Did Ya? by Matt Tracy I wonder if anyone ever thought of any of the stuff I propose? [597 words]
Turning Fifty by Danny I. Spitler The author takes a reflective look at reaching the half century mark. [999 words]
The Morning Shower by Danny I. Spitler Does anyone else suffer these issues associated with the morning shower? [940 words]
Stranger To Myself by Omar Longoria “Look in the mirror. The face that pins you with its double gaze reveals a chastening secre... [1,225 words]
A Thanksgiving Monday by Danny I. Spitler The author has a reflective and enlightening evening following Thanksgiving. [809 words]
The Vaporeal Defecation Of A Mental Diarrheatic by Crazy Clown I just had so much fun writing the other two displays of inanit... [951 words]
The Unfortunate Homophobe by Crazy Clown An interspective on a homophobe who wishes he wasn't, and some ideas and opinions on ... [1,131 words]
The Demented Monologue Of A Downright Imbecile by Crazy Clown Another display of foolishness and inanity, from the one who can... [1,246 words]
The Bed by Danny I. Spitler The author gains appreciation for the consistency brought to his life by an inanimate object [791 words]
She's Just Relaxing by Danny I. Spitler She's just relaxing on the sofa; however..... [626 words]
Fathers And Sons And Baseball by Danny I. Spitler Three generations share an uniquely American experience. Opening Day. [1,078 words]
Well, Shit by Crazy Clown A rather... interesting essay on the worlds worst waste. Requires a unique state of mind to enjoy pr... [1,020 words]
Swimming With Sharks
Some Explanation Is In Order by Crazy Clown You might come to this title expecting a deep, philosophical, or thought-provoking... [447 words]
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My Dog Opposes Communism by Tcn Actually submitted to a high school teacher. I guess I was feeling like a rebel at the... [862 words]
Free Food by Danny I. Spitler There's no such thing as a free lunch. Wrong. There is tons of free food, as this author points out.... [1,031 words]
Dragonball Z - Akira Toryama's Drug Trip? by Crazy Clown An essay worthy of the label of Crazy Clown, about the sheer ludicrou... [989 words]
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It's Wednesday by Danny I. Spitler The author reflects on his lover. [143 words]
Bruce Willis: One Of The Sexiest Men Alive by L Chapman - [176 words]
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Oh Canada
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TITLE (EDIT)
Swimming With Sharks |
DESCRIPTION
The author experiences an encounter with a large Lemon Shark in Tahiti
[835 words] |
TITLE KEYWORD
Adventure |
AUTHOR
Danny I. Spitler |
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
-I am a successful business executive who is finally returning to writing after giving it up in College to pursue a business career. I travel extensively, hike, golf, and scuba dive. I live with Pam, my loving companion and fellow traveler.
[December 2000] |
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (12)
A Thanksgiving Monday (Essays) The author has a reflective and enlightening evening following Thanksgiving. [809 words] [Mind]
Blue Run At Telluride (Short Stories) The author tests his nerve and his resolve in a challenging duel with a ski slope. [1,770 words] [Adventure]
Fathers And Sons And Baseball (Essays) Three generations share an uniquely American experience. Opening Day. [1,078 words] [Relationships]
Free Food (Essays) There's no such thing as a free lunch. Wrong. There is tons of free food, as this author points out. [1,031 words] [Humor]
It's Wednesday (Essays) The author reflects on his lover. [143 words] [Romance]
She's Just Relaxing (Essays) She's just relaxing on the sofa; however..... [626 words] [Romance]
The Bed (Essays) The author gains appreciation for the consistency brought to his life by an inanimate object [791 words] [Self-Help]
The Blindfold (Short Stories) A couple decides to meet in an most unusual and erotic manner. [1,679 words] [Romance]
The Cayman Wall (Essays) -The author revisits the place where he overcame fear years ago and challenges himself to do it again. [1,448 words] [Adventure]
The Morning Shower (Essays) Does anyone else suffer these issues associated with the morning shower? [940 words] [Humor]
Turning Fifty (Essays) The author takes a reflective look at reaching the half century mark. [999 words] [Biography]
Water Festival In Thailand (Short Stories) In Thailand, the "land of smiles," one of the wildest and happiest celebrations is Song Kron, also known as the Thai water festival. Experience this special celebration in a very unique way. [1,701 words] [Travel]
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Swimming With Sharks
Danny I. Spitler
It happened on the fourth day of diving, near the end of the first dive of the day. I checked my air gauge and found that I was down to 1000 psi of compressed air. We had been under water for over 30 minutes at depths ranging from 40 to 60 feet. I signaled my dive partner, Jean Paul from Belgium, that we should start making our way back to the boat. A few minutes later, just as the anchor rope was coming into view, I caught a glimpse of something very large swimming away from us 20 meters to our left.
