At the age of 31, I hopped on a plane to the Bahamas for something crazy I had on my bucket list ; swimming with Great hammerhead sharks ! As much as I loved it, I’m not sure I would have the courage to do it again today. With a mix of excitement and nervousness, I entered the crystal clear waters of Bimini, kneeling on the bottom floor with other divers and these massive 10-12 foot sharks. Can I tell you that being next to them made me feel particularly tiny, with my 5,3 feet. I’ll always remember my underwater buddy on this dive, David, who was so relaxed and had his camera up and personal filming this prehistoric creature !
Their snout has evolved into a hammerhead shape to boost their vision and hunting prowess !
I was lucky enough to find this last minute stay with Douglas, a warm and kind man who lives in a rustic beach house in South Bimini. In his 70’s and having lived on the ocean all his life, Doug had many stories to tell, both on land and in the water. They had a National Geographic feel to them and I was privileged to hear all about them and on his life. I especially like the story about the massive crab march tale, but you’ll have to ask him in person, if you ever you stay with him.
Doug had his little habits and one of them was being driven around, from the golf cart (mode of transportation) to his little boat ! So I was happy be the driver in both cases ! He taught me how to spear fish and dive for conch shell, the national food in the Bahamas. I saw and assisted him in the whole process from ocean to table. What an experience ! Heart in hand, Doug often gave his catch to the locals.
What a workout and a rewarding feeling to catch your own food !
I also completed my PADI Reef Rescue Diver certification, with lovely Haylee Jo Car, a marine conservationist and PADI Course Director who teaches a variety of programs in different countries. It was interesting to learn about different types of corals and the process of outplanting. After some theory in class, we hit some water time. In 3 days, a small group of us outplanted hundreds of staghorn corals, known as the most resilient type. I really enjoyed my time volunteering with The Perry Institute ; learning about corals, maintaining nurseries and outplanting the babies back to the reef.
