According to the ads all over the internet, it's Shark Week. There is a definite fascination with these ancient creatures, but if we only focus on the entertainment factor and not the reality, they will become extinct. Some may say, 'well that's a good thing.' I assure you, it is not. I remember watching Jaws on t.v. before we went to the ocean. It was pretty terrifying. Thanks to that movie, the media and the vilification of sharks – they have a really bad rap. Yes, they have sharp teeth and a lot of them. Yes, some encounters can be fatal, especially with certain species. No, they are not out to get us. Yes, there are attacks (which are more like taste tests to see what you are), but the number of fatalities that stem from them is so small in comparison to the MILLIONS of people who spend time in the ocean - the shark's habitat, its home. I've been very fortunate to have had various encounters with sharks. My first, that I know of, occurred in the Galapagos Islands. I was just learning how to snorkel and was taking photos with my underwater camera when our guide called me over. I swam to him and he pointed down saying, "Mira, un tiburon" (Look, a shark). I saw it, turned and attempted to swim away in a complete panic, but the guide grabbed the back of my swimsuit and pulled me back and told me to take a photo. I did, but my hands were shaking the whole time. It was a white tip reef shark. Fast forward 15 years and I'm learning to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef. We were 100 feet underwater, sitting on the ocean floor and the dive instructor kept pointing out the shark swimming around. They truly are graceful. To be honest, I was more interested in the garden eels (which up until I wrote this blog, I thought were sea worms). I'd seen them at aquariums, but this was in real life and I found them fascinating. The shark was off doing its own thing. A few days later we did a night dive. The lights off the boat allowed us to see what was swimming close by and there were a couple of sharks. It took every ounce of courage I had to make myself go into the dark, black water. I got hit in the face multiple times during that dive as I was stuck like glue on my instructor's fins. He had the strongest underwater light and I was sticking with him no matter what. I survived the night dive - nothing attacked or ate me. Just after we got back on the boat, we saw a fish jump out of the water and literally run across the surface of the water - right behind it, a shark was closing the gap. My last encounter was in Fiji. I went scuba diving with my new split fins - they slightly resemble a seal's flipper -which gives you more control and power in the water. Compared to the other fins I'd used, I didn't have to exert much energy with these. I wasn't the only one who thought they were cool. The sharks kept coming up and bumping the fins. It did concern me and I kept thinking - 'if you're going to take a bite, make sure it's the whole area below my foot.' I didn't have to worry, they were just curious as I was the only one in the group who had on those fins. It's pretty awesome to be in their world and interact with them. I remember the thrill of touching one of the sharks as it swam by. Thankfully, my encounters dismantled that belief that all sharks are like Jaws Sharks are majestic, they are amazing predators and they've been around for over 400 million years (way longer than the dinosaurs), but they have a lot more to fear from us than we do from them. An average of 5 people per year die from shark attacks, whereas we humans kill more than 100 million sharks a year. We've decimated over 90% of the shark population leaving them endangered and nearly extinct. The sharks are there for a reason - they keep the rest of the food chain in line which is pertinent to the health of the oceans. If you haven't seen Sharkwater, I highly encourage you to watch it. It is absolutely eye opening and will give you a proper perspective on sharks. If you're going to watch anything for Shark Week, this should be it. - Adrienne :)
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January 2025
AuthorHello! I'm Adrienne Almamour, an empathic intuitive conduit. I assist people by detecting and clearing their subconscious emotional energy blockages. This blog is a commentary and reflection of life from an intuitive standpoint which also incorporates ways that allow us to be from our heart. |