(For those lighthearted you may not wish to continue reading.)

We arrive to a huge slick of blood and seal blubber oil, no shark or carcass in sight. Suddenly, in the distance, a fin appears above the water. Movement. White water. Red water. I grab the camera and climb to the highest point of the boat, which is also the least stable. The other passengers begin screaming and yelling with excitement. On telephoto, I frantically try to hold a steady shot. My eye bounces around the viewfinder; my footing, my balance is impossible. We are still hundreds of yards from the shark and I have yet to see it with my naked eye. All I can see is a black & white image. Professional cameras have black & white viewfinders to improve critical focus. My perspective is two-dimensional compared to the colored spectacle that the rest of the boat is witnessing.

By the time we reach the site, the shark has disappeared. Only a piece of fresh, blood red carcass floats in the swells. The entire crew boasts about their visions - smiling, laughing, comparing, and thanking the captain for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I sit in disappointment knowing that my perspective was limited to the one-inch eyepiece on my camera. Knowing we were a great distance at the time of the sighting, my producer asks if I got anything. I can only offer him a shrug and a " we'll see ".

For the next hour we wait by the half-eaten, floating carcass, wondering if the shark will return to finish the rest of its kill. The water is a bit calmer, but not enough to drop in the cage. Suddenly we see a shadow and I follow with my camera. Slowly it makes its way toward the remains. As it breaches, I take my eye off the viewfinder to satisfy my dream. A 16 foot Great White shark within reach! Back on camera, I follow as steady as I can. The shark heads directly toward our boat, swimming just below the surface. Holding the carcass in its voracious mouth, it thrashes from side to side attempting to tear the meat apart. I capture the last image before it drops down beneath our boat into the deep blue.

That was the last we saw of the shark that day, but I had faced and completed one of my most feared lifetime goals. Of course, I have still yet to face marriage.

RJW

r_j_warner@yahoo.com