Be Brave & Swim With Sharks

That's me - and yes, there are sharks out there too

Last year on a girlfriend's trip to Hawaii, one of my friends suggested we book a tour to swim with the sharks.

Um....no thank you.

Why would I voluntarily get into the water with something that wants to eat me?  I've seen Shark Week.  It's safe, she said.  You're in a cage the whole time, she reasoned. Come on....be brave.

Sigh.  She played the "brave" card.

I have been working on being brave in the face of things that cause me anxiety.  But swimming with SHARKS?  That's a whole new level.  In the end I decided to do it because I didn't want to be the only one that chickened out.  Aren't all the best decisions made this way?  

As we motored away from the coast, I was feeling good.  We arrived at the "shark spot" and the guides started throwing fish guts into the water.  Within a few minutes we saw this.

At that point I was most definitely not feeling brave.  But sitting across from me was a ten year old girl - on her second shark dive that week.  Seriously?  She assured me that I was going to love it, so I took a deep breath and stepped into the shark cage.  As they lowered it into the ocean I had a brief moment of panic.  Okay, a big moment.

I immediately saw dozens of Galapagos and Grey Reef sharks gliding through the water.  I have to admit it was pretty amazing to see them so close up, but also very disconcerting to watch them coming up from below.  Thankfully, the sharks were completely uninterested in us. Apparently the chum was more delicious and a lot less trouble to eat than humans.

I decided not to look any of them in the eye though.  Especially this guy.

The experience was both terrifying and exhilarating, and I was so proud of myself when it was over.  It felt good to be brave and swim with sharks.

Would I do it again?  Not a chance.