POST PARTUM: Robert Lavenberg, above, the first...

POST PARTUM: Robert Lavenberg, above, the first scientist to examine the Dana Point megamouth shark, is nonetheless down in the dumps. Professional disappointment? No, melancholy after releasing the fish. . . . “There is a bonding that occurs, and it’s like a divorce, an end to a relationship,” he says. “But at least he’s OK. And we learned a hell of a lot about a very rare shark. Now the real work begins.”