{"id":2743,"date":"2014-08-17T10:20:59","date_gmt":"2014-08-17T15:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/micho.org\/cayblog\/?p=2743"},"modified":"2014-08-17T10:20:59","modified_gmt":"2014-08-17T15:20:59","slug":"shark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/micho.org\/cayblog\/?p=2743","title":{"rendered":"Shark!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note : this is my 300th post \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Ok, there was no shark attack or the likes in Cayman. Relax.<\/p>\n

I was recently in the Bahamas on a business trip and got there a day early to participate in an activity I have wanted to do for a very long time : a shark dive. \u00a0 This dive, which takes place in +-30ft of water is where sharks get fed. \u00a0By sharks I mean 20-25 full size Caribbean Reef Sharks. \u00a0Think of this as Stingray City on steroids.<\/p>\n

Ok, here we go! So the setup is as follows. \u00a0All the divers assemble at the bottom in a circle formation. \u00a0There are rocks which make out the circle. Each diver holds on to a rock between their legs. We all have additional weights (more than on a “normal dive” so that we don’t have a tendency to float up at any time. \u00a0Once we are all in position, the guy with the food (which is what attracts the sharks) enters the water and the show begins. \u00a0At the peak there were around 20 or so large sharks, at least one nurse shark, a few large Groupers and of course numerous small fish hanging around.<\/p>\n

Here is one coming within maybe 5ft of me.<\/p>\n

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This one ever close. What a majestic animal!<\/p>\n

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This fellow passed directly above me ; got a good view of his mouth.<\/p>\n

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Of course had to do a “selfie”. \u00a0This one was quite well timed \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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At the end of the feeding, we were told we could check for teeth. \u00a0Sharks apparently lose lots of teeth when they eat. I found a few and kept them as souvenirs. As you can see we were in the water quite a while since my hands were starting to get quite wrinkled.<\/p>\n

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Here is a 2-minute video of the ordeal! \u00a0Note around 1:36 the camera jerks all of a sudden. A shark ran into me (no joke). \u00a0The guy feeding was quite close so they were all swimming around close to me. \u00a0I’ll admit …was not afraid one bit. I was an awesome experience and sharks are gorgeous creatures. \u00a0They had zero interest in the divers, only the food. \u00a0Once the food was all eaten, they lost interest and left. \u00a0 All-in-all, this was a fabulous experience, but definitely not for everyone! \u00a0Julie thought I was nuts when I signed up \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n