“Y'know, the thing about a shark, he's got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When he comes after ya, he doesn't seem to be livin' until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white, and then - aww, then you hear that terrible high-pitch screamin', the ocean turns red, and in spite of all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and rip ya to pieces, “ alledges Quint from the iconic movie, JAWS. We all saw it and we can all sing the melodramatic theme song.
Thrilling movies and suspenseful horror novels seared into our brains an intense fear of sharks. But, is that fear justified? A decade ago, I would tell you yes but now we have entire weeks on TV devoted to sharks and the research involved with learning more about them. Images and footage of sharks, especially Great White sharks, that not only show it’s extreme power but its grace and beauty too. These powerful images have sparked our interest in sharks and garnered them much publicity. Yes, we are entertained and maybe our fears have lessened to a degree but do we really have enough knowledge about sharks that we fully appreciate their sad plight (millions are killed each year just for fin soup) and their important role in our ecosystem? My goal was to push past my own predisposed thoughts about these very toothy fish and find out more about them, first hand. I believe that it is our job as intelligent beings and stewards of the environment to educate ourselves, to have a better understanding of each animals role in the world and with this approach our fears and misunderstandings should be replaced with awe and a drive to conserve our fantastic array of species both beautiful and those that intimidate.
Full disclosure, I’m a land lubber! Grass and mud under my feet is the world I know. I can’t say for certain that I fear sharks because I really haven’t encounter them except for accidentally hooking them while surf fishing (caught and released safely). As a wildlife photographer, I plan and track which species I want to encounter. I know their habitat and almost always see my subject first before photographing it. That takes a lot of the fear out of the situation. I’ve photographed many potentially dangerous species, the Northern cottonmouth is one species that I know I need to see first, I would scream like a crazy lady if it dropped off a branch onto me unaware! I lived most of my life on the East Coast and the shoreline of the Atlantic has great beaches but no visibility at all. I never did many water sports while living there. Now, residing in beautiful Oahu, the water is crystal clear, a brilliant blue. My first time snorkeling, I was overwhelmed in the beauty of all the colorful and bountiful fish that I saw! A new world was opened up, I could see underwater! So, with that spark of excitement, I was hooked and I wanted more! Now was the time to educate myself more about sharks, their behavior, and show that fear is not warranted.
To prove this point to you, my friends, I challenged myself to go snorkeling with these apex predators without a cage, with great supervision by the amazing team of One Ocean Diving. “Founded for a collaborative research program gathering data for over four different current shark research studies, the One Ocean Diving Pelagic Program was adapted by internationally recognized shark and marine biologist, Ocean Ramsey to serve as a major conservation effort and to help assist with funding for ongoing studies of sharks. A foundation and support platform for collaborative pelagic research, conservation, education and you in the water with these amazing animals. We focus our efforts on studying the behavior, physiology, biology and human interaction/effects on sharks, sea turtles and whales. We are passionate about helping people better understand these animals and the negative misconceptions that can go along with them- ESPECIALLY SHARKS!” (From OneOceanDiving.com).
Surrounded by fantastic safety divers and crew, I knew I was in great company, so in the water I went!
The morning was epic! All though there was a strong current, the water visibility was extremely good and the sharks did not disappoint. Upon first entry, below me majestically swam well over a dozen sharks, like a mystical ballet. Later, a few did pass by the boat and we had a very cool showing of tuna and a barracuda as well. The sharks being seen were Galapagos sharks and Sandbar. We had to fight hard against the current but these fantastic creatures hardly moved their tails as they gracefully swam by. I don’t know that I can really put the encounter into words to express the beauty and the calmness of it all (except the current). I had no fear, none, the crew did an exceptional job of educating us all on all of the species and the continued need for conservation. I’m all in to help these astonishing and inspiring species! Are you in?
Thanks again to Andy, Henry and Carlos of One Ocean Diving, your dedication to your job and this endeavor is evident!
If you go to the video gallery you can see the YouTube video or click this quick link:
https://youtu.be/pLtBdspXWzg
As always, hug your family and Love One Another,
God Bless,
MC
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