Bigfoot would never be seen in the ocean - he doesn't like getting his hairy feet wet.

The myths and stories surrounding the oceans color our view of the beauty (and the horror) of the saline depths.  Legends such as Ahab and the Whale, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Bermuda Triangle, Jaws, James Bond, and Jessica Alba in a wetsuit/scuba gear have all played a part in shaping our modern day perception of the seas, for better or for worse.

The idea of scuba diving in the oceans seems to elicit particularly strong opinions from most people, usually falling into two categories: “way cool” or “hell no.”  Though I am probably biased, the people falling into the “hell no” category usually rely upon a scuba or ocean misconception to support their perspective.  Below are some of the better ones I have heard.

I don’t want to try diving because…

“Sasquatch of the Sea may come get me.”

It is silly to think that man is aware of everything that lives in the ocean.  New species are being identified all the time.  But the notion that an aquatic version of Sasquatch is going to pop out from behind the next coral head is more cinema than science.  Sailors swearing they saw mermaids most likely viewed narwhals.  The Loch Ness Monster was a cardboard cutout.  I’m not being cynical, just logical (unless of course I’m on a night dive, then all bets are off and I’m sure Nessie is right behind me.)  And, if (on the off chance) a mystical beast does live in the seas, surely it has something better to do than to look for me or another diver, like avoiding photographers from the Enquirer.

“I will be eaten by a giant ______.”  (Fill in the blank: octopus, shark, man-eating conch, radioactive seahorse, etc.)

Jacques Cousteau once said that “Man, of all the animals, is the only one to consider himself a great delicacy.”  Just because there are some large predatory animals living in the oceans does not mean that they are gunning for every diver that jumps in.  Divers, in general, are too big and too loud (i.e. intimidating) for most creatures to consider us a food source.  Not to mention that a human’s bone/muscle mass to fat ratio is darn near indigestible and definitely not appetizing, even to a great white shark.  This is not to say caution be damned: I would advise against bronco riding a bull shark and parading about the sea floor with an octopus as a fashion accessory.  But, to answer the question from countless co-workers, airplane seatmates, relatives, and even the little old lady who walks her chihuahua by my house every day at 9am, no, I am not concerned that something will eat me while scuba diving.

“Banana hammocks and wet suits are required to go diving.”

To many, scuba garb can be more intimidating than jumping into a sea of sharks.  Contrary to popular (but misinformed) belief, a nut-hugging speedo and fat-magnifying wetsuit are not required to scuba dive, though some divers do embrace the look.  Most divers just wear what is comfortable to them.  After all, the fish really don’t care what you look like and most dive boats are happily devoid of mirrors.

“If it isn’t the Great Barrier Reef, it isn’t worth diving.”

Talk to an enthusiastic non-diver, and they will eventually ask you if you have dived the GBR, apparently the perceived Shangri-la of diving sites against which all destinations pale.  Since when did the Great Barrier Reef become the Magna Cum Laude of the diving world?  Perhaps it was 30 years ago when that was the pinnacle of dive options.  Times have changed, mate.  Is the GBR nice?  Sure.  Are there other destinations across the globe that are better?  Yes!  A diver can explore fascinating, historic wrecks in places like the Baltic Sea and off the coast of the Carolinas.  We can swim with pods of manta rays in Yap and dolphins in Puerto Rico.  The Cenotes of Mexico bring a whole mystic vibe to diving while the ruins that sit in the water off of Alexandria, Egypt allow a diver to bubble inches from a Wonder of the Ancient World.  The world is full of great dives, some tough, some scenic, all fantastic.  Chances are, great diving exists right in every diver’s backyard, no passport needed.

“Divers all have 3-day old stubble, a bad crew cut and a tattoo that says Mom.”

I’m pretty sure that the people holding this belief also mentioned the GBR thing.  Yes, once upon a time scuba was reserved for the “heartiest” of humans who grunted and spat, while grabbing their god-given jewels before entering the water.  Also, there was a time when most people thought the world was flat.  So…has anything Nostradamus promised come to fruition lately?  No?  Then let’s let go of this Neanderthal notion of diving, shall we?  Most dive boats hold a healthy combination of divers that are old and young, male and female, and (possibly concerningly) a wide variety of physical fitness.  Scuba diving is now done (literally) on the 4 corners of the globe in every language you can name.  I will say, however, that many die-hard divers have aquatic themed tattoos.  Why?  I have no idea, other than their conviction for the sea.  I don’t have one myself, but am shopping for one now.  I’m thinking a whaleshark with a wave.  Maybe a Mom whaleshark?

