I was the kid who thought there were sharks in the swimming pool. In fact, for a long period of time, I refused to go swimming unless one of the adults in my household accompanied me. My parents censored a lot of my TV viewing material when I was growing up, yet they did not see any harm in letting a four year old watch Steven Spielberg's hit movie 'Jaws.' Little did they know that it would spark, not only a perpetual obsession with these beautiful, powerful animals, but also a new fear that Jaws could come up through the toilet (which I've grown out of, by the way).
That being said, a few months ago I decided that I would attempt to fulfill my dream of swimming with sharks; I wanted first hand, up close and personal experience with these beauties. Why? Well, given that society has a tendency to paint sharks as vicious man eaters, I wanted to take the opportunity to show my circle of people how very false those claims are. Also, having grown up in the suburbs on the outskirts of a city, I wanted to broaden my horizon and take a chance for once in my life.
After a twenty-one hour drive from New York to Florida, my body barely got time to rest up for the dive. But when the winds picked up, and I was notified by the dive center that our expedition would need to be canceled, I was devastated to say the least. I did not drive fifteen hundred miles only to return empty-handed. Luckily, they were accommodating enough to reserve a spot for me for two days following.
I had built myself up with such excitement and ideas of how it all would play out; after all, I am a massive Shark Week enthusiast with almost no diving experience, so I knew EXACTLY how it was going to be...right? Wrong. The boat was much smaller than I thought it was going to be, and the waves much larger. The captain lowered the cage, and before we knew it, three big lemon sharks were circling the boat. Having previously been told that there would be a ladder right down into the cage, I was surprised (to say the least) that it was, in fact, a good twenty feet away from the boat, and that I would need to swim to it. I lowered myself onto the edge of the platform, my feet dangling in the water and the captain said, "When I say go, then go...and swim to the cage as fast as you can."
There were three sides to the cage, the front having a gap of about five feet in length (though, the entire height was about eight feet) and four feet wide for divers to enter through. In seconds, I made it inside and had the experience of a lifetime. It was much rougher than I had imagined, however. The waves were tossing us (myself and another girl) about the cage. It was difficult to take pictures, as I needed to grasp the steel bar with one arm so as not to be pulled under by the power of the waves. It's unsteadying, and unnerving and your vision is somewhat limited, even in water as clear as that. Lemon sharks, ranging from five feet to thirteen feet circled is, feeding on chum that was being thrown to them. We were accompanied by free divers who came within inches of the sharks, yet these "man eaters" showed little to no interest in human interaction.
Statistics show that approximately twelve people die worldwide each year due to shark attacks. Conversely, over one hundred million sharks are killed annually at the hands of humanity; that's about 11,417 per hour.
I'll never forget that day. We are taught to fear these majestic creatures all our lives, and yet, when you witness them in their habitat, they are so very different from how society tries to portray them. They are not man eating killers. They are not monsters. They are graceful, and beautiful, and mysterious. And they have as much of a right to be here as we do.
Admittedly, I learned that nothing can adequately prepare you for the moment when you finally jump in. I was sitting on the edge of the platform and looked down and saw these beautiful, powerful animals and thought, "Oh my goodness, I cannot believe what I am about to do." As someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression for half my life, always having a tendency to second guess myself, I can say with 100% honesty that taking that final leap into the water was the easiest decision I've ever made.
And also, for those who might not be so interested in sharks, but who are looking for some inspiration, it's a great way to look at life, as well. When something seems insurmountable and scary, do it anyway. Never cheat yourself out of an experience that you might not get again, because when you do finally go for it, the benefits will be far beyond what you could ever have imagined.
Hope you enjoyed! #savethesharks
Most Helpful Opinions