“All right everyone. It looks pretty clean!” He picked up the trash net to show everyone in the group. “We sure have a lot of debris here. I will bring it back to base and sort through it for us all. Everything that is recyclable will go in a recycling waste area and the rest will go to the trash. Now that we have fully cleaned the area, we will proceed to the second part of this adventure. So if I can have everyone come back up on board, we will start to prep Marc and Cathy to go into the dive tank.”
Fear slivered through Marc’s body as he thought about the possibility of going into the dive tank. He had a pretty good time scuba diving, but shark diving was another story. He wasn’t sure if he was strong enough yet to handle the pressure that would bring. He comprehended at that moment that he was the only one left in the water. The rest of the Shark Savor group had already evacuated the water and were looking at him in anticipation to get out to start the next round. He saw Cathy by the edge of the boat, motioning for him to come join her.
“Marc?” She cried. “Are you coming up? Chris is ready to leave. We need to get going soon if we want to still be able to dive in the shark tank.”
He gave her a thumbs up sign and swam over as to her as fast as he could. Even though he really didn’t want to swim in the shark tank, he didn’t want to disappoint the woman that he loved. He got to the ladder and started lifting his mask up so he could speak again. He climbed the metal ladder slowly, he didn’t want to trip over his flippers. As much as he had enjoyed scuba diving, he couldn’t wait to take all of the equipment off. It was harassing his intestines, he could barely breathe with all of it on him. He was surprised at how heavy all of the equipment could be when it was all added up together.
“It’s good to see you again, Marc.” Chris patted Marc on the back again. “Glad you made it through your first time. I hope you enjoyed it. We really made a big difference there. I can’t believe all the trash we picked up.”
“I did enjoy it.” Marc nodded. “It was worth it. Even if it saves one shark.”
Chris smiled. “That’s a good way to look at it.” He turned towards the group to direct them. “Okay, now everyone you may now take off your scuba gear. Cathy and Marc are the only ones who need to keep their gear on now. We will be going to a more central location in the middle of the ocean so we can view the sharks again.”
“Oh goodie,” Marc whispered to Cathy as he noticed that she had popped up next to him again. He found it ironic that she always disappeared and then popped up again out of nowhere. It was a trait that was starting to grow on him. “I don’t know if I am ready for this yet.”
“Don’t worry too much. We will be in that huge silver tank over there. The sharks won’t be able to eat us.”
“Eat us?” He gulped as he pictured a huge shark destroying his intestines. It wasn’t a pretty picture.
“They are harmless creatures really. They don’t randomly devour creatures as a lot of people think they do. They actually have a mechanism that allows them to just bite creatures or objects to see if they taste good and they end up spitting them out if they aren’t the meal they were looking for.”
“Well, that makes me feel a lot better.” He laughed. “At least it will only take a bite of me before it decides to either devour me or spit me out.”
She laughed back. “Well I hope it is the latter. I would hate to see you devoured by a shark. You are too good of a person.” She sat down as the boat started moving faster. “Well, it looks like we are almost there. And don’t worry too much. It will be fine. I promise. I wouldn’t take you into a situation that I would see as being dangerous.”
“Good because I was starting to trust you.” He looked out at the ocean, the waves rolling slowly towards the bottom of the boat. It was all so peaceful. He could almost feel himself relaxing. He never took the time to relinquish a quiet moment when he had the chance. Enjoying his peaceful moment to the fullest, he realized that it would indeed end soon. The sun was blasting down through the clouds and shining upon the boat. He took it as a sign that God was shining down on him, pleading for him to take the chance. Marc looked up into the sky and then back downward at the boat. He wasn’t going to let this opportunity to help a shark pass him by. He wanted to face his fears and help another shark survive. And he would succeed.
Chapter 7
“So how do we know if it is really Mandy we are tagging or if it is just some other shark that looks a lot like Mandy?” Marc asked Chris as he helped prepare the metal cage for the voyage.
