Dive Into Your Imagination

Marie, can you tell us about yourself and how you ended up on the Solmar V with Shark Diving International heading to Guadalupe Island to go diving with Great White Sharks!

Yes, I’m from Guelph, Ontario Canada. Professionally, I began as a television broadcaster. Then I forayed into politics and while I did not get elected I gained valuable experience and opportunities that would open up new careers. This facilitated a return to school to study International Development and Political Science at the University of Guelph.

Throughout my three years of back to back semesters, I kept a magazine by my desk called Islands that a friend had given me because it highlighted a shark tour and she knew of my intention to someday shark dive. The photos of that tour served as inspiration as I promised myself the tour upon graduation. I waited almost a year after I graduated, but it was worth the wait as I know I found the right tour and the right mix of people with which to share the journey and make it a reality. It also came at a time of great personal and professional transition. Earlier in the year I had a cancer scare and the first thing I thought about, besides my health, was that I had not yet seen the great white sharks. This testing had revealed itself while pursuing my application with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I’m pleased to report that I am healthy and being sworn into the RCMP November 7th and departing for Regina, Saskatchewan for training November 9th and graduating April 27th, 2009.

WOW! I remember Islands magazine, to think that was your inspiration! Out of all the animals in the ocean, how come you wanted to go see Great White Sharks?
I wanted to see the great white sharks since I was a little girl growing up on a farm in Wellington County. While we weren’t surrounded by water my imagination would run wild as I watched Oceans Alive on a local television station where many years later, I would work as a news reporter and meet the producer of the series. He said he always put sharks in the program because that’s what people would watch for and I exclaimed, “That section was always my favourite part of the show!!!!” When I was little I wasn’t fortunate enough to have access to the world wide web and sites like Dive into your Imagination but television, books, papers and magazines introduced me to many worlds.

Seeing great white sharks and gorillas in the wild were two childhood dreams I have seen become reality. They were childhood dreams that seemed nearly impossible but I would visualize both. If times were tough I would visualize being face to face with a shark or sitting amongst the herd of gorillas. I suppose both adventures were about facing the unknown and maybe even fears. As a little girl, I was nearly abducted from the end of my driveway and for many years I lived with a sense of fear yet instead of hiding away, I would live life to the fullest and I have packed a lot of living in already!

The greatest influence in my life was my grandmother. She would take me out on special nature walks and point out the changing seasons on our family farm. I believe the most powerful gift you can share with a child is the importance of the environment. Whether it was an animal, flower or tree she showed me its beauty and to have appreciation for the world in which I live.She also taught me to be strong and daring as I was blessed to live in a very different time than she did as a little girl and she encouraged me to take advantage of every opportunity.

Well said! What did your friends or family think about you wanting to dive with Great White Sharks?
I didn’t tell my immediate family I was going to see the sharks because they were concerned about my safety but my friends knew that the experience would feed my soul. I booked the trip very last minute and I had one friend phone several times a day to find out the status of my bookings because she just knew how important and timely it was to escape. I knew it was meant to be as all the plans came together without a glitch. Any further concerns would be relieved as I received interesting signs along the way that I was headed in the right direction. On my way to Ensenada from San Diego I saw a huge billboard which seemed to capture the real essence of my shark dive experience. “It isn’t the destination… it is the journey.”

Upon return my friends watched the video and the tale with great enthusiasm while my family didn’t share the excitement. My father gave a happy buck at his Rotary Club that his daughter had returned safely from the sharks with all her arms and legs! When I explained my need to fulfill this dream and the conflict I had felt during the cancer scare he eventually understood because he had faced his own battle with the disease and could empathize with the fear of not achieving all you want out of life. My mother actually declared, “why can’t you just be normal and I’m glad this is out of your system!” The truth is it is only just begun!!!!

Are you going to become a scuba diver?
While I am a self professed jungle girl, there are many more mysteries I have yet to explore in our vast beautiful oceans. Seeing Great Whites feeding and breaching off the coast of South Africa is on the vision board of things yet to do. Also, during our tour, I saw some of the footage Lawrence Goth shot during his many adventures and it reminded me how I felt on our way out to see the sharks… how much I wanted to jump in the water with the whales and see their beauty up close and personal so I am now inspired to learn to scuba dive.

