I had the great privilege of spending a morning with the guys at Island View and I'd recommend to anyone who is thinking of doing this - DO IT!
I grew up with a fear of open water and a result, never swim in the ocean. That paired with a completely irrational fear of sharks, which was really only based on Hollywood's portrayal of them as killers, made everyone think I was completely nuts when I decided to book this dive.
I was quietly anxious in the run up to the Thursday morning trip and didn't say a word in the car on the 50 minute drive from Honolulu to Haleiwa! Once I got to the boat and met the guys, their warm demeanour and cracking jokes immediately put me at ease. The team went through a safety briefing and told us what kind of sharks we might encounter and how to behave in the water. They also asked that we leave any ideas, or anything we think we might know (or fear!) about sharks on the shore and go out with a completely open mind.
A quick ride out to the water, which included the treat of seeing some humpbacks breaching the water, and we were ready to hit the water. I'll admit I had a flash of "I cant do this" before adrenaline kicked in and I threw myself off the boat and into the warm water of the Pacific along with the other 4 divers!
Before long, we were joined by a Galapagos Shark, and then another. They came quite close but oddly, I never worried, I actually found the whole thing quite peaceful (once I managed to kind of regulate my breathing!). We had the added bonus of being able to hear the whales singing underwater which was absolutely magical! There were also lots of little fish swimming around, jellyfish and other translucent creatures. After about 25 minutes in the water and the captain told us we had about 3 minutes left, a small crab tried to make my face its new home and that was my cue to be done! I got back onto the boat feeling like I had a new lease of life! I had looked my fears in the eye and ploughed right through them. It felt amazing!
A quick boat ride back to the harbour and we had the opportunity to purchase the photos they had taken, which of course everyone did!
That is honestly a day that will stay with me for the rest of my life and I cannot thank the guys at Island View enough for the experience. It was thoroughly enjoyable and in the interest of honesty, the guys are really easy on the eye so that helps!!
Just book the dive, you wont regret it!
