Swimming with sharks in Shark Ray Alley

Yes, you read right. I went swimming with sharks. I have been doing some wild stuff this year. Needed to break out of my comfort zone and grow as a person. You can’t live inside your mental box forever.

After going around the Barrier Reef, we went to shark ray alley. This part of Hol Chan had been made a tourist attraction due to all the sharks and sting rays. Tourists would swim with these dangerous and majestic creatures.

I was the third to jump in. We had some courageous people on our tour. They knew all about sharks and the Marine Wildlife. It was a young professional couple who were marine biologists. They were traveling the world together after finishing their master’s degrees.

Getting in the water with these sharks was nerve wrecking. I kept my distances like a kid not wanting to eat broccoli. Still I was in awe with the sharks. You see them in movies and in the zoo. However, seeing them in person with no glass separating you was once in a life time experience.

Started to swim closer to where the action was. The sharks looked like gentle animals that just wanted food. I kept getting a harmless vibe from these sharks. I saw the couple practically in the middle of where the sharks were eating. The sharks were feasting on the droppings the tour guides were leaving. Knowing what they were, the marine biologists even touched them. When I saw this at the time, I seriously thought these people were crazy.

So these sharks are actually nurse sharks. They are like the couch potatoes of the shark family. Usually found in shallow waters and they are bottom feeders. Nurse sharks do not attack humans, unless they feel antagonisted. There have only been 5 recorded attacks from these somewhat gentle beasts. Even though their mouths are filled with sharp teeth, it’s not big enought to rip a limb off. It’s almost getting like bitten by a dog.

Keeping my distances, I was still in awe with the nurse sharks. They reminded me of dogs. The way the sharks moved had me thinking of my pets at home. Sometimes you forget how smart wildlife can be. As I was thinking about this, a nurse shark swam under me. One of the most scariest moments on this trip and probably the year. At the time, I did not know much about sharks. So of course, I thought I skipped death.

While still being in the water, I saw a sting ray. It was about 40 feet away from me. Heard the stories about these creatures. I was definitely not wanting to pet this animal. It was fine just looking from afar. Being in this underwater world has really changed my views. This experience made me wonder. Who’s more deadlier, humans or sharks? Life is so amazing. Truly glad to have witnessed this Marine ecosystem.

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

About three of you had a sneek peak of this post. Accidentally, pressed the publish buttom trying to preview. Anyways, thank you for being patience.

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