Caribbean Dreaming

Swimming with the sharks

Marti Buscaglia

I have always been a fan of the Caribbean. The gentle tradewinds blowing, calypso and reggae music playing, and the romanticism of the region’s pirate days standing lively in the shops and bars. The people are friendly, both natives and tourists, and those peaceful golden sunsets are unmatched anywhere on earth.

If you’re a diver, you’ve found Mecca. The beauty of the Caribbean goes beyond the surface deep into the ocean, among the coral reefs and rock shelves, in the wreckage of ships that sailed long ago, lying on the bottom of the sea, oft guarded by a Caribbean nurse shark. On my first dive – the one I had to take in order to be certified, I went into waters heavy with sharks —17 of them to be exact.

At first I refused to enter. It seemed dangerous and… well, I might as well say it, dumb. But our divemaster assured us that these sharks would do us no harm. All we had to do was not spook them. Treat them with respect, as you would all living things beneath the surface, including the potentially dangerous barracuda and the somewhat innocuous coral. “OK,” I thought, “that seems easy enough.” And besides, all my fellow neophyte divers were eagerly entering the water and I hadn’t seen any blood – yet.

So I strapped on my tank, and after all the safety checks and a final conversation with my dive buddy as to signs and signals should we find trouble, I too, leapt into the water.

It was our first dive, so we had a rope to guide us down. I had the eeriest feeling as I descended that rope, my dive buddy directly below.  As I looked down at him I saw a shark swiftly approaching and I got the uneasy feeling that my dive buddy looked like bait at the end of a line. Just as the shark was ready to reach him, it flipped its tail and completed a quick and clean 180-degree turn. It seemed he wanted as little to do with us as we him.  I breathed as much a sigh of relief as is possible with a regulator in my mouth.

I had used a lot of air in the heavy breathing of those few moments, so I wasn’t able to stay down as long as I would have liked. I have to admit, there was something magical about swimming with the sharks. The only moment I had of real fear was when my dive buddy’s eyes widened as he caught sight of something behind me. As a turned, I saw the nose of a shark, a little closer than I would have liked, but not close enough to pose any real danger.  I mean, it wasn’t trying to eat me, and that was good enough for me.

That was an experience I will remember with fondness to my dying day – something to tell my grandchildren about when they’re old enough to understand how brave their grandmother is. That, however, is not the norm on my Caribbean sojourns. They’re usually far more relaxed than that and involve a fair amount of rum and good wine. Alcohol and diving don’t mix, so it’s got to be one or the other.

I have to say, the experience changes each time I go. From all-inclusive resorts in Negril, Jamaica to the last trip aboard the Watts Up, the fishing yacht of a good friend, on which we toured everything from Puerto Rico to the British Virgin Islands. Each time has been unique and as enjoyable as that first trip with those 17 sharks. Especially around this time of year, when our weather is getting progressively colder and spring is a long way off, it’s the perfect time to be dreaming of pirates and sun on your back. Or better yet, hopping on a plane and heading for warmth.

WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU GO

Pick an Island – This site provides a handy map of the Caribbean Islands and gives you the option of picking hotels according to what you most want to do.
www.definitivecaribbean.com/islandmap.aspx

Diving Excursions – This site gives you a plethora of choices on diving including the top 10 dive sites in the Caribbean.
www.tcidiving.com/CA_caribbeandiving.htm

Sailing Trips – Don’t know where to start? This site will provide you with choices of boats, islands and destinations.
www.destination360.com/caribbean/caribbean-sailing.php

5 Star Hotels – This site gives you 93 luxury hotels to choose from in Bermuda and the Caribbean.
www.fivestaralliance.com/luxury_hotels/bermuda_&_the_caribbean/