I had always been a worrier, fretting about this and overanalyzing that. It seemed as though I even worried about what I should be worrying about. My mind always racing, and I was never relaxed. That changed the first time I traveled with Great White Adventures to Isla Guadalupe and climbed into a shark cage. In the crystal-clear Mexican waters, I stopped worrying and thinking about what happened in the past or what might come next. The instant I slid under the surface and dropped into the cage, I became 100% present and entirely in the moment. Left somewhere in those shark-filled waters was my old, worrying self only to be replaced by what I would soon realize was my true (non-worrying) self.

The sad fact is that many people never learn to value the time they have.  Others don’t appreciate it until they are told they don’t have much time left. Ioften takes a tragedy before a person learns to be present and cherish the moment. It’s a blessing that I found that same freedom -- not through tragedy but through a connection with the present moment forged on the westernmost frontier of Mexico. I’ve been making the pilgrimage every year since.

A “Sharky” Experience

This recent trip was sharks, sharks, and more sharks. We hadn’t been in the cages five minutes before the first shark arrived, followed by another and then another. The juveniles arrived in a pack and, at one point, the divers were outnumbered by the sharks.

We were entertained each day by perpetual favorite, Zapata, who bumped my camera each of the three diving days and gave numerous high-fives to cameras. However, we were sad to discover the state of his dorsal fin, which was due to an unnecessary tag placed there by Discovery Channel’s Shark Men. The tag is not providing any new data; instead, all it IS doing is causing Zapata’s fin to curl unnaturally to the side. Hopefully, the damage doesn’t interfere with his ability to be a shark, but, as we learned from Monica in her installment of Lucy’s Tail, a shark has only two choices – swim or die. So far, Zapata keeps swimming, and keeps smiling.


Lucy hasn’t made an appearance this year and probably won’t – the females seem to be on an every-other year cycle. But, we did see the first female of the season. Chica, a healthy fifteen-foot beauty,  who also happens to be Cal Ripfin’s shark girlfriend, swam by the cages on our third day. Cal did not make an appearance on our trip (or the one after ours). However, with his best friend, Zapata, and his best girl, Chica, already at Guadalupe, we knew Cal couldn’t be far behind. He made his grand appearance
on September 1 and will hopefully still be cruising the blue Guadalupe waters when I return on September 24.

Diving into New Friendships, New Adventures, and New Hope

As is the case when you do anything with Dean Karr, the action above the water was just as fun as the action in the cages. I cherished every moment, including watching the sunrise over open water, my first-ever Guadalupe booze cruise, and three showings of “Machete. “ It was good to see old friends and make a few new ones. All of our divers donned shark hats for the group photo, further proving that “Team E-X-T-R-E-M_E” is the sharkiest group of divers ever to board the Solmar V.


While I was at Guadalupe, I didn’t worry about Halos of Hope – didn’t fret about whether the shark hats will sell or if we’ll raise enough money to cover our shipping costs for 2012. I simply enjoyed the people, the experience, the magic and the adventure, and I was present in each and every moment.

 

 

Editor's Note:  We're counting on our readers and friends to share our story and encourage donations, so Halos of Hope can continue to send hats to cancer centers across the country. Without financial support, our volunteer-donated hats sit in storage.

As of September 1, 2011, 14 of Lucy's siblings are migrating to donors around the country.  Additional shark hats are still available.  With your donation to the Lucy's Tail Campaign, 250 hats are sent to cancer centers in need, you receive a shark in return.  Available sharks can be seen in the Halos of Hope online store or in our Facebook Gallery.

We are also accepting donations at all levels at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/nbsevy/lucystail.

And stay tuned! Nikki and friends will be headed for Great White Shark Adventure #2 aboard Solmar V, September 23-27.