I am a swimmer by trade--my parents were swimmers, then swim coaches. Naturally my brother and I basically grew up in the water. But not just over-chlorinated pool water, we are definitely beach people. While I have never once been afraid of the water or the beach, for some reason I am terrified of the giant white-bellied beasts lurking beneath the oceans gentle touch. With their sharp, toothy grins, and black, unblinking eyes, these beautiful creatures are mesmerizing demons sent to the ocean for one purpose. To kill. Their fins gray and striking, and movements smooth as night, Sharks are the breeders of nightmares, and they certainly swim around in mine.

I am not entirely sure how this slightly bizarre fear came about...sharks kill less people than falling vending machines do a year...but still I have this fear. While I may be a fast swimmer, I don't think I could out swim or outsmart a charging shark(although if in the situation you should "boink" it on the nose). But because I have such strong feelings toward sharks, it made it super surprising that I agreed to go shark diving. I have always kept this fear to myself, so as the day to shark dive approached, this sinking feeling of dread began growing and gnawing at my insides. What was I to do? I certainly couldn't back out now. I was going to dive along with 7 other members of my swim team, and being the coach's daughter, there was no way I could back out without making myself look like a fraidy-catfish. Plus, if anyone found out, especially my brother, he could convince me to give my spot to him and I knew if I didn't do this I would regret it for the rest of my life.

So the day came and we walked into this aquarium that seemingly falls off into the ocean. We walked through the fish tanks and over to the shark tunnels, unbeknownst to us what would happen while trapped behind that thick glass wall. I refused to look at the sharks that were swimming around, in fear of being hypnotized by their dark beady eyes. The anticipation was building, and I couldn't shake that terrified feeling. It wasn't long before the instructor came and got our group of 8. He lead us to a small room upstairs where we had to fill out the required paperwork and such. He told us we would be split up into 2 groups of 4, however we wanted to do it. Easily, we split into girls and guys and the girls were going first.

I was even more quiet than usual as we were playing "Follow the Leader" down to the diving area. It was a sticky and cold 10 minutes, trying to put my black wet suit on. Once we were all zipped up, us four girls walked over to the tank and stepped into the ice water. It took us a few seconds to adjust before we saw the giant turtle swimming around the little pool with us. Very quickly we were loaded with the heavy scuba gear, that weighed you to the tanks floor, and then we got a quick lesson on how to breathe through the tube/tank. My heart started beating even faster--it felt almost inhuman as we went through the underwater threshold into the aquariums glass tunnels.

Watching the shadowy world through my blue goggles bubble up to the blurry florescent lights, I suddenly couldn't breathe. The air going to my lungs felt plastic and fake and a wave of panic swept inside me. My primary focus was no longer on the sharks, but being able to breathe. I tried to focus on the simple task of slow simple breaths, but no air was getting through. "You can do this," I though to myself. "You have to do this, if you don't you will never forgive yourself. You are breathing, it just feels different under water. Keep moving. One step at a time. One breath at a time." And then we were at our destination: right over the glass tube we had walked through earlier. I forgot momentarily about my breathing as I saw a menacing fish out of the corner of my eye. My stomach dropped. The moment had finally come.

All of a sudden I was under a blanket of darkness...where had the lights gone? I realized someone, or something had to be covering up the lights, and that's when I felt it swim through my hair. My eyes opened so wide I thought they were going to pop out of my head, but the rest of my body was frozen in that moment. I could see the sharks nose, then mouth, then underbelly, then tail, all coming out from above my head.

The shark glided smoothly through the water like a knife cutting through butter. My body that had been unnaturally tense, finally began to relax. I began to admire the sharks that were surrounding me. They looked so peaceful and at ease, swimming around in circles. Their silky shapes seemed to be misunderstood, silent creatures of the depth. They did not want to hurt me(at least not right now). Just like how Douglas Adams described the earth, Sharks are "Mostly Harmless." My whole body trembled, but not with fear of sharks or lack of breath, just from the ice cold water. Bubbles began to tickle my face and I realized I had been holding my breath until this moment. People talk of breathtaking moments, but there are also vitalizing instants that breathe into you a new outlook on life.

I spent the rest of the dive in awe of the magnificent creatures I had been afraid of for so long. The Sharks and I were one of the same in that moment--just swimmers, drifting around the glass existence of the aquarium. I think of sharks now and I remember that anything can be overcome--no matter how small or grand your fear, one day you need to come face to face with your toothy demon and get your breath put back in you. I am happy to say I am no longer afraid of sharks after forcing myself to shark dive. So I urge you, friends, to go out into the world and try. Embrace the unknown. Take that leap. Swim to that shark. Face your fear. It might change your whole view and make all the difference in our little earth. Its true what they say, life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So face your fears, I dare you. See what happens.