Jaws

What an incorrect name for such a beautiful creature!! That's right, yesterday on Tuesday, August 28, 2007, I did one of the most amazing things in my life and went cage diving. Sidenote: All the following photos are indeed my own. I don't know if there is anything that can top this. Waiting a half an hour to see if there is even one sighting and being right in front when she came up to the boat teeth on display for all was an amazing way to start the day. We not only got a sighting but we got a spunky, high energy 3.8 meter Great White Shark. It was almost an out of body experience. In total we saw 4 different sharks ranging from 3.8 meters to 4.5 meters. Yes, if you do the math, these are big ones. Over and over we were told that we were being spoiled by how big these sharks were and how often they would come to the boat. The largest Great White the skipper had ever seen was 6 meters.

It is illegal for any boats to feed the sharks bait so instead it is used to attract the sharks as is chum, but there is never any direct feeding. Eighty percent of the sharks in that area female and twenty percent are male. Closer to Dyre Island, it is 60% female, 40% male. (a good Nik Naks commercial eh?)

There were 1-2 meter swells and I was able to hold off losing what little breakfast I had eaten with a seasickness pill. Once there is a sighting, they get the cage ready and 5 people get to go in. Once the Skipper sees a shark, he yells "Down! Down!" and everyone rushes to get underwater
(not always paying attention to how big a breath we've taken) because we don't want to miss the shark. Tightly grasping our underwater cameras, floundering trying to find the railing and places to put our feet. (We can't wait to see what kind of photos we got if any at all...I think I may have a few of my finger because of the chaos).
What fools are we! We saw lots of action. The first sighting I had underwater, a shark slowly swam by just minding her own business. It was the most peaceful, calming moment I think I have ever had in my life. What a paradox to have such a moment with what is considered to be one of the most ferocious predators.

Though I had several peaceful moments with that particular shark, I will say that they were not always so calming.
One shark would whip her tail at the water spraying us when she couldn't get the food. My second time in the water, I had one of the coolest experiences. A shark came up for the bait and started chewing on the line and the bait.
I was directly next to this event and the shark with its teeth around the bait and bearing down on me was inches from my face (yes, I will still in the cage and the shark was outside the cage). It's fin nearly came into the cage as it swam off. It was breathtaking, in a good way.
At one point, another guy had to hit the nose of one of the sharks because its mouth was coming in the cage.

I don't even believe I can successfully describe the experience. I have written highlights but the whole day was a highlight. These creatures can do amazing damage (we watched one actually bite off the end of the bait line and yet can be the most tranquil beings. (this is Christina in the cage and yes, she's actually smiling). The cold water, the views from above or below, the splashing around, it all contributes to an adrenaline filled 2.5 hours. (After the one shark but the end of the line, we had to call it a day because that was the last of the bait). It is captivating to come face to face with something that is inherently dichotomous...tranquil predator.

I apologize for my lacking descriptions. There is a dvd that I have purchased but unfortunately I can not upload any video from there because it is being sent to the States. I wish that anyone and everyone reading or looking at these photos could experience cage diving because it is unlike anything else in this world to which man has access.