The "…. fins to the left ……. fins to the right!" Story

Our boat, "Zambizi"

It was an ordinary day.  Waiting for the bus to take us back to the RIU Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.  Carol and I, along with our friends Jerry and Just Sue, just returned from a snorkeling trip with Snorkel Bahamas in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.  We left from Stuart's Cove which is about 45 minutes from our resort.  

Captain Wendell and LDub

The Stuart's Cove diving center is a state-of-the-art watersports facility that features snorkeling as well as scuba and

SUB and was the movie set used for the 1996 feature film "Flipper" Starring Paul Hogan and Elijah Wood.  We boarded our boat named "Zambizi" which is a Newton 46 foot dive special.  The small marina where we are leaving from has a dock with about half a dozen dive boats tied to it and a series of wooden weathered buildings which house the dive shop, restrooms, boutique and a small restaurant.  

The girls getting their life vest in place.

Truly Caribbean through and through!  Our boat has about thirty snorkelers and a crew of three as we head through a small waterway towards the sea.  Open water allows us to pick up speed with Captain Wendell at the helm.  Our first stop is a reef at an island where a James Bond movie was filmed years ago.  After the boat is secured Carol, Just Sue and I put on our flippers, inflatable vest and snorkel gear and lower ourselves into the clear warm water.  

Members of the snorkel party on both levels of the boat.

The reef is covered with a variety of coral and sea plants, but the stars of the dive are the multitude of marine life.  I look towards the bottom, which is about 30 feet away, and immediately see a

stingray gracefully flying across the sandy bottom.  I turn in a different direction and see a variety of fish such as the Yellowtail Snapper, French Angelfish, Nassau Grouper, Redband Parrotfish and Yellowtail Damselfish.  As more divers enter the water the fish head towards us hoping that some of us will have food to feed to them.  I'm sure it is a morning ritual to them.  I make throwing motions with my hands and in no time have about 30 or more fish swimming in front of me looking for food.  This is perhaps one of the best dive experiences I have ever had because of the quality of water, calm movement of the sea and quantity and variety of fish that are on the reef.  

Divers holding to the rope during our shark adventure.
I'm the one with the red suit to the left.

After 20 minutes we head back to the boat.  When all are on board we head towards our second stop.  Another reef off the western coast of the island is our next stop which yields about the same view and variety of fish as our first.  Then, after all are back on board again, Captain Wendell addresses the divers and tells us about our final stop for the morning.  We will be diving in about 30 feet of water with ……. SHARKS.  The sharks are reef sharks and are allegedly not interested in making us part of their daily menu.  Those who choose to take advantage of this experience must follow the strict rules he is about to give us.  

The sharks have arrived!  Some are as large as 15 feet!!

One of the boat's experienced helpers will enter the water and place a buoy about 30 feet off the rear of the boat where we enter.  Everyone must wear their flippers to prevent any lost toes.  All will enter the water and grasp the rope with both hands and keeping their fingers tucked in, working their way towards the buoy with very little movement.  I am the only one of our group of four who is nuts enough to don my snorkel gear for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  But, being smart as I am, I wait until almost all are in the water before I enter.  I want to be close enough to the boat to make a daring rush to get back onboard in case of a shark attack.  

Then, the chum bucket is placed in the water and drops to the bottom.  Instantly, as we all are looking toward the 30 foot patch of sand below us, the sharks appear.  

Fins to the left ….. fins to the right!

One, then two, then 10 and then more!!  The larger sharks are the females that are the most aggressive and the ones that have the biggest teeth.  After 10 minutes of watching the feeding frenzy below us, we all work our way back to the boat and board.  Then the chum bucket is slowly lifted from the bottom.  My camera is ready as I sit at the rear of the boat.  STRIKE!  One shark about 15 feet long hits the bucket that is still in the water.  

Returning to Stuart Cove.

Then another hits the side of the boat.  Holy crap are they big.  Their dorsal and tail fins are above the surface of the water.  "I think we need a bigger boat," I say to Carol as I picture "Jaws" all over again.  The sharks are sleek with large smooth heads and as they grab for the dead fish coming out of the chum bucket you can see their bright white teeth as they grasp the food and tear it apart.  Amazing …… as well as scary!!  I snap photo after photo.  Then I slip slightly and almost have a heart attack as I grab the railing.  Finally the chum bucket is on board and the fish begin to leave.  What an experience.  We head back to the watersports center after a fantastic morning of snorkeling.  After we dock we thanked the crew and captain and head towards our bus for boarding.  Well worth the $70 I had to pay for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Click on any photo to enlarge it.