Growing up, I was afraid to swim in my parents’ in-ground pool at night. I remember when I was in first grade, I could hardly see or touch the bottom of the deep end. For some reason, the longer I treaded water… the more… unsettled I became. What if there was something in the deep end? What if there was something watching? The feeling of being suspended in water away from the safety of land. I paddled toward a nearby ledge and hoisted myself onto land. I peered cautiously over the ledge into the murky water for any sign of motion, any large shadows. Could there be fish underneath or… a shark? Although I was young at the time, I understood the fear was irrational; I didn’t think a shark would appear in a landlocked pool.
I grew up watching Shark Week, and the way the narrators almost sensationalized great white sharks hunting for prey. The shark would be the type of predator to sneak up on me from below. The Shark Week episodes were like horror reality TV shows, showcasing the sharks’ hunting, killing, and stealth abilities. The shows would narrate the shark stalking its prey with uncanny background music to build anticipation. While Shark Week episodes and shark documentaries are a great way to educate the general public about the ocean, experiencing the underwater world is different.
When I was 12 years old, I got certified to scuba dive. I didn’t have a reference point other than David Attleborough documentaries, Shark Week episodes, and Jaws. My first time in the field, I did a shore dive in Grand Cayman. The visibility was actually a pretty generous 20 feet. The dive site was located at a coral wall starting 40 feet below the surface. I put the regulator (breaking tube) in my mouth and adjusted my mask. I let air out of my BCD (inflatable vest) and descended into the underwater world. I immediately realized how insignificant I was in comparison to the vast underwater world. Sting rays shimmied across the sea floor, weaving in and out of rocks and coral. A barracuda’s reflective scales shimmered underneath an overhang. A school of needle fish swam overhead, paying my dive group no attention whatsoever. The dive instructor wanted to see a hammerhead shark on our dive trip. The previous group had apparently seen a couple of hammerheads in the distance. My group kept a close eye out for any signs of fins. I hovered weightlessly over the seafloor and popped my head under mini overhangs and different rocks. The first couple of overhangs were empty, but as I leaned under the next rock at 30 feet, I saw bubbles. Two nurse sharks were cuddled together under the sand. My gut reaction was to back-peddle a safe distance away, but the sharks just sat there and didn’t care. I continued toward the dive site in search of more sharks!
I was now at 40 feet and about to reach the ridge. I peered over the drop-off onto the coral city below. Fish waited in a single-file line at certain coral structures as if they were at a restaurant or fast food joint. Sharks swam through schools of fish, ignoring the dive group. I almost expected them to at least take an interest or be curious, but the reef sharks just swam away. The coral spanned as far as I could see. There are so many vibrant colors and alien-like shapes. The fish went about their day-to-day routines, scampering from structure to structure. No sharks or predators tried to attack us. There are no large animals stalking my dive group waiting for a meal. We were just spectators in an underwater world.
Although it’s important to read books and watch documentaries about nature and the world, it’s also essential to experience the ocean in person. Whether someone is snorkeling or scuba diving, being in the ocean dispels many fears and exaggerations about sharks and other fish. Anytime someone steps into the ocean, they are stepping into another world, intruding on sharks’ and fish’s homes, so we have to be mindful of the delicate ecosystems and animals when visiting.
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