UNEXSO Shark Feeder Course
with Cristina Zenato by Tom Kennedy
you're going to learn about sharks and there is only one person on the planet to learn
from. That would be Cristina Zenato, who is a pioneer in her field and the world's expert 
on sharks. Get her talking about sharks and her passion is contagious. She is a member of the Scuba Hall of Fame and runs the diving at Port Lucaya for UNEXSO. To say she is a legend does not give her enough credit. And I get to dive with her!
on sharks. Get her talking about sharks and her passion is contagious. She is a member of the Scuba Hall of Fame and runs the diving at Port Lucaya for UNEXSO. To say she is a legend does not give her enough credit. And I get to dive with her!
One thing about Cristina and her program, it does not work for the drama of television. Her methods take the shark's feelings into account. The connection formed with the wild animals is amazing. Looking into the eyes of a shark you see another living being not a monster as depicted on Shark Week. Public misconceptions on sharks are unbelievable. I am speaking for myself here but Discovery Channel does a great disservice to nature with Shark Week geared to the dramatic. Instead Sharks are a critical part of the ecosystem of our oceans and oceans without sharks are oceans with eco-troubles.
The Shark Dive, the Day Before the Feeding
To say the anticipation was building would be an understatement. The day before
the Shark Feeder course I go on the UNEXSO Shark Dive with eight others. The sharksrecognize the sound of the boat's engine and can anticipate what is about to occur.
Dinner is getting into the water and so are we. We can see them against the sandy
bottom silently pacing around waiting. They move so smoothly. I count ten. We jump in
and descend. They are all around us, if you ever wanted to see sharks you need to look in any direction and see more then one. I look up and there is one circling above
blocking the exit. At this point the soundtrack in my head kicks in........you know it
well..dah......dount........dah....dount speeding up as a shark swims right at me. All of a
sudden it got very warm and the shark turns at the last minute to miss me. You know the joke why the sharks decide not to eat us, they can't hear the music, but I sure could. I really can not describe the excitement and awe as we watched these magnificent creatures. Overwhelming and Surreal.'The next morning it is going to be Cristina, myself and our videographer with the sharks. That night I get online and make sure my life insurance premiums are current.
The Morning of the Shark Feeding
Getting dressed is a throwback to Middle Ages. A full chain mail suit over your
wetsuit. I felt like a knight going to battle. Where is Camelot!? Using the ten thousanddollar Neptunic shark-suit, it is perfected with duct tape (yes duct tape) and rubber
bands, which help to hold the chain mail in place against gravity. Pretty hard avoiding
the harsh truth at this point I am about to get into the water with the express purpose of
feeding sharks.
I have no trouble dropping to the bottom with the twenty pound suit and an additionalstrange, it feels surreal. By the second dive the walking was fun. You have to move in
super slow motion to make it work right. You can not force full speed underwater, it is a
waste of energy. So the exaggerated slow motion walk (Steve Austin style) worked
perfectly and the sharks responded to the difference in my demeanor. We get into place and the sharks have been waiting rather impatiently.
The Feeding
"He who controls the food controls the sharks", Cristina's voice is going in my head.
Throughout the feeding I am slowly walking backwards, standing tall and confident, notshowing any fear that could cost me a limb. We have a dozen sharks swimming and circling. As the sharks circle and pass you, you chose one as it approaches and when it is three feet away, you fully extend your arm similar to a handshake and rub the head of the shark. They seem to enjoy being touched.
I would pet a few sharks and then reach into the feeder tube and pinch my thumb into the head of a mackerel and choose a shark as it approaches, I pull the fish out and stick the tail of the fish on the nose of the shark. The shark lifts his head up and opens his mouth, from this angle I have full visibility of the sharks jaws, he grabs the fish. The first few times I
released the fish right away, which caused the shark to snap at it, also if I released too soon the grouper, who was always near by watching, would dart in so fast, he was a flash of black, and get the fish before the shark. After gaining enough faith i would not lose my hand, the shark turns and heads right at me, the perfect candidate for feeding, I whip the fish out, hit the shark on the nose with it. He lifts his head and grabs the fish, I hang on, he pulls the fish from my hand as he swims by. The power in the pulling of the fish is amazing. You can feel the raw strength of the animal as he passes. To experience this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Towards the end of the dive we increased the rate of the feeding and with it the intensity of the sharks increased to the point of mayhem. Remember, control the food and you control the sharks. My heart rate increased dramatically. They were bumping, pushing, squeezing, none of the steady circling like before. That's when I wasn't fast enough, the shark clamps on my hand, and for a split second, terror, but then he realizes it is not a fish and the chain mail does it's job and the shark releases. After a few more successful feedings we are out of fish and time to end one of the best experiences of my life.
The Aftermath
The opportunity to interact with sharks has created an incredible sense of profound
understanding of the species. They are not what I thought. I would be more in harms
way holding a steak with six pit bulls standing around then holding twenty mackerels on me to feed to a dozen sharks.
A better analogy would be ten labradoodles trying to get a treat from you. Nudging, jumping and pushing to get your attention. The one Nurse shark (all the others were reef sharks) that showed up (10-12 feet) stayed low to the ground and would nudge up to your feet, then to your knees and then your chest literally begging for a treat. It gave the feeling of a friendly dog wanting a treat. Unbelievable if you ask me, Surreal for sure.
Went into the water with ten fingers and toes, and I returned with all intact. To those of you who read this and are intrigued, go ahead and do it. Schedule a visit and dive with UNEXSO, Cristina, and the sharks while you still have the chance. Special thanks to Merial Currer, who along with Jeff, owners of Patroit Scuba in Northern Virginia planned and made this trip possible. Also to my dive partners, who without their encouragement and help none of this was possible, Jose & Jennifer, JP & Lynda, Lisa, Jeff and Brian.
Additional thanks to the incredible staff of UNEXSO, who made every dive a pleasure, especially Kelly, Jarvis, Scott, & Steve. My wonderful wife Wanda, who happily accompanies me everywhere we go. Last but definitely not least, Cristina Zenato, one of the greatest divers of our time.
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