christmas Island is the only emerging point where funds of more than 5000m follow one another over several million square kilometers. In other words, Christmas Island is the only shelter in this region of the world that can provide oxygen to the underwater benthic fauna.

The effect is immediate. The whole food chain has an appointment around the island. From the smallest organism carried by the currents, through the coral, all the species of tropical fish, and obviously the big hunters that are the tunas and the sharks. I had the chance to enjoy this parade of species and colors for two full weeks.

And then, the sea sometimes brings you surprises, maybe to thank us for the stubbornness that we can put to always want to discover. While I savored the narcosis of one of my last dives at Christmas Island, my eyes were attracted by a distant shadow far above the surface. No doubt, it was a large shark. His square jaw made me think of a tiger shark first. I went back timidly, caught between the choice not to miss such a meeting and that of running away with my palms around my neck. But as I approached, I slowly saw a few white spots on the shark's dress, which obviously was in no hurry to flee. It took me 5 minutes to reach his level and get closer to him.

What an emotion to finally find myself a few inches from the biggest fish in the world. This one must be a sub adult, it measured only 6 to 7 meters! But adults can reach 12 to 15m in length. While I remained almost stoic in front of this giant, it began to lose interest in me and moved away slowly. As I have waited a long time for this meeting, it had to last more than a few seconds. Without hiding my despair, I began to gesticulate in a haphazard manner as if I were trying to amuse a dolphin. Big signs with the arms, some shouting, pirouettes ... Thinking about it now, I had to look very ridiculous! But chance or consequence, I suddenly saw the shark come back to me and this time he showed a much more sustained interest for me. We stayed five long minutes in an unforgettable spiral. He turned around me, while I was turning on myself, losing my bearings a little. The round was intensifying, the photos were numerous, but despite having the animal at hand, I was never tempted to break this dance and to touch it. The situation was perfect as it and the memory certainly imperishable.

Continue to Part 6

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01: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: Funny situations ...! at sea..., by @marc-allaria
02: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: The fishing file ...!, by @marc-allaria
03: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: The Cagayan Islands, by @marc-allaria
04: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: Seaweed...!, by @marc-allaria
05: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: The Bacuit Archipelago, by @marc-allaria
06: BORNEO: Kudat and the technical stop, by @marc-allaria
07: BORNEO: Kinabatangan River, by @marc-allaria
08: BORNEO: Maratua, part 1, by @marc-allaria
09: BORNEO: Big Fish School, by @marc-allaria
10: BORNEO: Diving in Maratua ...!, by @marc-allaria
11: BORNEO: The jellyfish lake ...!, by @marc-allaria
12: SULAWESI: Sewia...!, by @marc-allaria
13: SULAWESI: Story of a dive at Pasoso Island...!, by @marc-allaria
14: SULAWESI: Tanjun Kai...!, by @marc-allaria
15: SULAWESI: Kopoposang...!, by @marc-allaria
16: SULAWESI: PA-RA-SI-TE...!, by @marc-allaria
17: SULAWESI: BIRA...!, by @marc-allariaThe long mishap - Part 1
18: SULAWESI: Diving under my house ...!
19: SULAWESI: Stright ahead ...!, by @marc-allaria
20: The long mishap - Part 1, by @marc-allaria
21: The long mishap - Part 2, by @marc-allaria
22: The long mishap - Part 3, by @marc-allaria
23: The long mishap - Part 4, by @marc-allaria
24: The long mishap - Part 5, by @marc-allaria
25: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 1, by @marc-allaria
26: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 2, by @marc-allaria
27: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 3, by @marc-allaria
28: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 4: Crabs, by @marc-allaria