Think of something you're scared of. Does it include the dark? Does it have to do with death? Or maybe is it a creature like snakes or spiders? Well, imagine all your fears being pooled together and presented to you at once for you to face.
That's what happened to me this summer.
All my life I've been scared of sharks. Now, this fear is not from some crazy traumatic experience or anything, but just solely from virtually everything we've ever been taught.
We've been told since we were young to stay away from the scary and dangerous things in our world. And thanks to the movie Jaws, shark week episodes and of course the news, it's been embedded into our brains that sharks are the enemy in the great and open ocean.
My cousin works for an awesome company called "Shark Addicts" and they take people out into the Atlantic to swim with sharks. Sounds like a suicide mission, right?
That's what I thought, too. However, this summer I decided to go out with the team and experience these shark-infested waters first hand. I almost completely lost it when I signed a waiver that basically says I won't sue if the shark decides it would rather eat me for lunch rather than the chum we are bringing along. And not to spoil the outcome but… I am writing this, so I did NOT lose any fingers. #winning.
Anyway, we got out about 2 miles off the coast and hopped in the water. I had on my cool flippers, mask and snorkel and a rash guard. I felt like it would be appropriate attire if I was swimming with goldfish but I was feeling a little uneasy about the sharks.
I started to adjust my flippers once I got in the water and I felt something graze the back of my thighs. Yes folks, its exactly what you're thinking. It was a shark. I about lost it but I tried to act cool since I was surrounded by famous YouTubers that came on this trip and they were recording.
I was so stressed out. I was getting water in my snorkel, my mask was on too tight, teeny tiny jellyfish were stinging me, and on top of that, I was surrounded by huge animals who could eat me alive.
My cousin advised me to keep calm and just make eye contact with the sharks. Oh, and to "watch my six". As soon as I convinced myself to keep my mask in the water, nothing else mattered. These creatures were absolutely beautiful and incredibly friendly.
Keep in mind, I'm not in a cage! I repeat I am not in a cage! We were all swimming and the man in the middle with the bucket of chum was the reason they stayed to hang. They got so close to me that I know they could sense my fear but they really meant no harm.
This made me realize that we as humans are so quick to judge. Yes, I believe that we need to take precautions in order to stay safe. I wouldn't advise playing in a lion's den or anything. However, these sharks were completely wild and at first seemed scared of us too.
Think about it. The ocean is their home and WE are the ones intruding. That would be like a shark coming on land. We would be pretty curious about the circumstances too.
If you ever have the opportunity, DO IT! Swimming with sharks was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever encountered, as you can see from this photo:
If your curious about this experience and want a cooler visual than the one I tried to illustrate in your heads, click here for the madness: https://sharkaddictsdiving.com !!!
