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Sharks – Commentary Lesson

Hi, this is Kristin. Welcome back to the commentary for the conversation Sharks. So for this commentary I thought I would share a story with you to show you how worried I could be about shark attacks. And this is really a big worry for me because I am a scuba diver, as was mentioned in the conversation.

Okay, so the story starts, Joe and I were in Indonesia a couple of years ago. We were on Bali and we were doing some diving off of Bali but we had heard that there was better diving off of a little island called Gili T. It’s also an Indonesian island. So we decided to go there to do some scuba diving there.

So we went and we’d already done one day of scuba diving and we go out for the second day to do some more diving and it was, it was really a nice small group, which I like. It was just me and Joe and our divemaster and a divemaster in training, so there were four of us. And we, the dive was pretty nice. We saw a lot of beautiful fish, not so much coral, but we saw a lot of beautiful fish.

We were doing really well with our oxygen which means we weren’t going through our oxygen tank very fast. So when you don’t go through it fast that allows you to stay under, down in the ocean, longer. So we were able to stay down about an hour, which is really good. And there was some current but it wasn’t too bad.

What current is, is when the ocean moves you in one direction and you kind of just have to go with it because if you fight against it, it becomes really tiring. So sometimes current can be bad and I don’t like that. It’s a little frightening actually. But it wasn’t too bad that day and, y’know, like I said, we saw some beautiful fish.

So all in all, it was a nice dive until the very end and what ended up happening was we came to the surface and we’re waiting, all four of us are waiting for the boat that we had gone out in. We’re waiting for the…the boat saw us and we’re waiting for it to come over to get us. And there were really big waves in the ocean.

So we have these inflatable vests, y’know, they’re filled with air so we can just float on the surface. We don’t have to worry about trying to, y’know, stay afloat by treading water. We can just relax and just float. But we’re waiting and waiting and because the waves were so big, the boat was having a difficult time getting over to us. It has to really be controlled in steering to get to us without hitting us.

So I was okay. I feel pretty confident with my swimming skills. Plus, like I said, we’re not swimming, trying to stay afloat. We have this vest that has air in it that’s keeping us up. My problem was, okay, half my body’s up out of the ocean, the other half is below the ocean and unless I put my face with my mask on, I put my face in the water, I can’t see what’s down there.

And so, of course, I’m not going to keep doing that. I mean, I did a little bit but I also want to watch the boat to, y’know, for it to come so I can get…we can all get onto the boat. I need to pay attention to that. So what kept going through my mind was, “What if a shark comes? What if a shark comes? What if shark comes and it gets my feet or my legs, y’know, it takes a bite out of me?”

It’s just this irrational fear. So on top of this, the divemaster in training, the guy who was actually training to be a divemaster, he starts to get angry because the boat is still not coming. It’s having problems getting over to us because the waves are so high. He’s getting angry. He’s just getting frustrated, tired of waiting and that’s making me more agitated as well, not because of the boat, but just, well, partially thinking, “Oh I wish the boat would hurry because I don’t want a shark to come and get me.”

So the actual divemaster, she was trying to talk to the divemaster in training, trying to calm him down so he wouldn’t get Joe and I nervous and upset. Finally the boat comes over and the waves are still really high, which made it very difficult. You have to take…start taking your equipment off and hold, y’know, pass it, give it to or hand it to people who are on the boat. And it’s…the equipment is heavy.

So it’s my turn and I’m able to get my equipment off although it’s really hard because the waves are really big and again I’m thinking “I just want to get out of the water. I can’t see my legs and my feet. I don’t know what’s down there but a shark could see me and come up and bite me.” So I get my equipment passed up and then I’m almost swept away. Luckily my hands were up and somebody caught on to me. Somebody on the boat caught my hands and was holding me.

So then, that was a little scary. So I’m able to get up into the boat and relax. I’m out of the ocean. Don’t have to worry about a shark coming. But it’s just an interesting story considering, y’know, I have this fear of sharks and yet I continue to go diving. And you might wonder why do I continue to dive.

Well, I love it. It’s so amazing when you’re down there, especially if there’s beautiful coral and some of the fish and just creatures that are down there are so unbelievable and amazing looking. The colors are just fantastic. It’s sometimes, some of the things I’m seeing, it’s almost like something you can imagine out in space. They’re so strange and different looking, y’know, not like anything you see on land. And it’s so calm and peaceful down there, usually.

So for me, the only times I’m really thinking about sharks is when I first jump into the water, before I descend down into the ocean. Y’know, I usually, your group, everybody jumps in and then you have to wait for your divemaster to tell everyone, “Okay, now go down.” So it’s that time, it’s in the very

beginning. And then, it’s obviously when we come up and we’re waiting for the boat to come to get us and we’re just floating on top.

So both times, it’s in the beginning and the end and we’re just floating on the surface of the water. That’s when I’m thinking “Oh my gosh, a shark could come.” And it’s only because, like I said, I’m not actually looking down in the water. But anyway, because, to me, the beauty of being down in the ocean outweighs that fear, that’s why I keep doing it.

So get on the Ning site and share with us if there’s anything that you fear but you also at the same time, you have some fear associated with it but you also…you love it and you continue to do it. If there’s something like that, share with us. Let us know what it is. We’d love to hear from you.

Alright, so this concludes the commentary for the conversation Sharks and I’ll see you next month.