15/11/2022
What would you do in my fins? How would you feel if the sharks quite literally began circling?
The reality of diving in the ocean (in this instance, spearfishing), is that you WILL encounter a shark at some point or another, but this post isn’t really about sharks— it’s about how we handle unexpected or panic inducing situations.
Stop. Think. Act.
These are the fundamental components of analyzing a stressful situation in order to avoid panicked decisions. Panic leads to clouded judgement and poor decision making.
In this instance, when confronted with a very persistant and bold Silky Shark, I still used the “Stop, Think, Act” analyses. Here, rather than physically stopping, my “stop” was to press pause on the alarm bells going off in my head. Yes, I told my body, there’s a shark that’s refusing to get spooked away. What can I do about it? Here, I’ve identified the stressor, in this case a persistent shark. In pinpointing the issue and calming myself down, I’ve allowed space for rational thought— the, “What can I do?” or, the “Think” portion.
The answer to my question was simple once I had quieted those alarm bells. The best thing to do was to stick close to my buddy for both visuals and to present a larger profile, and to start our swim back in. This shark was not going to let up any time soon. Once I’d established what I wanted to do, it was then time to enact this plan by signaling my buddy.
All of this happened rapid fire in a manner of seconds. Once you press pause on panic mode, your body becomes much more equipped to perform rational thinking. The more prepared you are to handle a stressful situation, the easier this will be.
Part of your regular training should involve worst case scenarios based on what type of diving you’re doing and the environment you are in. Don’t be afraid to talk to your buddy about an emergency plan. Know your entry and exit points, establish emergency contacts, run through probable emergency scenarios.
If you are interested in learning more, feel free to reach out about our course schedule. We not only full certification courses, but we also offer safety and spearfishing seminars, coaching, and group discussions.