I strained to see what it was, and I was able to make out a large dorsal fin. I wasn't sure if Jean Paul was looking in the same direction, but I caught his attention quickly and placed the side of my right hand against my forehead. The underwater signal for "shark." I then spread my arms far apart. The underwater signal for "large shark." I pointed back at the hazy gray shape that was moving away from us. Once Jean Paul was alerted I turned and began kicking furiously toward the massive gray shape with the large fin on its back.
He was moving slowly through the water only a few inches off the bottom, which was 50 feet below the surface. He was moving so slowly that I was able to close the gap between us in less than a minute, and I was able to see a second smaller dorsal fin on his back. This feature identified him has a Lemon Shark. The Lemon runs much larger than the Gray Sharks and the Black Tipped Sharks, which had been swarming around us since the beginning of the dive. The average size of a Lemon Shark runs 10 to 20 feet in length, and I was closing in on a 12-footer.
He continued moving lazily along the bottom of the clear Tahitian ocean bed, and I was able to close the gap between us to less than 30 feet. It was at that moment that it struck me. The full realization that I was actually chasing a 12-foot long shark in order to get a closer look. For a fraction of a second I questioned my own sanity. Then I smiled, feeling the rush of adrenaline, and thought to myself, "No, you aren't crazy, but you are pushing the envelope a little farther than normal."
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Jean Paul was several meters back, but well within view in the clear Tahitian waters. A quick look ahead of the beast revealed a dozen other divers had accumulated back near the boat and were now watching me chase the shark right toward them. The shark saw the other divers at about the same time and stopped in his tracks. He realized that he had wandered into a semi-circle of divers, and his best way out was back the way he came, where there was only one diver. Unfortunately, that diver was ME.
He turned and stared right at me with his two large cat-like eyes, which were cold and impassive. It was as if he were saying, "Son, you really don't want to play chicken with me." I was hovering five feet off the bottom, and I immediately made three hard kicks upward. Within two seconds I was at 15 feet off the bottom giving my large friend a clear escape below me. He took the opening and passed directly below me. I felt like I was standing on a railroad overpass looking down on a huge locomotive rumbling underneath me.
I kept my eyes glued to his back as he lumbered effortlessly away and eventually out of sight. I waited for my breathing and my heart rate to return to normal. A quick check of my air gauge showed me at 600 psi. I would get a gentle chewing from the Club Med dive master if I got onto the boat with less than 500 pounds of air in my tank, and I still had to make a three minute safety stop at 15 feet. Jean Paul reached the safety bar a few seconds before me. Once we were both on the bar, suspended 15 feet below the boat, we checked the dive computers on our wrists and began the three-minute wait. The safety stop is designed to make sure that the effect of the water pressure on our bodies is allowed to neutralize at a shallower depth prior to coming all the way to the surface.
At the end of the three-minute wait we slowly kicked upward until we could grab the bottom rung of the boat ladder. We tossed our fins onto the boat and struggled up the ladder. Once you are out of the water the 40-pound tank on your back becomes dead weight. We were barely halfway up the ladder before we spit the regulators out of our mouth and shouted simultaneously, "WOW, did you see THAT?"
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"Very descriptive, kept my attention. " -- Shelley, Fullerton, California, USA.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 1999 Danny I. Spitler |
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
October 2000 |
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2307
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