by Francoise Giacalone

It seemed like it might be an average dive, at best.  It wasn’t all that warm.  Occasional shards of light broke through cottony clouds.  A northern swell was passing through; there were a few whitecaps.   The boat rocked and jerked on the mooring line.

We gritted our teeth and pulled on cold, damp wetsuits, then shuffled unsteadily to the gunwale.  We each checked our gear one last time, bit down on the regulator and rolled back. 

Hitting the water was a chilly shock.  We bobbed to the surface, glanced at each other and began our descent.  About halfway down, enveloped in blue, we realized the visibility was good, really good. 

The pinnacle loomed clearly beneath us.  Our downward drift accelerated gently as we neared the mooring pin at Outer Limits, on of Saba's pinnacles.  It was then that we realized this would not be just another dive. 

At just over 100 feet, conditions were perfect. In front of us, behind us, everywhere around us, melded into a delirious silvery shimmer were jacks, bluehead wrasse, dolphin fish and countless others. 

We paused a moment, taking it all in. We swam just past the edge of the pinnacle to the blue void, captivated by the awesome swirl.  Suddenly, two large reef sharks pierced the silvery shimmer.

Sharks don’t appear to swim as much as glide through the blue.  Perfectly streamlined, with an almost elastic quality, they surge forward like silent grey jets on patrol.   There are surely few creatures that exude as much confidence in their mastery of their domain.

The sharks approached the pinnacle.   The silvery shimmer seemed to flicker nervously and retreat just a bit.   We held our breath, mesmerized.  As divers, we live for these rare moments.  

The sharks veered away, one on either side of us. We looked around. The silvery shimmer seemed to relax a little as the sharks faded from view.   We looked at each other, reading delight in each other’s eyes. 

The sharks made several more passes that day, each one a graceful arc.  Finally, our time elapsed.    Reluctantly, we swam back to the mooring line to begin our ascent.  We would have fifteen minutes to contemplate our experience as we made our way to the surface.