And that's how I was almost a shark attack survivor.

by Boon Kek (Canada)

A leap into the unknown Bahamas

There are two ways that people react when I tell them that I am going on a scuba diving adventure with sharks. The first reaction would be excited, but with a twinge of envy, and the second reaction would be to go: THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE! GET OUT NOW! So now, let me tell you about this diving trip in the Bahamas. (Spoiler alert: I survived!) I signed up with a dive operator in the Bahamas for a shark adventure dive, the kind where they do a shark feed and the divers gather around and watch the activity. Due to some miscommunication, the shuttle picked me up over an hour late and I was met with impatient stares when I arrived. The moment I got on the boat; it was off. Now, I had to tell you that story so I could tell you this story. The divemaster was giving a briefing of the dive site and the procedures but I was only half paying attention as I was busy readying my dive gear. As I was last on the boat, that positioned me closest to the stern and the dive deck. And because I was last on the boat, I didn’t want to keep anyone waiting again and was first in the water when the divemaster told us that we arrived at the site and should gear up and jump in. When my face splashed through the blue hued water, I saw a five feet grey silhouette glide away underneath. It took my brain cells a second to fire and registered… SHARK! There was a jubilant yell of triumph in my head. Then I saw another one. And another! And another! What seemed like a dozen sharks started circling. This was beyond awesome. I looked back up on the boat and wanted to yell to the other divers "OMG you guys, there are sharks here." But no one was even looking in my direction. I continued bobbing around the ocean with my head in the water enjoying watching the dozen sharks swimming around me. Realisation of being the only one in the water kicked in, the primordial part of my brain starts firing and a voice in my head screamed at me to get out of the water back on the boat. I fought every instinct that cavemen had which allowed them to survive and evolve and invent stuff like the internet and putting a runny egg on a burger. I battled to remained in the water and not let others see me freak out. Because ego. In order to calm myself down, I did the opposite of an ostrich where they put their head in the ground*, but I was keeping my head in the air so that I could be willfully unaware of the sharp teeth. After what seemed like an eternity, the other divers splashed in and there was a comfort of knowing that I wasn’t easy pickings for the sharks should they decide that they want a meal. Back on the boat after the incredible dive, the divemaster started pointing at my face with a look of concern, then said loudly, "Your nose." I took my mask off and - blood started dripping out y’all. I had a nosebleed and it was pooling in the mask. I had done the dive with sharks and blood and all. Now, I don't want to overstate things, but I was just in the water with sharks. Alone. Many sharks. Whilst bleeding. Although I knew that I was never in real danger due to the species of shark in the area, there was still that internal debate and evolutionary sense of self preservation. I did learn that being totally in awe and panicking aren't mutually exclusive emotions. Plus, adventures that bring out those emotions are worth seeking out. Also, the folks who had the second reaction are wrong because scuba diving with sharks is totally awesome. *Yes, I know ostriches don't really stick their heads in the sand, but then the analogy wouldn't fit, and I would have to come up with another one.