Often people are surprised that something goes wrong while they are using the ocean as a swimming pool. When taking a dip in your local pool, the only semblance of an ecosystem is pretty you, and whoever else is in the pool with you.
In the ocean, things are a lot different. There’s a multitude of layers in the ecosystem and your just a visitor trying to fit in. And that doesn’t alway work out so well.
Be it stepping on something that stings you, head-butting a jellyfish, or… sending mixed messages to sharks as to who you are and what’s your intent on his home turn.
For most of us, our heads are above the surface the majority of the time and more often than not, when we drop our heads below the water line our eyes are closed.
While that might make sense for an air-breathing land animal such as yourself, it also means we are unaware of what’s taking place in the ocean that’s surrounding us.
This can lead to misunderstanding between you and the locals that might not have a happy ending.
In a video I made several years back, as part of the ‘Shark Minutes’ series of educational shorts, I use the teachings of Ocean Ramsey and Juan Oliphant to ask the question, “Are sharks trying to tell us something?” Something like pay more attention to the house rules?
Check it out:
