It's summer 2003 in Bora Bora. I'm walking towards the boat that's tied up at the jetty. My feet are sinking into the fluffy, warm, golden sand.Today was the day I was going to swim with sharks. My heart was pounding,It felt like it was going to fly out of my chest. I didn't get any sleep the night before. I was so excited,but at the same time so nervous. I had butterfly's. I made my way to jetty and saw my two friends already there waiting for me. The boat was tied up on a metal pole and there were two men and one young women waiting for us on the boat. "Come on in" The Girl said. I hopped in the boat first and my friends followed. This was it I thought.
We were a couple hundred metres of shore. I saw a bucket full of meat sitting on the edge of the boat. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't seen a cage on the boat.A cage that we were going to go in when we were underwater.A cage that would keep us safe.I decided to ask the man. "Excuse me,but where is the cage?" I nervously asked. He chuckled. "What cage?" He said. "Ah the cage that we go in underwater so that we don't get attacked!" I said very fast. "We don't use cages young lady,the sharks are tame they won't hurt you. All you need to do is jump of the boat straight into the water and they will just swim around you!" He said excitedly as if it was his first time doing this. My heart started pounding even louder then before.
The boat came to a hult. The boy chucked a snorkel mask at us.I watched as the girl picked up the bucket of meat and poured it into the crystal clear ocean. It wasn't crystal clear anymore. There was a patch of blood floating around. I felt a shiver run up my spine.I turned to my friends they look excited and ready to jump in. "OK girls,jump in!" The boy said. I put on a fake smile and walked over to the edge of the boat. "Let's do this" I said nervously. "1,2,3!" We jumped it. No turning back.
The water was warm but felt fresh. I could see thousands of little fish swimming everywhere,and coloured coral on the sea floor. All my nerves seemed to have swam away! I felt calm and free. My friend passed me the underwater camera. I swam towards the coral to snap a good photo. I turned back for a second to see how far down i'd swam. I noticed all the fish and gone. The ocean seemed to be awfully quiet and still for a second. I suddenly felt very anxious and worried. I started swimming quite fast to the towards the boat. All of a sudden a giant grey thing swam in front of me. I screamed. My body froze I couldn't move,but my gut feeling was telling me to get out of the ocean and to get out fast.
I hid behind a huge piece of coral and waited for the shark to leave.I saw my friends at the top of the water. It looked like they were trying to find me. My body was shaking with fear. I knew I had to stay calm and think logically. I remembered that the men on the boat had said the sharks were tame,and that they wouldn't hurt you.I decided that I would have to trust them and just swim as fast as I could towards the boat.
I slowly swam out of the coral and into the open water. So far so good. I couldn't see the shark anymore but I was to scared to turn around. I kept my head straight and started kicking hard and fast. I was so excited I was nearly at the top. I reached out my hand to grab the rope hanging of the boat when all of a sudden I felt a huge tug on my leg. Startled,I turned around faster than I had ever moved before. That's when I saw it. The huge grey body,the sharp big teeth,the deathly eyes. I screamed and that was the last thing I could remember.
I was lying on the boat. I couldn't think properly. I saw the men moving quickly round the boat ripping of there clothes and tieing them round my leg. I couldn't feel anything. The sun seemed to be glaring into eyes and blinding me. I felt thirsty and empty. The boat started moving. The sun seemed to be blinding me so much that I feel asleep. When I woke I was in a hospital surrounded with doctors moving frantically. I woke for a second then feel back into a sleep which felt like forever.
Two days later I was lying in the hospital bed. I was trying to reflect and remember what had happened.Half my leg was gone. I couldn't stop crying. I knew that I would half to more forwarded with my life and try make the best of the situation. I knew one thing though. Never was I ever going to be swimming with sharks anytime soon.