Chris paused, thinking of an answer. “Well, Mandy is a very distinct looking shark. We can always tell it is her from her fins. Most shark fins look the same, but not hers. Mandy’s fins have a design to them, they are rounded, but they also crease. If I could think of an object to compare them to, I would probably say a key.”
“Why would you say a key? Does she have any other distinct markings?” Marc questioned.
“The ridge of a key has diverse markings. It goes up and down in different patterns. Her fins are similar to that. And yes now that I think about it, she does have some distinct features. Our group is very connected to Mandy because on our first outing as a group, she was there. It wasn’t under normal circumstances either. She was trapped in a net. One of our divers found her all tangled up in what looked to be a disposed fisherman’s net. Sharks need to be constantly moving to keep breathing. If they get tangled up in nets they can drown. If we wouldn’t have gotten there at that exact moment, she probably would have died. Once we found her, we untangled the net and we set her free back into the ocean. We would like to think that she is forever grateful to us for saving her life and that’s why she comes back. But who knows, it could be something else bringing her back.” He spoke with passion in his eyes as he helped open the large metal cage for Cathy and Marc to get in.
“Wow that is quite a story. I had no idea that your team had rescued her, no wonder she has stuck around so faithfully throughout the years.”
“Yeah, we were lucky to get her when we did. A moment later and she would have drowned. It could be the fact that we saved her life or it could be the tuna that we drop off the deck. You know how sharks are with their tuna.” He grinned as he let Marc inside the metal cage. “Now where did your girl Cathy go? I haven’t seen her in a while again.”
“I’m not sure where she went. Maybe she went to get a fresh change of clothes. I know she doesn’t like the feeling of being damp.”
“That’s strange, especially since she grew up in the Bay area. I don’t know about you, but being damp and wet is like second nature to me. I grew up in the sea. I was always addicted to the ocean and its striking creatures. Suits me well that thirty years later, I’m still here working with the water and the animals.” He looked thoughtfully out into the sky, admiring the beautiful day it had become.
Marc didn’t have time to answer as Cathy ran through the group of divers, while still wearing all of her equipment. She ran fast for wearing all of that equipment, he thought to himself. He could never get around that fast with all of this heavy gear on. Although he wasn’t as coordinated or athletic as she was. Maybe he used to be in past years, but not anymore. He seemed to have lost his athletic touch the older he got. He didn’t know what happened to it. It just seemed to have vanished into thin air. She then jumped through the metal cage like it was a hurdle and landed right next to him.
“Hi,” She breathed heavy, smiling ear to ear at him.
“Where were you? Chris and I were looking for you. It’s time for us to go find Mandy. I’m actually pretty excited about this now.”
“I was just feeding the seagulls. A whole flock of them were chasing our boat. I started giving them pieces of my sandwich. It was hard to stop, they were enjoying it so much.”
“You and your love for animals,” He sighed before saying, “I’m glad we are having this experience together. We both love animals and are eager to help them. I’m thinking that we must be perfect for each other.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. I can’t think of anyone else that I would rather be with.”
“All right you two. Enough love talk.” Chris laughed. “We are about to lift the cage up. Don’t get too nervous. It will be lifted slowly and placed in the water gradually. Now you have your headsets, listen to our instructions when tagging Mandy. Cathy has more experience in this area, but I am sure as a marine biologist you know what you are doing as well, Marc.”
They both nodded as the cage started lifting up slowly. Marc looked around at his surroundings. Never in a million years would he have predicted to be here. He was next to a beautiful girl, rising up in a metal shark tank, about to be dropped in the dangerous sea. The cage was large. He didn’t know that they made cages this enormous. It reminded him of the cage that he had as a child for his hamster, Henry. He had bought his Henry a metal wire cage rather than a glass one, so that he could reach through the cage and pet him anytime he wanted. He loved feeling the soft fur on the tips of his fingers. His hamster loved carrots and through the metal cage, he would hand feed them to him.
