White Tip Shark

After our early lunch, we headed for Gato, a big black coral rock island jutting out of the water topped with green lush vegetation with steep walls fit for rappelling.  At the bottom were several caves and crevasses carved by surf and sea action. Flocks of birds frolic above while others hovered the sea’s surface in search for tasty fish meal. I looked around just in time to see one bird dropped its shit! Then we prepared our gear, ready for some shark action. 

We went down and moved past soft corals growing on flat sea beds and rolling hills. I swam sideways veering away from a leaning rock mountain base then turned left to be in position.  We were 12 divers all lined up in two buddy system formation headed towards a big gap between huge underwater boulders.  Inside the gap, we turned right to enter a narrow opening.  But crawling past it was a bigger space shaped like a dome.  It was a bit dark but water visibility was fine.  Like a school of fish, we huddled together. And all of a sudden, the space felt small as excitement swelled within us.

To the left and overhead, was sunlight penetrating the rocks and to the right where it’s darker was THE CAVE, with twin narrow openings festooned with overhanging soft corals - THE HOME OF A WHITE TIP SHARK!  The drumbeats began to pound.  There, within the confines of the cave, the unmistakable White Tip circled: back and forth, back and forth. For a better view, I moved closer to a ledge near the left opening while holding on to a hard coral.  The shark kept going by the same pattern.  The white tips on its tail and dorsal fins gleamed in the darkness.  For a moment, I was mesmerized by this overly feared and greatly misunderstood creature.  Then the shark got wary of us and changed swimming pattern, and faster!  It headed for the left opening where I was!  The drumbeats got louder and I gulped more air.  But the shark steadied and stayed in the cave. 

Time whizzed by and I let out a sigh of relief, but also of longing.  I would have wanted to stay longer, keep the shark company.  But this is the White Tip’s turf, it is the predator, I am the prey, and low in air!  As we swam out, I turned to get a last glimpse of the shark, generally branded as the most vicious and bloodthirsty predator on earth, and driven to kill by an insatiable lust for flesh and blood.  But that isn’t so, I know better.