A Mola Mola, better known as Sunfish, was spotted at Reqqa Point in Żebbuġ, Gozo by James Grima and his diving buddy as they enjoyed the depths of our waters.
“As we rounded the reef and reached a depth of 35 metres, we noticed a distant shadow. It looked, at first glance, like a vertically positioned fish. My buddy and I exchanged a puzzled look,” said Grima. Grima went on to say that “as we drew closer, we noticed the vertical fins slowly moving.
That’s when we realised, we were looking at a Mola Mola, also known as an ocean sunfish. It was a surreal moment. We had hoped, talked, planned, and dived countless times dreaming of such an encounter. I felt a huge rush of excitement. We hadn’t even planned to dive this site, and here we were, face to face with one of the ocean’s most elusive and majestic creatures.”
Their amazement is clear in the footage, as the pair can be heard shouting through their regulators, unable to hide their excitement.They came face to face with the Mola Mola around 40 metres deep as they saw it moving gracefully and without any panic as the two divers approached it.
Grima told Lovin Malta that it was about two metres long from tip to tip. He went on to describe how its eye was “roughly the size of a tennis ball, and its mouth opened nearly five inches wide.” What a wonderful experience in nature while enjoying one’s hobby!
If you’ve seen the creatures of the deep while diving or swimming and would like to share them with the world, send them to us on [email protected]