The Blue Shark is one of the most beautiful and graceful animals of the underwater world. As a pelagic it roams the open ocean and as such a sighting should be a very rare event indeed. Three years ago I went on a dive trip that was aimed to specifically find the Blue Shark. Base was the Catalina Islands that is approximately one hour by sea from Los Angeles in the Pacific Ocean. A day-boating dive operator from the Islands' only real town of Avalon became our guide for the week's trip. The trip took place in September and the weather was bright sunshine, light winds and relatively calm seas. In short it was absolutely ideal conditions. A Blue Shark day starts by taking the dive boat several miles offshore. On the way, a number of molar molars were found in pairs swimming beneath drifting castaway kelp clusters. They looked stunning with the sun's fingers stabbing the vivid blue water. The boat then drifts until just before sunset whilst constantly laying out a scent trail know as chummy. After about four hours, in came a lone Blue that became a player and stayed with us until we headed back to Avalon. The shark lived up to its reputation of being the puppy-dog of the seas. It cruised very slowly around each of the divers on very predictable patterns coming within inches on every pass. The shark kept within three metres of the surface and for a photographer like myself I doubt that you could ever get such a perfect subject. No one used the dive cage and all of the diving party had plenty of time and space to enjoy themselves to the full. The same happened on our second day of Blue diving although the shark appeared to be agitated throughout and I decided not to enter the water although most of the other divers did their stuff. The rest of the week was spent diving in kelp. That is an amazing experience - being surrounded by spectacular scenery and many interesting marine creatures. Out of my many dive trips this was one of the true highlights.