Great Whites are truly apex predators. They are capable of sensing the blood of an injured animal from over a kilometer away. Their Ampullae of Lorenzini organ, which enables them to detect and stalk the electromagnetic field emitted by the movement of living animals, can detect movement that generates as little as half a billionth of a volt. Though Hollywood has spectacularly portrayed them as preferring humans for lunch, they actually live on a diet of fatty fish and animals such as rays, tuna, smaller sharks, dolphins, porpoises, whale carcasses, seals, sea lions, and occasionally sea birds. Diving with Great White Sharks is certain to be on anyone’s list of Most Extreme Scuba. So, where can aquanauts meet these beauties eye to eye?

• Farallon Islands, California, USA – The Farrallones are located 28 miles west of San Francisco. A protected National State Wildlife Refuge since 1969, the Farrallones are an important research spot for great whites. These islands are one of the few places in the world where great whites can be observed in predatory attacks upon seals, birds, and sea lions from dry land. But doesn’t getting in the water with them sound like such a better idea? Cage diving is offered from late-September through November. Divers are offered a tank/regulator or a hookah setup. Since random chumming of the water is illegal in the Refuge, operators often pull along seal “decoys” to attract the sharks. It is an amazing day trip from the city, with many of the operators leaving right from the tourist hub of Fisherman’s Warf.

• Isla de Guadalupe, Pacific Coast, Mexico – Guadalupe Island is a volcanic island about 145 miles offshore of Baja Mexico, 200 miles south of San Diego. Due to the remote location of the island, this trip is done via a live aboard operation over multiple days. The island has a dramatic sheer rock wall extending hundreds of feet up into the air, as well as hundreds of feet into the ocean. The islands’ large population of seals attracts the white sharks in large numbers. The rocky outcrops of the islands have dramatic drop-offs around the edges that reach down into cool, deep water, also attracting our toothy friends. Visibility at this site is fantastic, up to 100 feet or more. Also, the water temperature ranges from 67 to 70 F, making it much warmer than some other Great White watching spots.

• Dyer Island, False Bay, South Africa – South African Great White cage diving occurs mainly in False Bay and the Whale Coast. Dyer Island is a small, low, and rocky island located just offshore from Gansbaai in the Western Cape of South Africa. During winter, the warm Agulhas Current sweeps down from the Indian Ocean, meeting the cold Benguela Current, creating a temperate zone just off the South African coast – providing ideal conditions for the Great White Shark in particular. This island serves as a breeding ground for a wide variety of seabirds, while its neighbor, Geyser Rock, serves as a home for a large resident seal population. White Sharks are seen on a regular basis in the channel between the two islands (“Shark Alley”) where they feed on a variety of seals, seabirds, and penguins. As an added bonus, Great White sharks in these waters often display very unusual, but highly spectacular breaching when chasing their prey, which makes for some amazing topside photos.

• The Neptune Islands, South Australia – The Neptune Islands sit on a shelf south east of Port Lincoln off South Australia. Grey granite and coastal loam make up these picturesque islands, which support an array of wildlife, including many bird species, a large colony of fur seals, as well as a colony of endangered Australian sea lions. Known as the place where the hit movie “Jaws” was filmed, the waters around these islands are a natural feeding area for Great Whites. Most shark diving here is done via a live aboard vessel. Operators practice cage diving combined with surface bait to give divers an unforgettable experience, sometimes with more than one Great White in sight at a time. The water is very cold here, but the shark action is definitely hot.

• Lampedusa, Sicily, Italy –Have you swam off the coast of Sicily or found the offshore waters of Nice to be nice? Oh yes, there were Great White sharks there, and you didn’t even know it. Great White sightings are becoming more common in the Mediterranean, where a high concentration of nutrients attracts some of the whites’ favourite snacks: large pelagic fish, dolphins and turtles. There have been numerous sightings of the Whites along the Spanish, French, Italian and Croatian coasts, but by far the largest concentration of the sharks is in the channel between Sicily and Tunisia. As far as I can determine, no one does cage diving here because of the infrequent nature of the sightings. However, there are many dive companies that operate out of Lampedusa, Sicily, which puts you in waters with the highest density of Great White sightings in all of the Mediterranean. Divers have encountered large white sharks while diving in the open sea at Sicilian Channel sites such as Pantelleria, Malta, and southwest Marretimo. Though rare, these experiences are as amazing as you can get: no chumming, no decoys and no cage bars between you and the jaws of the Great White.