Swimmin' with the Fishes

Yesterday we went swimming with sharks. Before you panic it was in a cage and we were just below the water with a breathing apparatus. Strangely enough I wasn't really nervous about this. So I'm afraid of small spaces and heights but not flesh eating animals.

We drove out for about an hour and our guides Dan and Leo from Brazil started to put tuna oil in the water and throw bits of tuna in the water to bring them around. While we were waiting I went in the cage to learned how to use the scuba regulator to breathe and also get comfortable with the cage. It was great because I was feeling very squeamish after the ride and they said getting off the boat would help me.

It was pretty weird breathing but overall I felt pretty comfortable. Also my sea sickness went away for a bit. But not for Jacob, he was the first to throw up. In fact three out of the five of us were sea sick - me twice!

Fortunately for me it was after I saw the sharks. Oh and the second time I realized that you aren't supposed to put your head all the way over the boat because you end up vomiting through your mouth and nose - a hard lesson to learn.

The sharks were really interesting and much different than I had thought. Dan was putting bits of tuna on a string and placing them by the cage. They don't just move in immediately and attack, they actually start to circle the tuna a few times to check things out and then attack it. They were interested in us but not to eat us - I guess the tuna tastes better.


When I was in the cage I saw 4 sharks circling and then one attack the tuna which was right outside the cage. Leo was in the cage with me the entire time pointing out the sharks and ensuring that I was okay. But it wasn't scary at all, they came close to you but didn't try to bite you.



Jacob and I leaving the shoreline.



This is very difficult to see but right below our feet are two dolphins swimming alongside the boat. We saw a bunch of dolphins on the way out who were very friendly and swam along with us.




I'm feeling very squeamish at this point.



Leo is teaching me how to get into the cage and use the regulator.

Mika, a girl from Holland, had an underwater camera, here are some of her pictures.







You can see the piece of tuna the shark is circling.



The great thing was that while other people were underwater you could also see them on the boat. It took a while for them to come to the boat but once they arrived they weren't shy at all about circling or coming to the surface.