Day 32
17 November 2021
For The Love Of Sharks
Today at Ocean School, we dived at yet another pristine Aussie beach. White sand and clear turquoise waters. (The whitest sand in the world, just quietly).
Today was all about sharks!
Where do I start?! We learnt SO much today.
Like, did you know that sharks are ambush predators and if you come across a shark on your travels you should maintain eye contact at all times.
I know, I know! Not my first reaction either. BUT if you swim for all hell you only look like a wounded animal and the shark is more likely to take a chomp at all that thrashing.
Oh, and sharks have 7 senses!
They have electroreception, which means they sense electrical pulses. This means they can actually sense your heart rate cranking up to 1000!
You gotta stay calm dude!
But that’s not all.
You need to do these things too.
Meeting A Shark
1 Maintain eye contact at all times. If they circle you, you circle. If they pace along side you, you turn your head left to right like an engaged Wimbledon spectator.
2. When they come close to you, you have to puff up & assert your dominance – arms out, chest up, chin up, legs straight.
3. If the shark swims right at you, they’re playing a game of chicken, sizing you up, and you can’t turn away! If you turn & swim away it becomes a game of chase. You puff up, and you hold your ground. 😲😲
(At this point, it’s ok to pee in your wetsuit a little bit).
4. If the shark is taking too long to turn away, you can push their snout away with the heel of your hand and ‘gently’ redirect his energy. Like a toddler! 😂
FEAR
So where does all this shark fear come from?
Only one of the best 80’s movie ever made!
This movie gave the poor unsuspecting shark such a bad rep. Some 40 years later humans are still terrified of sharks.
According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science, there are around 10 deaths per year attributable to sharks worldwide.
Yet humans are responsible for 100 million shark deaths every year!
We learnt that sharks swim past you in the ocean all the time.
They’re not interested in eating you.
Oh, and they’re not attracted to your blood & they’re not attracted to urine. Myths busted!
Most attacks are towards surfers and there’s a really good reason for that.
They look like a sharks FAVOURITE snack!
Take a look at these silhouettes.
These shadows are of a seal, a turtle & a human on a surfboard.
Shark Eyes
If you have a surfer in your life, you gotta get them some shark eyes!
A big pair of eyes that stick to the bottom of your surfboard or boogie board.
Don’t laugh, it’s a real thing!
Sharks don’t like being looked at. They’re paranoid man! Haha, I can relate!
A set of shark eyes will set you back $12.95 AUD. You can buy them here. (http://thehomeschoolyear.com/Shark%20eyes)
Aggressive Behaviour
We learnt if a shark is ‘fluffing’ it’s gills & jaw popping, it’s displaying aggression and its time to get out of the water or move closer to the reef. (I vote get out of the water, but that’s just me!).
When we got home we looked up ‘gill fluffing’, here’s what we found.
Watch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RFeQ3yLkz0
Dive Time
After lots & lots of shark chat, & acting out shark behaviour with our dive buddy, it was time to hit the water.
This week Mila took her first free dive!!
She was having trouble getting down under the water because she was so buoyant due to 2 rash vests, a winter wet suit, a spring suit and a hood! She is a cold frog and needs the works just to stay warm!
Lara gave her a little push and she went down. So proud of you Mila girl. Well done!
Linc is a natural and dived down over and over again.
They saw a bright red octopus today!
“A big one! It’s tentacles were as thick as my arm!” They both say.
“I saw a big rainbow fish” Says Linc.
When they come out they are so energised and alive. It’s palpable.
They love this class!!
Gingerbread
Yesterday Mila bought a Ginergbread maker and so after lunch, while we were watching shark videos on YouTube, Mila made us fresh Gingerbread people.
They were delicious!!
Best day ever.
