Back in the Ocean

Q:  How can you tell if there are sharks in the water? 

A:  Dip your finger in the water, taste it.  If it tastes salty, there are sharks.

As a person who loves the water and spends a lot of time in it, I am aware that there are sharks in the ocean, however, the excitement of the activity I am partaking in at the time usually distracts me from obsessing over the predator.  After all, sharks don’t like humans; they confuse us with seals and turtles, especially when we are on surfboards, or have our feet dangling off a kayak.  That’s why shark attacks are only one bite.  The shark gets a taste and decides he doesn’t like it, or realizes it’s not what he was expecting, and swims away. 

So when there was a shark attack in Lanikai, which is right by where I live, and where I spend a lot of time in the water swimming and surfing, I freaked out! 

Shark attacks are rare on Oahu, and especially in our lovely Kailua bay.  However, there have been an increasing amount of shark attacks, and according to the Hawaii DLNR, in the last three years, the number of shark attacks in Hawaii has tripled compared to the number of attacks 10 to 15 years ago.  2015 has seen 7 reported shark attacks in Hawaii thus far.  Scientist from University of Hawaii say that sharks’ behavior are not changing, and that it is people who are encroaching into shark territory.  Plus, with the increase in tourists the more people in the water, the higher the chance for a shark bite. 

This shark attack hit close to home, since it was practically in my backyard.  Also, a good friend of mine was swimming with the man who was bit, and it got me thinking that it could have been my friend, and how his life could have changed forever in that moment.  

I think that fear has gotten stronger with age for me.  The kind of fear I am talking about has to do with the fear of severely hurting myself or of death.  There are a lot of things that I wouldn’t think twice about doing when I was young, that I find myself wavering and contemplating now, such as jumping off a waterfall into the water.  At 25, no hesitation.  At 35, I have to see someone do it first, and then be persuaded by my boyfriend and his brother.

So, needless to say I have been completely freaked out to get back in the water for fear of being bitten by a shark.  And I LOVE the water!  I surf and I swim in the water and love the refreshing and renewing qualities it gives me.  I can be having a bad or stressful day, and some time in the water helps me calm down and get some perspective. 

I told myself that I would wait until the rain had settled down, and the water cleared up before I got back in.  And now that that has happened, today was the day I was going to get back in the water.  I planned it out carefully.  I went to a popular spot on the beach instead of my usual quiet spot…safety in numbers, plus probability goes down with more people. 

I waded in up to my knees and hung out for a while.  I saw people playing in the waves, and I wanted to join them so badly, so I walked out up to my waist while looking for shark fins between swells.  I didn’t see anything so I continued on.  At this point, I’m hitting the breaking waves, so it’s all or nothing.  I saw a wave coming for me, so I dove underneath it and submerged myself in the ocean.  It felt good to be pushed and pulled by the breaking wave above me.  The coolness of the water against my skin was refreshing after my workout just prior.  It felt right to be back in the water.  I played in the waves for a while, ducking the breaking ones and riding the swells up and down, until the people beside me decided to head in.  At that moment I was alone, the only bait in the water.  It only took me a second to decide to head in!

Did I forget about sharks and the possibility of getting bit while I was out there?  Not for one second!  I thought about sharks the entire time I was in the ocean, but I got back in the water, and man it felt good…baby steps!