Tuesday, March 30, 2010

True Story Tuesday-Does Blood Really Attract Sharks?


It’s been a bit of time, but Rachel and Mr. Daddy from Once Upon a Miracle have hit the big time with their True Story Tuesday and I don’t want to be left behind this blog sensation that’s sweeping the nation.

Well, you may remember one of my first scuba diving adventures…

You know, where I got sea sick under water and then “fed the fish”.

Later that dive, I was stung by a Portuguese Man of War as I surfaced.

Then in my story I pretended I never went scuba diving again, when actually:

I went diving at the Great Barrier Reef and could not convert to the metric system (Okay, stop thinking less of me, I was young and stupid)…well, I dove so shallow that I ended up being swept away by the current and had to be rescued by a glass bottom boat.

Oh and I did a giant stride off of a platform of a dive boat but forgot to put my regulator (breathing device) in my mouth.

“My reeeggguuullllaaattttoooorrrr!”

Let’s face it, I was dangerous.

But, there may have actually been a purpose for my quest to be the best diver ever (ha!)…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One cloudy afternoon in Cancun I boarded a dive boat. I was alone on vacation and decided to use the scuba skills that I had so carefully honed. After a few minutes, the boat headed out to the open ocean. The waves were pitching the boat briskly up and down. My weak stomach held out, for which I was thankful.

About a half an hour later, the boat came to a stop far from land.

“Okay, listen up!” the Dive Masters shouted over the roar of the wind. “We’re all going to do a giant stride into the water. As soon as you’re in, decent and wait for me at the bar beneath the boat.”

Standing at the edge of the boat, I did a huge scissor step out and landed in the warm water. A giant swell hit me a moment later and I eagerly abided the order to descend.

Letting air out of my buoyancy vest, I slipped below the surface of the gray blue water. The weights around my waist moved me swiftly downwards, sinking below the boat. The ropes holding the heavy bar below the boat became visible and I grasped one and descended farther and farther until I reached the bar.

Holding on tightly, I was pitched up and down with the movement of the boat. Above, the silhouette divers came toward me in slow motion, like a platoon of paratroopers floating to the ground. They gracefully moved closer and closer, until they were able to grab onto the bar.

At the back of the boat was a huge propeller. As the boat pitched, the giant blades thrust downward. Out of the corner of my eye I caught glimpse of diver heading into a perilous situation.

Waving my arm, I tried to attract the divers attention. Sliding down the steel bar, I moved toward the diver. He still did not see me.

Suddenly, the boat pitched lower than ever and neared the divers head. It was a disturbing sight.

With all my might I reached upward and grabbed the divers ankle. I thrust my arm down with seemingly superhuman strength and pulled him toward me. At that moment I saw the blade strike his head.

Pulling him further down, I grabbed his arm and brought him face to face with me. His eyes looked dazed at first, but then he focused in on me. Blood from his head began flowing into the ocean. Head wounds usually bleed profusely, often making things look worse than they actually are. At a glance, the wound didn’t look too bad.

It was a miracle that the diver had not been decapitated, no less come out with only a small gash to his forehead. It looked more like a shallow laceration.

Using universal scuba signs, I gestured to the diver “You okay?”

He nodded his head yes.

It seemed that no one had noticed what had just happened. Keeping hold of the diver, I urgently waved the dive master over. He came quickly, and I turned my victim over to the hands of a professional.

The two communicated with hand motions. They were pointing up and pointing down. I was hoping that the guy would be escorted to the surface to be checked out, but to my astonishment the diver followed the dive master as the group moved downward.

We all continued our decent to the ocean floor. The visibility was improving and the sun was burning through the clouds and permeating the water.

Vague memories are all that I have of the adventure. I’m sure that I saw some fish and a reef. But I couldn’t tell you much more.

Two questions swirled around and around in my head…

Would this guy make it safely through the dive?

Would the blood that continued to stream from his face attract SHARKS?

Or maybe the questions were in a different order.

After what seemed like an eternity, we all surfaced.

As soon as I saw “the victim” I approached him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks,” he said casually.

With that he walked to the other side of the boat.

“Hey, dude!” I shouted. “I just saved your life!”

Just kidding.

Stunned, I sat staring out at the serene blue waters.

Not another word was said about the drama that had unfolded less than an hour before.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

WOW!!! That must have been scary for you to see that guy near chopped up! Glad you were able to act quickly and save him!

