These inquisitive blue sharks portraited here, faced us in the eyes: they were true survivors. They had hooks in the jaws,

injured and healed fins. Yet, they stayed with us for a long time. Photos of the sharks by Mark Saxby, on a dive we did together, off shore Faial Island.

The mobula rays visit us during the summer in the Azores and we can have close encounters with them at Princess Alice Seamount Bank, 45 nautical miles southwest off Faial. The gracious rays swim very fast, and yet, they often come around and slowly swim nearby to take a close look. Photos by Patrick Masse