decide to eat them. Obviously only the
strongest survive at the top of the food
chain. Great whites hunt 24 hours a
day. They depend on constant move-
ment, with oxygen-rich water passing
over their gills, for survival.
“Watching them swim from the
cage, I realized how well their bodies
are camouflaged for hunting. Viewed
from above, their blue-gray top side
allows them to blend in with the ocean
floor. Viewed from below, their white
underbelly allows them to blend with
the surface water.”
“Their long, pointed snouts are
imbued with Ampullae of Lorenzini,
which allow them to sense the electro-
magnetic field of everything in their
environment, including the heartbeat
of their prey. They can even smell
blood in the water as much as five
miles away. When their pupils are fully
dilated they can see prey at the surface
from 600 feet below. Massive muscles
and uniquely shaped tails allow them
to swim straight up at speeds of 15 to
35 mph.”
“On day one, I thought, hey, my
surfboard’s for sale! By day three I didn’t
want to get out of the water,” Laura said.
“The sharks were at home. I was the
intruder. It was pure adrenalin for three
days, and my respect and awe grew the
more I learned about the great whites.”
Laura was appreciative of the
onboard lectures provided by trip
organizers. She learned that great whites,
like whales, have distinctive markings
that allow researchers to identify and
track their migrations and life spans.
She was also grateful that a portion of
her trip fees would be donated by trip
organizers to the preservation of great
whites and groups fighting shark fin
hunting practices, which are illegal.
“One night, after a full day in the
water with these massive predators, our
group of divers sat on the top deck of
the boat and watched “Jaws” under a
sky filled with stars. I heard that Peter
Benchley admitted remorse after his
book led to a box-office smash that cre-
ated a generation of shark haters. Today
the great white is listed as a ‘vulnerable’
species, although marine biology experts
worry that its fate is far less certain.
“I’ve seen all kinds of sharks in my years of scuba diving, but
there’s absolutely nothing like a great white. That said, I don’t
feel the need to see them close up again. I’m done. Even though
I’m a lover of the ocean — surfing, snorkeling or paddle
boarding — I think I’ll wait awhile!”
Laura Perry
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
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