Bull Shark off Playa Del Carmen, MX. 1/320, f10, ISO 1000
It was my very first ocean dive. I was in Cozumel, Mexico, drifting clumsily over the reef, still overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of it all—the colors, the movement, the vastness. I was a new diver, wide-eyed and breathing way too fast, trying to take it all in.
Then my divemaster pointed down.
And there it was.
A bull shark, cruising calmly near the bottom.
I was flooded with emotion—awe, fear, curiosity, all mixed together. Part of me wanted to swim toward it, to see it closer. Another part of me wanted to turn and get out of the water as fast as I could.
All I knew about sharks at that time was what I had learned from movies and the media: that sometimes, they eat people.
Lemon Shark getting it’s teeth cleaned off Tiger Beach, Bahamas, i/320, f9, ISO 800
Shortly after that moment, my tank ran low—a classic rookie mistake. I was breathing too hard, too fast. And instead of surfacing with me, my dive master sent me up alone.
Such a terrible thing to do with a new diver.
Blue Shark off Cabo San Lucas, MX. 1/320, f9, ISO 1000
I’ll never forget floating there on the open surface, alone, terrified, staring down into the deep blue, knowing there was a shark somewhere below me. I had no idea where the boat was.
It took a while for the boat to find me, or at least it felt like it took a while.
The boat eventually found me. As I sat there catching my breath, my mind was racing.
Why didn’t the shark come after us?
Why didn’t it rise up and eat me?
Why? Why? Why?
Oceanic Whitetip off Dominica Island, Caribbean. 1/320, f9, ISO 1250
And that was it.
That moment, that one encounter… it changed everything.
Because everything I thought I knew about sharks was wrong.
And I needed to know more.
That single dive—over 26 years ago—sent me on a path that I’m still walking today. I’ve spent decades diving with sharks around the world, and I’m still asking questions.
Caribbean Reef Sharks off Tiger Beach Bahamas. 1/320, f9, ISO 500
Because the more I know, the more I realize how little I know.
And that’s what I love most about these animals.
They keep me curious, they keep me humble… and they keep me coming back for more.