As the season winds down and the whale sharks are beginning to disperse to more plankton rich waters, and the interns migrate back to colder climes, so the tempo of activities is also slackening off….

So slack in fact, the pilot Johan decided to stop-off at one of Seychelles under-visited beaches on the way back from an afternoon encounter support patrol… justifying the break as due reward for a very taxing afternoon with no sharks until the very last 15 minutes of the patrol… time for a quick spot of scenic photography!

COP on Grande Anse, Mahe, where COP's tyre tracks compete with horse hoof-prints for importance, while pilot Johan swelters in his red flight-suit....

And so it was that the COP visited Grande Anse, Mahe, for an hour or so and hardly a soul came to see what the strange apparition was that had landed on their beach…. In fact apart from the hoof prints of horses from the local stables, COP’s tyre tracks were the most notable sign of activity on the beach!

Johan soon dispensed with the flight-suit for a few scenic photos!

Johan managed to convince two young girls that he and Katie weren’t from outer space and so they returned to collecting ‘tec-tec’ clams (a local delicacy) from the shallows while Johan and Katie took a few photos of COP in the stunning scenery.

And then it was time to take COP back home, landing on the big concrete beach the is Seychelles International airport, where COP is hangered… so much for idyllic beaches!