Holy Sh....ark!

Wow, wow, wow.

Before I left work last week, Carla asked me what I was most looking forward to. The answer was easy: shark dive. Despite a bit of trepidation (which does rhyme with predation), I was really looking forward to diving with sharks. This is no cage dive, this is up close and personal with a lot of teeth. I woke up early, and Kim drove me over to the dive shop. She opted not to go on this dive for some reason. I was excited to see three other divers; more divers, more crowding. The capacity for this dive is 10, so we were small group.

Before we got on the boat, the shop owner gave us a 30 minute lecture on shark conservation and what to expect. The location was chosen, so that you have your back to a large coral reef; you don’t want those animals sneaking up on you. They also had half a dozen staff, who would be strategically placed to intercept any problems. I later found out that the staff were armed with metal poles shaped like a shepard's’ crook. When a shark got too close, it was given a nudge on the nose to encourage a wider path.

We were told that eight species of shark frequent the area. Apparently, there is a channel just off Beqa (pronounced Benga) island, where the deeper ocean funnels up nutrients to the shallower waters. The area is protected as a marine reserve, due to the variety of aquatic life and the protection of the sharks. Here and worldwide, there has been a significant loss of sharks in the past few decades. The reduction in numbers has led to a decline in coral reefs, sea grass, and commercial fishing. If sharks go, so does any control over the next layer of predators, who reproduce much more quickly. Basically, without sharks, groupers would eat everything. Or at least that’s what I thought I heard him say.

It was a 30 minute boat ride out to the site. We were instructed to follow very specific directions, when entering the water and descending to the site. I was the first one in the water and immediately spotted a black tip reef shark about 40 feet below. I made way down the line and then followed the staff to the end of the area; the other three divers came in close on my left. We were told to kneel shoulder-to-shoulder, so sharks wouldn’t be tempted to swim between us. When we arrived, there were so many sharks that it was hard to pay attention. I was startled by a bull shark that swam just beyond my reach. I wasn’t scared of the shark, I just wasn’t expecting it to be there.

Once we were settled on the ocean floor, I spent 30 minutes watching the sharks glide to and fro. They are amazing creatures. It seemed like they could stop on a dime and change directions. Some of the bull sharks were large. Females are bigger than the males, and there were some big ladies. Occasionally, a nurse shark would swim past, close to the bottom and underneath the action. About 20 feet away, an enormous grouper held it’s ground. The thing look like the size of VW Bug. (OK, maybe not quite that big, but huge for a fish.) I later ask the dive master to estimate it’s weight, and he guessed around 800 pounds. Big.

Our ascent back to the surface was as controlled as our descent. In order, and in tight formation, we went up in a line. We were on the boat for about 60 minutes, before returning for another look. On the second dive, one of he bull sharks came close enough to my head that I instinctively ducked. The staff next to me gave her a tap on the nose, and she changed directions before swimming over me. The sharks were as active and abundant as they’d been on the first dive. There were times that the pectoral fins came within five feet of my mask. It was intense to watch some of them come directly at me, then turn abruptly. At some point, I thought I should be fearful, but I just felt so grateful to witness the grace of these animals. I’m not sure what temporarily broke in my brain, but I felt safe and couldn’t image them wanting to harm me.

During the two dives, we saw four species of shark. One of he other divers asked what other fish were in the vicinity, and I had no answer. I’d been so enthralled by the sharks that I could not recall what other fish were also on the dive-except for the huge grouper. I told her that I was excited to check out the video on my GoPro, which probably shows all kinds of animals sharing the space. My focus was simply on sharks.

Kim picked me up from the dive shop, and we made a quick food stop before returning to our bure. Our little accommodations open to a beach and today, it was empty, except for a few stray dogs. One of whom was an exceptional swimmer.Read more