Despite the fact this tour didn’t require scuba diving credentials my only fear about shark diving was I had absolutely no experience scuba diving. I felt the security of the cage and that I was close at hand to the boat but I am not a strong swimmer. The fact I was the only one on board without any experience drew quite the reaction from fellow tourists. Fortunately, I was reassured to be grouped with two experienced divers who if could simply get into the cage would serve as under water body guards on either side of me. The entry was a challenge I had not expected. I thought my fear would be coming face to face with a shark but those few steps down the ladder lasted forever that first day. I felt like I was drowning as I didn’t know how to breath properly, mouth only, and I kept panicking. My guide reassured me that it was just like being in the bathtub but when I did get down low enough and opened my eyes a school of mackerel were staring at me and I popped back up to say my bathtub doesn’t look like that!!! I felt like I was in the movie Finding Nemo and the fish were placing bets on whether I could do it. I was looking for the humour in the situation. I finally admitted that maybe I can’t do it. Can’t usually isn’t in my vocabulary and fortunately it wasn’t in Lawrence’s and he said I could. He coached me further on breathing correctly. Soon my entire body was emerged in the beautiful clear blue water. I knew I was in and secure when I looked above and they had closed the cage. While I didn’t see a shark that dive I had faced some fears and learned a new skill.

What did you think the first time you saw the sharks?

My first, in the water sighting of the shark was a great relief because he didn’t arrive until our final day. I had missed an earlier, in the water, sighting two days previous because I was out on a panga ride which was an exceptional experience… baby dolphins swam with their mothers along with our boat as we said hello to sea lions, mothers and babies, along the shore. I thought the shark sighting might escape me but I prayed the night before our final day and talked to the shark I would imagine was swimming around our boat as I cuddled in my tiny bed below deck. I was up before the crack of dawn on that final day. I wandered out cloaked in my blanket and found our tour organizer peering off the back of the boat. He wanted to see the sharks as much as us and confessed he was growing concerned at not only our potential disappointment but the possibility that something had happened to his shark family. The sharks he has come to know almost by name according to their markings. Well, today was the DAY! I spotted the fin first and while some thought I was seeing something I desperately wanted to see, a short time later the first shark swam by the boat and the call came out, SHARK!!! Everyone rushed to their gear and next thing I found the cages full and me standing on the boat. I reasoned perhaps it was better to observe from on top first. As I discussed this out loud an experienced diver starting brawking like a chicken. I left his chiding to get in my gear and wait for an opening in the cage. Then, it was my time to enter the cage and my heart was pounding with excitement and almost the equal amount of fear of seeing and not seeing the shark. I had requested to join the cage with fellow Canadians and it wasn’t long before the tap came on my shoulder from my fellow Canuk, Sandra Filosof, to turn and see the shark and there it approached like a ghost revealing itself out of thin air. I know my eyes grew larger as it glided closer and closer AND CLOSER but I felt no fear, just respect and mystery. I learned then and there a valuable lesson; know your power and when to use it and that there is great power in projecting a sense of peace. The shark then began a series of repetitive passes around the boat and I scored a position in the cage where I could have reached out and pet the shark as it passed by but I showed great restraint. Admittedly there was excitement when the shark did eventually attack the tuna and revealed that glorious smile!!!

What do you think people should know about or do to protect sharks, our seas?

I firmly believe the health of our sharks reflects the health of our planet. Many of the issues affecting sharks are best highlighted in a 2006 Canadian documentary, Sharkwater.

In the plot summary, it highlights the issue of the shark fin industry. “Rob Stewart discovers these magnificent creatures have gone from predator to prey, and how despite surviving the earth's history of mass extinctions, they could easily be wiped out within a few years due to human greed. Sharks are keystone species, and removal of them from the food chain could possibly reek havoc on the rest of the ecosystem, including organisms responsible for the air we breathe.”

I repeat, my personal lesson from the sharks is; know your power and when to use it and that there is great power in projecting a sense of peace. The sharks are nothing like what is depicted in the famous movie JAWS that causes people to be so fearful.

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