When Henry was upset or angry he would often chew on the metal wires of the cage, Marc would then let him out of the cage and put him in his hamster ball. Henry would run wild for hours in that ball. He loved the freedom. He often felt bad for Henry, the fact that he was trapping him made him feel upset. He knew Henry wanted to be wild and free. There were some days that he hated being stuck in that cage. Marc felt the same way today. He felt the same helplessness that Henry had felt when he had been trapped in that cage every day of his life.
“Testing, testing,” Chris announced over the speaker. “Can you both hear me?”
Marc shook his head back and force, wondering where Chris’s voice was coming from.
“Yes, I can hear you Chris.” Cathy replied slowly looking over at Marc in confusion.
“Marc, you’re shaking your head no. Can you hear me now?” Chris repeated again.
“Oh. Yes I can hear you. I just wasn’t aware that I was wearing a talking mask.” He joked as he held his hands to his ears in an effort to hear Chris better.
“We wear the speakers so we can hear Chris’s instructions from up above while we tag Mandy.” Cathy explained informatively.
“I know why we wear them,” He grinned behind his mask. “It’s just weird to get used to a guy talking in my ear from my mask. But joking aside, we’re ready Chris. Drop us in.”
“All right. The cage will be dropping in a few seconds. Keep breathing while you immerse yourselves in the water. Don’t move around your bodies too much. The cage will submerge unevenly, so just look out for that. Once we fully drop you down into the water, I will speak to you again.”
Marc breathed slowly, trying to calm himself for what was ahead. He took a peek over at Cathy to see how she was reacting. She looked as if she had done this a million times. She looked excited even. Marc couldn’t wrap his head around being excited for swimming with sharks, but he knew Cathy’s fearless spirit would be up for anything. She was always up for a good adventure. Being with her was always exciting to say the least.
The bottom of the cage submerged with water. He could feel the cold rush hit his flippers and slowly rise up his knees. The cage was filling up faster and faster with water. He didn’t know it would actually fill up this quickly. An icy blast hit him in the stomach as half his body was covered in water. He pulled his arms down to immerse them in the water along with the other half of his body. As soon as he knew it the water was all the way up to his neck. He shivered trying to shake off the cold feeling as his mask had finally touched the water.
Looking around, he was surprised at how clearly he could see everything. When he was scuba diving before, while picking up the trash, he could barely see anything. He figured the surface of the water was murky and polluted, but deeper down it was clearer. He was now fully underwater and he was mesmerized by what he was seeing. Fish were flying by him, trapping their prey. A whole school of them swam right by his face and through the cage. Cathy looked over at him and laughed at him jumping around as the fish flew through his legs. He smirked back, thinking that she had never looked so beautiful. There she was with all of her scuba equipment on, a hood over her gorgeous hair and a mask covering her blue eyes; yet he had never seen her look better.
“Marc, do you see the blowfish?” She said through the speaker as she pointed towards a large, pink puffy creature.
He looked up and down, then to his left and his right. He couldn’t find it. “No, where is it?”
“Look straight ahead. It’s right in front of your face.”
He looked directed ahead, placing his hands on the bars of the cage to get a better look.
“Do you see it?” She asked looking at him.
“Yes, it’s so…spiky. I want to touch it,” He reached out his hands as it approached him. The blowfish sat in his hands and he examined it. “They are poor swimmers and don’t have any scales, but they are one of my favorite creatures. I think Kirby was modeled after them. That was always my favorite game as a kid.”
“Kirby?” Cathy looked at Marc holding the blowfish in between his palms. She admired his love of marine animals. It was the one big thing that they had in common. It was the main reason she was so drawn to him. He had compassion and an understanding for creatures that were unlike him.
