Sunday, July 01, 2007 Shark Tales! By Zac Faelnar-Camara The world is my home
I AM not a diver. I’ve done six intro dives in the country’s hot spots but can’t seem to take the serious plunge. It may have to do with a common fear factor—sharks!
But at a recent trip, I had to face that fear when my son Santi, and his Grade 3 classmates from the German School of Manila dared to swim with the sharks!
The Eagle Point Resort in Anilao, Batangas, has a saltwater pool with eight baby Blacktip Reef Sharks in residence. These non-aggressive sharks were rescued from a nearby reef and will be released back into the open sea once they are deemed fit to survive. For now, they remain in an artificially natural ecosystem, replete with corals, reef and grouper fish, and curious visitors garbed in colorful suits and luminous snorkeling gear.
Anilao is southern Luzon’s answer to the Visayas Triangle but to spot sharks in open water may be occasional. On the other hand, the hot spots around Cebu still offer frequent shark sightings. “Hot spots” here refers to the world’s most remarkable, yet most threatened areas of marine biodiversity.
What was commonly feared is now endangered. For this reason, Malapascua Island has become a haven with Thresher Shark sightings daily. Around Moalboal and Pescador Island, there has been a recent increase in the number of White Tip and Whale Shark sightings.
I braved the saltwater pool. And together, Frau Ute Weeren – an avid diver, her Grade 3 class, the adult volunteers, my daughter, her kindergarten playmate, and I marveled at the graceful creatures gliding beneath us.
Swimming with the sharks was experiential learning at its best. It almost made me wish I had school trips just like it. Almost every diver has a shark tale, but I can tell you that my encounter encouraged intrepidity. And it was incomprehensively exciting!
