A Reason to Go On...

Finally, a reason to climb out from under the blankets of self-pity and gloom:

SHARK WEEK!!!

I don't know what it is, but I love Shark Week on the Discovery Channel! I was never that into marine life growing up, but ever since S. studied marine biology and worked in Florida and Lake Erie at marine labs, I've found it fascinating. And then, on our first trip to Hawaii in 1999, we went snorkeling, and that was it for me. I was hooked. Still a little scared about being swept out to sea or being attached by a barracuda, I feel braver than I think I am when I get out there.

For me and S., snorkeling is like bird watching. We try to find good snorkeling beaches, hope for bright sun (even though it burns our backs, it makes the underwater world easier to see) and dive in. I usually use an underwater camera if possible and try to capture the different fish we see, including the elusive state fish of Hawaii, the humu­humu­nuku­nuku­āpuaʻa (which I've been thrilled to see on several occasions!). Like bird watching, we don't take anything away with us but the photos and the memories. And then we lie on the sand and look in our Hawaii Fishes book to identify the fish we saw.

We bought snorkel gear before our 2007 trip to Hawaii in eager anticipation. 2007's snorkeling did not disappoint. We saw many fish we had not seen in 1999, including 2 eels, one of which I hovered over as it tried to catch a fish - like watching the Discovery Channel live and in person!

In 1999, I had an "encounter" with a large puffer fish that had me screaming underwater and heading back to the beach - it came right at my face and it was large and freaked me out. I say I was "attacked" by it, but I wasn't, of course. While I was on the beach, Sean went back out in the water and ended up swimming with a couple of sea turtles, how cool is that?

In 2007, I made peace with the puffer fish. At the same beach where the first encounter happened (apparently a good hangout for the puffer fish), a puffer fish and I stared into one another's eyes for what seemed like 20 minutes (but was probably only about 1 minute). I realized then that they were just very curious and not skittish like the other fish who darted away from you. I felt like the puffer fish experience had come full circle, and I think the puffer fish smiled at me.

I love Shark Week, because it debunks the myths that sharks are evil and out there to attack people. This is, of course, not true. Sharks are often in the water with you anytime you are swimming in the ocean, and they rarely come near, let alone attack. The National Safety Council says that you have a 1 in 4,473 chance of dying from falling out of a bed, chair or other furniture. Shark attacks didn't even make the list. You are more likely to be attacked by hornets, wasps, bees and dogs.

I'm fascinated by the undersea world and, while sharks are not my favorite undersea creature, I do find them intriguing. I should also point out that I have never personally seen a shark in the water while snorkeling. S. has, however, been swimming with sharks numerous times, and would be in a tank with them in order to clean the tank at one of the marine labs. He has never had an incident.

Ever since I've been with S., I've discovered new things that I never thought I would like, and now I enjoy them and am relatively knowledgeable about them. Now, I actually watch ESPN, The Food Network, and The History Channel when he's not around (although mostly I watch them when he is around). I think it's interesting how I'm more into "learning" than I ever was growing up. It helps when you find something you are interested in, but at the same time, it's equally fun to learn about something that someone else is interested in.

Note: All of the photos in this posting were taken by ME!