Shark Bait

David and me (with red goggles). Thunder Buddies for life. Photo by Joe Troiano

WATCH THE DIVES ON YOUTUBE HERE!!!

When David and I decided it was time to go on a scuba diving trip, the idea of tried and true Cozumel, Mexico sounded easy to plan until a cheaper, potentially better trip idea came up.

David spent a huge amount of time researching the best dive locations, hotels, dive charters and restaurants in Florida. He read forums and reviews while planning it all out. In the end, we spent a week full of wonderful diving near Boynton Beach and Jupiter, Florida. We saw a lot of awesome fish and large creatures, as well as beautiful reefs, amazing clarity, and plenty of life moving along as usual under the sea. I was very impressed and surprised by how great the diving was in Florida. 

Jupiter, Florida waters.

David put into the mix three dives with a company that baits and attracts sharks and allows divers to get up close and personal with those sharks- without a cage. I had weeks to think about this, and naturally had a little bit of anxiety. I also assumed that it must be safe, since a lot of people dive with sharks without injury or harm. 

Before our trip I watched an old episode from Shark Week titled, "Shark Trek" that focused on tagging and trekking the migratory patterns in great white sharks that have been found in Cape Cod. The episode started out really interesting until the sharks were trekked all the way down to the exact places we would be diving in: Jupiter, Florida (holy crap!).  I also learned about the huge influx of black tipped sharks that end up in Jupiter, as well as the hammerheads, tiger sharks and bull sharks that basically live there. And of course, everything mentioned about all sharks was extremely dramatic. 

I freaked out a little bit. In the past I had been diving with nurse sharks without any problem, and most people would say that they are harmless "puppy dogs of the ocean." But hammerheads, bull sharks and great freakin' whites? Ugh. Sometimes my husband has some crazy ideas of what "fun" is. 

We went with a reputable dive company that has allowed so many (experienced) divers to witness these majestic man eaters without a single fatality. And yeah, Shark Week, and movies like Jaws tend to make people a little anxious with their overly-sensational dramatizations of a shark's behavior. Sharks have a bad rap, but it is also important to respect their ability to rip you to shreds by being cautious and educated on how to protect yourself. Sharks are known for seriously harming or killing people.

I went onto the shark bait diving boat a bit naive. I figured that we will probably get an amazing run down before the dives of what to do if a shark approaches you with the intent of eating you, and how to stay safe. I did not do my research, and I did not know really know what to expect. I have only logged 60 dives, and although I am technically a dive master (DM) at this point, I am more book smart about diving than I am in practice. Therefore, I am still figuring out buoyancy and how to not look like a flailing idiot who can't look calm underwater (at times). For the first dive, we got a run down of staying North to South (or something?) of the DM in order to stay safe and staying close but not too close or whatever. I think I was pretty nervous so I missed most of what he said. I just knew that I did not want the blood of the barracuda to drift near me in the current while the dive master was chumming.

Flailing Emmy. 

On the first dive I made a stupid mistake of following the DM's depth as we descended and found myself at a depth of 136 feet. This was dangerously deep on Nitrox, a gas blend I was breathing. So, even though you can't really hear yelling underwater, I sure felt it as I was corrected by the DM to check my depth. Eventually everything calmed down and we were in the midst of bull sharks. I started fidgeting with gear, working on being horizontal and ended up flailing about. Several times a shark came right up to me, mouth open and then turned away at the last possible second. I think I wet my wetsuit, if you catch my drift. When I asked the DM what that was all about, and if I could have done anything to save myself in the event of an attack, he just said, "You looked like a dying, struggling seal or something and the shark wanted to check you out. When he found out you weren't, he lost interest." Thanks.

That's me, ever so close to a thing that could eat me. 

The next two dives were pretty cool, as we descended down to the ocean floor and watched lemon and tiger sharks come up to a box of bait. Some of the sharks got so close that we were brushed by a fin or tail as they passed by. Although slightly unsettling, it almost became a little bit monotonous and boring. There were a lot of smaller white fish and ramoras in the mix that joined in. Every once in a while a nurse shark came a long (remember, puppy dogs?) that the DM pushed away so as to say, "You're not welcome here." When I asked him about this later he said that the only times he has been bit or attacked by a shark, its been by a nurse shark and he "$@#*ing hates them." Interesting. 

It is a really cool thing to look back on but I remember how much I dreaded and disliked the anxiety at the time. I made more than a few rookie mistakes that made me feel like an idiot. I think this is why the dives are advertised for experienced or advanced divers only. We were not really given much of a safety orientation, which surprised me, however the dive company did an awesome job at giving us a once in a lifetime experience. I survived, yet at times it seems just barely. I am so glad I did it, but even more glad that it is over.

Bonus picture: While walking along the beach in Jupiter, Florida, we looked North and realized what we were watching was a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral.