A Brief Look At The Legend Of Jaws

There I stood, paralyzed with fear, staring into the bottomless abyss of the ocean. Armed with only the protection of a wetsuit made simply of nylon, I was about to enter the cold, salty water and come face to face with a massive beast that could swallow me whole. Looking out in the distance, I watched the safety of Cancun disappear as I entered the world where the myths of Jaws and Moby Dick originated. As I looked out into the vast and murky water, the realization that I was about to enter the water with a colossal whale shark scared me senseless. My mind jumping all over the place, I was unable to process this harrowing fact. In that moment, my only thought was “What am I doing here?” It was a warm summer morning in the month of July, 2015.

I was elated. All of my senses immediately heightened, sensations exploding from my skin. Then, an unusual wave of peace and serenity came over me as everything fell silent. I was engulfed by nothing but the beautiful alluring color blue all around me. I was in a different world! The most beautiful and profound emotion filled me, the sensation of the mystical. Then, out from the deepest depths below, a magnificent creature rose before me. I could not believe my eyes. I was face to face with a forty-one-thousand pound, forty foot long whale shark - the largest and most magnificent fish in the world. I was scared and mesmerized at the same time. Its head was the size of a truck. This huge animal could gorge me whole with ease. Armed with a new confidence and sense of calm, I put that thought behind me and swam closer. Astonished by its sheer size and beauty, I was curious to feel the animals ' skin. Placing my arm out, the whale, a gentle animal, lightly brushed up against it. I could not believe it. It was as though this amazing creature craved contact as much as I did. The moment I felt this elegant creature’s smooth, silky skin, I felt safe. I felt nothing but adoration for its friendliness and benign nature. Its massive grey back was illuminated with white spots like a thousand light bulbs. I saw five gill slits lying directly behind its large head. Then, as elusively as it rose, the whale shark began its slow decent into the abyss. Watching it swiftly elude into the depths of the ocean, I felt myself shouting for its return. This would be a memory etched in my mind forever. As I sat silently on the ride back to shore, I was keenly aware of my surroundings. I had just experienced one of nature 's greatest spectacles. I could not help but realize just how vast this world is, and that we are all small pieces of God’s bigger puzzle. I had encountered a place that we all know