The Pirates of Tetiaroa

"A shark will only attack you if you're wet."

Sean Lock

Back when, my cousin Hawley and I got the idea of getting licensed for scuba diving and going on some dive trips together. If you’re not a diver, you may find it interesting to know that the word “scuba” is actually an acronym for “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus” … or maybe you don’t.

We both got basic and advanced diving certificates, which included a night dive, not for the faint of heart.

Anyway, our big trip was to Moreau, Tahiti. That must be near the very top of the most beautiful places on earth. The islands are surrounded by reefs, leaving the shoreline calm. In between the shore and the reef are countless shades of aquamarine that just about take your breath away. I’ve never seen a photo that did it justice.

While there, we decided to take an excursion to Tetiaroa, the private island then owned by Marlon Brando. We and about twenty other divers left in the dark at 4am for the five-hour sail to Tetiaroa.

Dive Master Nick from down under was sun-browned and radiated the enthusiasm of the late, great Australian naturalist, Steve Irwin. He reminded us to watch out for sharks off the reef and to make the diver’s warning sign for sharks if we saw any.

The water was fairly calm at a hundred feet below and the reef teemed with brightly colored fish and some large eels too. Gliding over a small rise, I came nearly face-to-face with a fair-sized shark and slowly backed away as we kept our eyes on each other.

When I got closer to Nick, I made the sign for the shark and pointed toward the ridge. Nick had an old boot in his gloved hands and was examining it closely, paying little attention to me or my warning.

Once we were back on deck, I approached Nick, who was still admiring his algae-covered boot. I remarked that he didn’t seem to be very excited about the shark I had seen.

Our Aussie dive master held up his prize and replied, “Ahh! Ya see a shark ev’ry day, but it’s not ev’ry day ya find a boot like this!”

-Hank

"The Pirates of Tetiaroa," from The Saturday Morning Post at hankfrazee.com