Closer Writer Ellie Hooper says:
‘We’ve been talking about doing a feature on facing your fears for months, but I was pretty sure I was safe.
After all, my biggest fear has always been sharks, despite how ludicrous that sounds, and I didn’t see how we would manage to get me close to one without flying halfway across the world.
Little did I know that the SeaLife centre in London now offers shark experiences, where you can literally get into a tank surrounded by the buggers.
So in the spirit of ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ I said yes. As my stomach did serious backflips and I considered handing in my resignation…
When we arrived at the centre first thing on Tuesday morning, we were led over to the tank we’d be entering - conveniently just as a three metre shark happened to be passing underneath.
My legs turned to jelly.
Despite the fact I know it’s a ridiculous fear - the whole idea of those toothy giants both fascinates and terrifies me in equal measure.
I know the likelihood of actually coming into contact with one of them in the wild is slim, let alone being bitten by one, and I know I’m more likely to be killed by a cow/my bed/a bad bra…but it doesn’t make it any better. Every time I get into the sea I hear the Jaws theme music in my head…
So not to harp on about it, but getting into a tank with these guys was a SERIOUS deal for me.
As I squeezed myself into my wetsuit, I was starting to have doubts about whether I could actually go through with it, especially after being told that all that would separate us from the sharks would be a nylon NET, not, as I had hoped, the strongest metal known to man.
Our instructor was amazing, telling me that the sharks not only don’t see us as food, but are also very well fed, so would have no interest in pursuing another meal.
But nevertheless, I was still terrified.
What was interesting, though, is that once I was underwater, I felt very calm.
Cliche as it sounds, but it was very peaceful down there with the big fish, and watching them swim towards us wasn’t anywhere near as terrifying as I’d imagined.
Even when one particularly large fella rubbed up against our net, showing us all his lovely spiky teeth, it was more fascinating than anything, and the feeling that you had come so close to one of nature’s most incredible predators was exhilarating.
When we got out, I felt ecstatic. Not only was it an incredible experience, but it genuinely made me feel a lot calmer about the ocean and the animals in general.
Though time will tell if I actually feel calmer in the open sea, I feel like seeing them up close and personal has cured me of some of my irrational nervousness about sharks, and the idea that they should be feared rather than admired.'