The oppressive atmosphere of « Jaws » floats overhead. The outing of the day takes us to the discovery of the great white sharks. In spite of the ultra-touristy side and the sensation to be squeezed in a cage to make the excursion profitable at most, the meeting with a great white shark remains unique and crystallizes a pleiad of feelings: from the nervousness to the fright, from the awe to the admiration. Powerful jaws, several raws of triangle-shaped teeth, a highly-developed sense of smell to pinpoint some micro-drops of blood within several cubic meters of water. Although it's a terrible predator, the danger it represents for man was stigmatized in a really too deep way. The danger indeed exists, but the number of deaths due to the attack of great white sharks doesn't outnumber the 10 people each year – we are far from the hundreds of people which are electrocuted each year with a toaster that doesn't work well.
the trip is running smoothly. Briefing of the participants on the lawn of the center then we go by boat to the diving area. The crew bustles about rigging up the cage to the hull of the boat. Last safety instructions and the first batch of divers slip in the cage. The main instruction is simple not to say childishly logical: do not put the hands or the feet out of cage and this on no account. It smells tuna at the back of the boat... A member of the crew jettisons a head of a fish hooked on a rope and the first creature arrives – the “Jaws” soundtrack carries on its disjointed melody as a musical background. A peaceful and massive swimming before leaping out of the water to seize the bait. A ligthning attack. The half-open mouth lets sparkle its perfect dentition. The divers are in an ideal position. I fidget on the deck. That's my turn. I slip on the weight belt and get in the cage. Insistent music still goes through my mind. From a small corner of the cage I am, the instant is grandiose. Several sharks swim in front of us and prowl around the bait. Another one attacks the foam-rubber protection of the cage.
Each diver will go two times in the cage before the boat makes a detour towards a colony of seals laying down on a small island. A favourite food for the great white sharks. We leave this place to go back to the pier and step again on our so- welcoming earth.
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