“Yeah, Kirby the little pink animal that inhales air then flies. Blowfish do a similar thing, but they inhale water to make themselves a spiky ball to get rid of their predators. It virtually makes them inedible. It’s incredible to see an animal with a defense mechanism like that. Most fish just have to swim for their lives to outrun predators, but not blowfish. They just spike up to avoid getting eaten. It’s quite convenient.”
“Marc and Cathy, we are about to drop the tuna bait in the water. Once we do we will probably be seeing a frenzy of animal creatures. We will be dropping it right in front of the cage. When Mandy comes by, quickly put the tag on her fin while she is eating the tuna. It should be quick, easy and painless for Mandy. Here comes the tuna.”
Marc looked above at the ocean surface. It looked white, soft and rippled quietly. It almost looked like heaven. He saw a line above and a few seconds later, the large tuna fish was dropped in the water. Hearing the splash, most of the fish scattered away as quickly as they had come. The blowfish went further down into the ocean floor, avoiding what it thought to be a predator. Seconds later, the tuna was right in front of Marc’s face. He could even smell its fishy odor, even from underneath his mask. He looked at it lying there so peacefully in the water, waiting for its demise.
It didn’t take long for the sharks to come. He could see them from a mile away. They were traveling in a pack. He figured they were all three female sharks, since they tended to swim in a pack to avoid male sharks and their mating habits. He didn’t blame them. Male sharks could be fierce and pushy when it was mating season. The sharks were approaching closer and closer. He was getting nervous now. It would almost be the moment that he had been waiting for. Seeing the sharks up close made him feel nauseous. He tried to relax by thinking of calming matters and peaceful times.
“I can’t believe I did it. I just can’t believe it. It didn’t even feel like me out there, you know? I felt like a completely different person. Like something took over me and helped me achieve victory.” He said as he sat on his long red board, proud of himself for once in his life.
“I can believe that you did. You were always a true champion. I knew from day one that you would be successful. You just had to believe it yourself.”
“Dad, I just can’t believe I am the winner. I not only won the semi-finales, but the finales too? It’s just unbelievable. I feel like I am going to wake up any moment and this will all just be some amazing dream that I am having.” He looked down at his board, the one that had made him a champion. He still wasn’t used to the fact that he was a winner. Running the sand grains through his hands, he pinched his a
rm. He wanted to see if this really was his life. It was almost too good to be true. He figured he would wake up and all of it would be gone instantly, just like everything good seemed to do.
He patted his son on the back approvingly. “You did what you came to do. You conquered the waves and did what you set out to do,” He stood up and watched his son pondering in thought. “I’ll let you have a moment to let it all sink in. I know it doesn’t feel real yet, but don’t worry it will soon. You will feel what I used to feel when I competed.”
“What did you used to feel?”
“I felt as if it was the biggest accomplishment of my life. I had practiced for months and months, trying to nail down certain tricks. When the competition came, it was my moment to show everyone what I learned. Winning the trophies felt like I had taken the world by storm. Surfing was always my biggest love, until I met your mother and had you. Then my priorities changed. I set my goals on becoming the best husband and father that I could be. I gave you the crown of glory. When you got older, I could see your talent and I knew it was your chance to shine. I never doubted you, Son. I knew you would make me proud and today you did.” He gave his only son a loving look and walked away to let him have the time to think about his accomplishment.
Marc wistfully watched his father walking off towards the car. He desperately wanted to follow him and talk to him more about the competition, but he just wasn’t ready to accept the fact that he had just been crowned the Junior Surf champion. Beating out all of the competition, he had pulled in the win. The competition had been tough. They were all talented and he knew it would be a challenge to come out with the win, but somehow he had managed to do it. He sat in the sand, in complete bliss. He had just pulled off an Ariel, a move that had taken him months to master. He and his board had launched into the air off the top of the wave, he then dropped back down perfectly into the wave landing the trick as the crowd cheered. He replayed the moment in his mind over and over again.
Shark Lover Page 8