Gallery Magazine....

SHARK BAIT

My days are definitely numbered, but I like to think I have control of that number. I try to eat right, stay healthy, and keep out of the way of fast-moving vehicles. But there are certain things I want to try in my lifetime that just might mean my number comes up sooner that it would have otherwise.

Diving with sharks is one of those things. I recently became shark bait for the day and I'm still waiting to hear my number called.

Shark diving is not as uncommon or uncommonly dangerous as it may sound. Dive shops throughout the world now offer all sorts of ways to become shark bait.

I chose to head to a Caribbean resort to make the conditions as enjoyable as possible. If I'm going to die, I might as well die tan and relaxed.

Thus, I flew down to Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas, and the base of the Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO), a world-renowned diver's mecca. They offer all sorts of great dives, including a unique dive with dolphins and Theo's wreck, a 228-foot steel freighter perched on the edge of the famous Grand Bahama Ledge, a 2,000-foot dropoff. UNEXSO offers courses for first-time divers, as well as certification classes, and much more.

But I was there to dive with the sharks and they were more than happy to have additional shark bait on the boat. The dive, called Shark Junction, has become one of the Caribbean's most talked-about dives. UNEXSO currently runs three trips to the site each week and advance reservations are typically required (yes, people fly from around the world and then wait in line to do this).

The dive begins with a classroom orientation, which includes a detailed divemaster briefing, a video from previous shark dives, and signing a waiver that says you won't hold them responsible if and when you lose a finger or your life. This is the time for the faint hearted or otherwise intelligent divers to decide to skip the dive. We lost two divers before we ever got on the boat.

The boat ride out to Shark Junction is filled with heart-thumping anticipation. As I entered the water, a quick glance to the bottom revealed several sharks already circling in anticipation, as if they had reservations at their favorite restaurant.

Underwater, divers assemble in the sand in about 45 feet of water. We squatted with our backs to a big oil drum, so that sharks couldn't "sneak" up behind us.

As the group looks on, one UNEXSO guide begins to feed the reef fish in the area. Several other UNEXSO divers provide safety for the feeder and the group. Soon, an average of five sharks begins circling the area and darting in to snatch a herring from the feeder's hand.

"We sometimes have as many as 15 sharks in the area at one time," says Ben Rose, resident naturalist at UNEXSO and a frequent shark feeder. "While we know that sharks are notoriously unpredictable, they may be much smarter than many divers think." I just hoped they were smart enough to realize my head looked different from a herring head.

The dive lasted about 30 minutes and I had the theme song from "Jaws" playing in my head the entire time. The sharks swarmed around the feeder and us, as I did my best to keep my hands from shaking and my body from quaking. I spent most of the time trying to remain as still as possible and wishing I was wearing a steel-plated wetsuit.

Many of the same sharks return for feedings, including: Lady (she's gentle enough to be stroked); Sweetlips (she has a knick in her lower jaw); and Rogue (she was initially a little aggressive with the guides). I was in no mood to get on a first-name basis with anything that might have a different definition of power lunch.

"They are much less aggressive now than they were at first," says Rose. "But, sometimes, they still get a little feisty." Before he began to wear a chain mail glove, one of the sharks nipped Rose's finger and, recently, another chewed through one of his equipment hoses.

The sharks definitely looked hungry, mean, powerful, fast, and menacing. Looks can be deceiving, though, because UNEXSO has had very, very few problems with the sharks, their divers, or customers like me. Statistics show that this (and other diving) is quite safe.

"I've dived all over the world and this is certainly one of the most exciting dives I've ever made," said Winnie Johnson, a visiting diver from Denver. "Even though there were sharks all around us, we felt very secure."

I wasn't sure sharks knew the safety statistics, so I kept a low profile until it was time to go back to the boat. I took one last look at the well-fed sharks and smiled when I knew I would live to see another day (and many more dives).

Often, the best part about diving is talking about it on the boat later and that was certainly true of this dive. The sharks grew in size and stature, as our fish tale strayed further from the truth. When you've just been shark bait, you're allowed some exaggeration.

Contact UNEXSO at P.O. Box F 2433, Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas, 800/992-DIVE, 305/359-0417, or 809/373-1244.