barrier reef, australia.
1st diving experience. important lesson of the teacher: 'always breath in and breath out'. that makes sense. and the good thing about it is that i know already how to do it.
- 'will we see sharks?'
- 'yes mate, white tip reef sharks.'don't worry they're vegetarians'.
- 'i'm not worried. maybe they should be...i'm a carnivore:-)'
down under water (very funny: down under down under) my friends show up after a while. they simply look perfect after 100 milion years of evolution. they get so close that we can touch them. so i grab the tail fin of one shark and have it pull me through the water like in the 'flipper movies'. good fun. and you can literally feel their power. the shark doesn't really bother but the instructor does. what's the fuzz? they're vegetarians, aren't they?
besides the sharks: it's good fun and there's lot's to see. worth some more tries.
- 'will we see sharks?'
- 'yes mate, white tip reef sharks.'don't worry they're vegetarians'.
- 'i'm not worried. maybe they should be...i'm a carnivore:-)'
down under water (very funny: down under down under) my friends show up after a while. they simply look perfect after 100 milion years of evolution. they get so close that we can touch them. so i grab the tail fin of one shark and have it pull me through the water like in the 'flipper movies'. good fun. and you can literally feel their power. the shark doesn't really bother but the instructor does. what's the fuzz? they're vegetarians, aren't they?
besides the sharks: it's good fun and there's lot's to see. worth some more tries.
kho tao, thailand.
diving class. no sharks this time but some turtels and other stuff. unfortunaley i came 2 weeks too late: the whale sharks were already gone. that would have been awesome.
gansbaai, south africa.
after the little white tip reef sharks it's time for some great whites. i join a shark diving trip to meet the big ones this time. they have us sign a paper that we won't sue them if we're eaten. they don't use blood to attract them but a mixture of fish bait and oils. let's assume it will do the job but not create a blood rush. we arrive at a seal colony close to the mainland. you want to see a predator than go and sit next to its food. simple it seems. but obviously it's not: 50 metres next to us are boats of a science team that has tried to observe sharks for weeks, by now without any luck. so here we come: after 30 minutes of creating noise and throwing food into the water a big one appears. now that's good service! the cage is let down into the water. is it safe? well, i guess chances that the shark attacks the cage are low. for the worried statistic believers: more people die from bees than from sharks. so sitting in a beer garden is more dangerous than sitting in a diving cage.
i get ready and go down. this is as exciting as the first date with ms perfect. what can i say: they are stunningly beautiful. they take your breath - which is not a good thing to do when your diving. the one we have here is about 3.5 metres. how can it be so fast with so little movement? each time it appears out of the dark and swims towards me i have to concentrate not to try to touch it. well, the jaw makes it easier to remember that i'm sitting on the plate ready to be served. so i behave and watch and enjoy my hormones going wild. same impression as always: it can't get any better - a perfect combination of beauty and power.
my recomendation: if you ever have a chance to meet these cuties go for it. and forget about the danger. compared to asian traffic chaos this is pure relaxation.
i get ready and go down. this is as exciting as the first date with ms perfect. what can i say: they are stunningly beautiful. they take your breath - which is not a good thing to do when your diving. the one we have here is about 3.5 metres. how can it be so fast with so little movement? each time it appears out of the dark and swims towards me i have to concentrate not to try to touch it. well, the jaw makes it easier to remember that i'm sitting on the plate ready to be served. so i behave and watch and enjoy my hormones going wild. same impression as always: it can't get any better - a perfect combination of beauty and power.
my recomendation: if you ever have a chance to meet these cuties go for it. and forget about the danger. compared to asian traffic chaos this is pure relaxation.