They always say, "expect the unexpected" when diving. But nothing could have prepared us for the sight of millions of tiny sardines dancing overhead in the waters of Moalboal, Philippines. The team and I had been obsessed with bait balls for as long as we’ve known each other. Living in Western Australia, we’d see bait balls all the time in these active waters. But, we had our eye set on one in particular to learn more about and experience firsthand. And that’s the semi-permanent sardine bait ball found in the shallows of the island of Cebu.
For those unfamiliar, bait balls refer to the phenomenal act of smaller fish, like sardines, forming a dense and spherical formation. This is primarily a defense mechanism. When threatened by predators, these small fish gather together, creating a sphere of swirling, synchronized motion. This tight grouping confuses and deters individual predators, making it harder for them to single out and target one fish.
Imagine our excitement when we plunged into the warm ocean water to soon find ourselves blanketed under a living, shifting umbrella of fish. As sunlight filtered through their darting bodies, the waters above transformed into a canvas of moving silhouettes, painting a scene that was even more epic than any description could offer.
At times, it felt like we were caught in some elaborate flash mob, set in the middle of the ocean. The sardines blocked out the sunlight entirely, leaving us navigating with torches. You'd think we'd entered some ominous cave or stumbled upon an underwater eclipse. Nope, just a casual cloud of sardines turning day into night.
While the disorienting darkness made for a laugh (and a slightly embarrassing moment when we couldn’t differentiate up from down when swallowed by these fish all around us), the sheer marvel of this natural phenomenon wasn't lost on any of us. It’s a breathtaking sight: these minuscule creatures coming together, transforming into a behemoth force of nature. In some instances, the bait ball looked like a gigantic whale given how they were forming and shifting all together.
There was a moment, amid the shimmering expanse, where the sheer number of sardines was so overwhelming that it left me momentarily dazed. Everywhere we turned, there was an endless stream of fish, gliding past in coordinated cadence.
For a brief instance, I felt completely engulfed, as if I'd crossed a threshold into another realm. It was as though the very fabric of reality had been torn open, offering a fleeting glimpse into another dimension. The sensation was both exhilarating and disconcerting, a testament to the power of the natural world.
Nature, with its propensity for unpredictability, sometimes throws divers a curveball. A few weeks before we had arrived in the Philippines, some divers had come from across the globe only to be greeted by clear waters, devoid of the spectacle. Yet, whether graced by the sardines or simply embraced by the vastness of the ocean, every dive serves as a reminder of our smallness in the face of nature's grandeur.
In the vast expanse of the ocean, it was the smallest creatures that offered the most striking lesson. Being enveloped by the sardine bait ball was not just a dive spectacle; it was a firsthand experience of the power of unity. Each sardine, on its own, might seem inconsequential. Yet, together, they formed a force that could eclipse sunlight and leave an indelible impression. It drove home a clear message:
Our expedition isn’t just about witnessing singular events like this. We are on a broader quest to uncover some of the ocean's most magical congregations, showing us what’s still left worth fighting for. From the swirling vortexes of manta rays in Maldives, or the mass aggregation of devil rays in Baja, California, we aim to immerse ourselves in these natural marvels.
We want to better learn their rhythms and behaviors, and how they’ve adapted over time, continuing to push on. The sardine bait ball in Moalboal was but one mesmerizing chapter in our ongoing journey of discovery.
To be continued …
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