A Surprise Shark Encounter off of Cairns, Australia by Tim Ghazzawi:
Something important about sharks: they should never be surprises. Especially when you’re expecting to see a turtle instead. If I’m going to swim with sharks, make me sign a waiver. Make me take responsibility for putting my life in danger. Let me pretend to believe you when you say, “Sharks are more scared of you than you are of them.” That phrase isn’t reassuring anyway. It makes things worse. If I’m in the water with a shark, I want it to be confident about how harmless I am, not panicky. I’ll be panicky enough.
You’ve probably assumed correctly by now: I saw a surprise shark. A week ago off the coast of Cairns in northeastern Australia. My brother and I were on a nearby island we’d read had a healthy reef system perfect for snorkeling. To the brochure’s credit, I did see lots of colorful fish and lots of brown-ish coral. Parrotfish, angelfish, and clownfish all darting in and around the complex structures on the seafloor. That was cool. But the water was also cloudy, dark and deep in some places. And that’s when I saw it: a 20-foot great white shark. Just kidding. I’d be dead. It was a 5-foot white tip reef shark. But still. Seeing it felt like meeting a celebrity. We’d never met before but I’m sure it was him (or her). The sharp fin and angular tail. The quick side-to-side slithery movements. It was undoubtedly a shark. Unmistakably so. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. In part because I was so convinced that the moment I surfaced for air would be the moment it attacked me from below. But also because our encounter was so unexpected, a little scary, and yet almost dream-like, not to mention short, only a few seconds long. My brother saw the shark, too, and was way more freaked out by it than me, convinced it was a hammerhead.
Graciously, that shark encounter has been the only animal surprise I’ve had while in Australia so far. I’ve chosen instead to spend my time here with a cuddlier bunch: koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, wombats, and quokkas. If you haven’t heard of quokkas, Google them and prepare to smile just as much as they do. That’s not to say all of Australia’s animals are cute. If you’re interested in dying early, YouTube: “girl finds huntsman spider in car”.
Whatever your animal preference, it’s impossible not to feel disturbed by the bushfires raging across Australia right now. Every organism from the tiniest critters to human beings have been impacted in devastating ways. Climate change debates are tired and tiring to be part of. But with every day they feel more and more necessary. Remember that koalas don’t play politics. They just want a eucalyptus tree to eat and sleep in. So let’s give them that, can’t we? To learn more about how you can donate to Australia’s wildlife relief efforts, visit: “How to Help Victims of Australia’s Fires”.
