During a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, I decided to join a few people for a shark cage diving trip. The place: Hans Bay, a regular hangout for this apex predator. Peter Benchley’s book-turned-movie by Steven Spielberg certainly raised most people’s curiosity level, mine included.
Confession: I was among the millions of people psychologically affected by the movie that I started to think twice about going swimming. In fact, I even refrained from going to the pool at one time. I just couldn’t get the image of that enormous and bloody gaping mouth out of my head.
But I had to see “Jaws” — to confront my fear. Who was I kidding? You can’t confront your fear. You can’t learn all the martial arts of the world and take on the great white shark. You can’t even hire Mike Tyson to knock it out. Unfortunately for most of us, they don’t sell RPGs at your favorite corner shop.
So, knowing these things, why did I still decide to go? It’s been said that animals instinctively run for their lives when danger lurks, but man, being the curious animal that he is, would try to check out the fuss before deciding to flee.
Prior to going out to see on a flimsy double-deck, fiber-glass boat, the skipper gave us a rundown of what to expect, along with some instructions, like don’t touch the shark when you are inside the cage otherwise orders would be given to return the boat to shore. Also, in case of an emergency, we were told lifeboat jackets will be issued to each and every one of us. And we were told not to panic. Are you kidding me? I could feel an arrow of sarcasm about to shoot from my mouth saying, “Like those jackets will save us!”
The day was calm, everyone soaking up the salty sea air and breeze. Not me. I was on full alert, expecting the shark to give a surprise attack. I wrong. He didn’t come alone. There must have been at least twenty great white sharks that day. There were four other boats out at sea that day, each one with a crew member assigned to pour buckets of blood into the water constantly to draw attention to the sharks.
As we waited, I saw a woman sitting at the edge of the boat with her back facing the sea. It reminded of the scene in which actor Roy Scheider did the same as he poured bloodied chunks of meat into the water when suddenly our good friend decided to show up, literally. Quietly, I advised the lady to stay clear of the edge, just in case.
I opted not to go inside the cage. Looking at the flimsy structure, I was not sure about my luck. A few questions also popped into my head: “What if the cage broke?” and “What if I got into the cage and someone inside with me had a panic attack?” If this sounds like the person who saw a coin in the fountain and can’t decide to pick it up or not, I can only say this was a different situation. We are not talking about an opportunity; we’re talking about a great white shark. Basically, you can’t win.
No matter how safe and secure or how experienced the staff of these tour companies can claim to be, accidents can happen. Besides, we were all told to sign a disclaimer and assumption of risk. So there you go.
I decided to ascend to the upper level of the boat and record the whole thing on a video cam. Some people were wondering why I even bothered to follow, thinking how I could possibly see the shark from above. Well, if you’ve seen enough shark documentaries, and have spoken to world renowned shark experts like I have, you know these apex water kahunas are unpredictable and super fast. And they can jump.
Above, I sat cross-legged on the floor and leaned against the wall of the superstructure, bordered by a short railing all around, which also allowed me to look over the edge clearly. I had a good reason for sitting in this position instead of standing with the crowd. For one thing, there were other people on board, strangers. Having experienced once before being thrown into sea from high above a boardwalk by a friend (as a joke), I am constantly reminded to watch my back. What if there was a psychopath on board?
With my legs cross-legged and sitting against the wall, there was no chance of that happening. No way now someone could creep up from behind and push me into the water. And why would I even think like that? You’d know if you’ve read the famous poster: “This is the most dangerous animal in the world, responsible for millions of death every year. By his side we can see a white shark swimming peacefully.”
With the amount of blood poured into the water that day, I doubt, if I had been thrown overboard, those sharks would have pass me with just a flipper waive and tell me to have a nice day. They are, after all, instinct-driven eating machines. But man… well, he is…
