I willingly did WHAT?!?!

My mom would say I scare her, but thats because I am not scared of much...

When people ask me "What's the craziest, bucket list experience you've ever had?" I could answer by saying I've been sky diving in Kauai or I've been scuba diving in Belize... but the one experience that I believe tops it all has been this -

In May of 2019 I traveled to Oahu, Hawaii. On the morning of May 14th I thought it would be a great idea to jump into the Pacific Ocean with 250 feet of unknown below me and swim with sharks. Yes I said swim, not cage dive. I, Samantha Royston, willingly jumped into the water to swim with sharks with nothing but the open ocean between us... hehe sorry mom. I wouldn't have been able to have this awesome bucket list experience if it weren't for the company, Island View Hawaii.

May 13th:

- 10:00 pm: I went to sleep in my van parked at my campsite in Waimanalo, HI.

(P.S: I lived in a van for a week in Hawaii and it was easily one of the best weeks of my life!)

May 14th:

- 5:30 am alarm: It's shark swimming time!

Because my campsite was in Waimanalo and I had to drive all the way to Haleiwa, which is near the North Shore, I wanted to leave at 6:30 am to get there by 7:30 am. My pelagic dive was scheduled for 8:00 am.

You would think that with this being my third time in Hawaii I would know by now that living on island time is actually a thing...

The gates to leave my campsite did not open until 7:30 am. I had thirty minutes to drive an hour - and that hour was with no traffic! This is when I started to have doubts and nerves started to take over... "Maybe me not being able to make it on time is a sign that I shouldn't do this." "What if something bad happens?" "I could get bit..." Gladly, I didn't let my thoughts consume me. I called Island View Hawaii and told them my situation. They live on island time so of course they were totally understandable and waited for me. But let me just tell you... I got Beachin' Betty to hit some record speeds, especially for a van that size. When I finally arrived at the Haleiwa harbor it all started to become so real. Was I really about to swim with sharks?!

- 8:30 am: (damn campsite gate)

I boarded the boat that would take me out approximately 3 miles off the coast of Oahu. I was filled with nerves, excitement, and nerves. Did I already say nerves? Nerves.

All of the working men that were aboard the Island View Hawaii boat were AMAZING. We started with a safety briefing where all my questions were answered. This eased my nerves... a little bit. The 3 mile boat ride out to the dive spot didn't take very long, but boy was it a ride! I saw dolphins swimming in the wake of the boat, I saw a whale breach (amazing - and rare at that time of the year), and I saw sea turtles peeking their head up for air. Witnessing all of these magnificent events made me forget about what I was really about to do... Until the boat came to a stop. It was time to jump into the open ocean with sharks.

While standing on the boat and looking down into the water all I could see were shadows. Big, big shadows. These shadows, all just carelessly and gracefully swimming around in their world... A world that I was about to intrude. I think the initial jump into the water was the scariest part. The safety diver obviously jumped in first where he then preceded to wave us in one person at a time. (There were three of us on the dive.) When he waved his arm for each one of us to jump in we c o u l d n o t hesitate. He was timing the waves, the movement of the boat, and the location of the sharks. It was in that split second when I was being flagged into the water where I just went for it. For anyone thats ever jumped into a pool, off a dock, or into the ocean, you know there is a brief moment where you are surrounded by bubbles and you can't see anything through your goggles. That brief moment was absolutely terrifying. But as soon as my visibility cleared... WOW. Every negative thought I had along with every ounce of fear I felt was gone. If I had to use one word to describe this experience I would say peaceful. Watching these giant, mysterious, yet beautiful creatures go about themselves in the purest form of wild is a memory I will cherish forever. Seeing a shark behind a glass cage at an aquarium is definitely a lot different then seeing a shark in its natural habitat. When it comes to swimming with sharks in the wild there is going to be more of a connection. The sharks recognized me as I recognized them. I felt welcomed into their world. I felt inspired. Now I feel the need to inform others.

Sharks are one of natures most misunderstood animals and I believe a lot of that has to do with how the media portrays them. Movies such as Jaws, The Shallows, and 47 Meters Down all paint a picture in viewers minds that sharks are a man eating machine and a human blood-sucking predator. A lot of people would believe that to be true. Would you still believe that if I told you that every year, over a 100 million sharks are killed by the force of human hands due to shark finning, over fishing, and pollution. In comparison, every year, about 100 shark attacks are reported with only 10-20 being fatal. Who sounds like the real predator here?

Sharks date back to before the dinosaurs. These creatures are still alive for a reason so it is our job to protect them from extinction. Say no to shark fin soup. Stop overfishing. Stop polluting.

To whom ever is reading this:

Right now, I want you to forget about every negative movie, story, and thought that you have seen, heard, or had about sharks. In respect to the hundreds of species of sharks I want you to do your own research (and maybe even jump into the ocean with them) and form your own opinion.

Imagine standing on a boat were you are dry, safe, and out of harms way.... or imagine jumping off a boat into the unknown and having the best bucket list experience of your life... Mahalo to Island View Hawaii for allowing me to have such an incredible experience! I stand with you and the rest of the shark advocate community in protecting these beautiful creatures.

Everyone go check out this awesome company:

http://www.islandviewhawaii.com

Instagram: islandviewhawaii