Journal of the fiftyfifth day on board

26th June, 1999

Time: 7,45 We’re entering the small port of Lampedusa. It’s a day of beautiful sun and dead calm.

We have to fill up on water, food and diesel. We have organised everything and count on heading out again to sea in a couple of hours. It’s a beautiful day. The sea is calm and we are full of optimism.

Time: 12,30 We are still here. Firstly we had difficulty with the fuel for the dinghy, the motor of the Alicudi, the papers etc.

Time :12,40 Irene Giuffrida is a subaqua expert and the point of reference, along with her husband Gianni, for all the divers who embark on the island. She updates me on the shark news from the area:

Firstly the good news: "At Lampione, laying on the bottom, I saw a fine example of a gray shark"
Then the not so good news: "But it was in 1984!"

After a highly technical and fascinating meeting with our on-board biologist, Silvia Giuliani, and considering the shark’s metabolism, the temperature of the water in the Lampione area, the swimming habits of these fish, we both agree that, probably by now, Irene’s shark has moved away and therefore there’s no great hurry to go to Lampione.

Time: 13,30 We weigh anchor: destination; a reef off Lampedusa.