The Blue Sparrow said...

My husband and I have a very very big fear of sharks, as a result we only made it ankle deep into the ocean on our honeymoon. As I began reading your scuba story I was thinking to myself that I should really try it someday, but then I saw that photo, Agh! No thanks, lol! Toes in the water, a** in the sand will be just fine for me! :)

Mrs. M said...

Did you really vacation in Cancun all by yourself? What a wild story - I know it wouldn't happen to me because I wouldn't go scuba diving in the first place. I don't want to go anywhere where there is a chance a fish might touch me, let alone a shark! :)

Foursons said...

Well that was very selfish on that man's part. To put everyone in danger because he didn't want to go to the top to get checked out. Not only are sharks a danger, but what if he lost so much blood he could no longer dive and then forced someone to rescue him AGAIN. Seriously. What an idiot.

And my jaw dropped at the picture of your stings from a Man of War. I think that would have been the end of my diving career. How bad did that burn?

-stephanie- said...

Some of your posts leave me in such horror! Good grief! :o)

Valerie said...

holy crap...is that YOUR arm? I got stung by a simple jelly fish in the Gulf off the coast of Alabama, but my arm looked NOTHING like yours and hurt beyond belief!

And the whole near-fatal decapitation story...sheesh!

So what is the answer to the question...are sharks attracted to blood. I always thought the answer was yes!

P.S. You know your 40+ OB patients b/c they have neither tattoo nor belly button ring on their bodies as they come into to labor! HA

Love your new blog look!!!

Heart2Heart said...

This is such a wonderful story. I was completely mesmorized from start to finish. You really should start to compile these and put them in a memoir of your life. Yikes seriously is that really your arm? And what's with the picture of the shark behind the two divers?!!

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Mr. Daddy said...

And that is why I took up fishing instead of diving...LOL
great TST...

good to see you blogging again. Missed you.

Anonymous said...

Wow. You always have the best stories! Scary...and sadly you probably didn't enjoy your dive because if you're anything like me you worried about him the entire time!

Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

That is a scary story! I would have freaked out as I watched that unfold. You have had some scuba adventures-I can't believe your arm in that picture!

Unknown said...

Are you serious? I can not believe he was not more appreciative. That is just crazy.

Are sharks attracted to blood?

Helene said...

Oh my word...you saved his life and all he could manage was a brief thank you after you asked him if he was okay!!! Wow!

Girl, you always amaze me...you have such guts! Scuba diving scares the bejeesuz out of me!!

Jewelz said...

you know at a time like that...I'd be thinkingI Hmmm at least with all these guys down here with me, I've only got to be a faster swimmer that just ONE of you!!! I mean if you go with the odds, you gotta be faster than ONE person dontcha???
I have to tell you though, I was reading through your post admiring your photography, and waiting for a funny punchline, however the injured, ungrateful divers reaction was more like a bit of a punch in the guts, RUDE!

Jewelz

Rachel said...

Girlie - that was like three True Story Tuesday tales in one post! Just AMAZING!

Any one of those stories would have convinced me that I should never go any deeper in the ocean than I can stand up in. (Yes, I know that is something like 42.3" of water, but who's counting).

Seriously - that sting looks insanely painful!

And I cannot believe the guy's reaction after you saved his life... he's lucky you were watching out for him!

You have the best stories!

Stacie, A Firefighter's Wife said...

The ungratefulness of some people is just appalling! Seriously, I can't believe his reaction.

God put you there and gave you the strength to save that guy. Good job!

Kat said...

That's one thing I've never done. I think scuba diving would be awesome! Scary, but awesome just the same!

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

Wow, what a story...Love your new design...

Happy Easter

jennykate77 said...

Reguuuullllaaatttooorrrr! :P

That is one crazy story! My dad is a certified dive instructor and he's seen some pretty crazy things. I don't think people realize all of the dangers that are surrounding you when you're diving. God was definitely watching over that guy that day...whether he realized it or not. Sooooo, sharks don't attack at the smell/site of blood? Whether they do or not, good thing they didn't that day!

Hope you guys had a wonderful Easter!♥

Katie said...

Yikes!! Wow! And how is it that I somehow missed your blog on my blog list!!?? Error fixed. :)

sanjeet said...

Glad you were able to act quickly and save him!
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