A far more accurate portrayal of Mick Fanning's "shark attack"...

Click here

I believe that Fanning was not attacked at all. The shark's tail fin is what can be seen thrashing at the surface, pointing at a downward angle. This is indicative that the shark simply got caught in his surfboard leash and then panicked so attempted to swim downwards with Fanning still attached to the leash. However, as soon as the leash broke Fanning was released and unharmed. 

If it was an attack the shark would have approached at an upward angle under the board, but it was simply curious as to what Fanning was. It frustrates me that the media have yet again sensationalised and embellished this story to evoke fear and hatred for sharks. In fact, it was a missed opportunity for a positive story demonstrating how sharks don't necessarily target and attack people, this was a simple entanglement accident, not an attack.

However, I do applaud South Africa for not reacting to this incident with kill orders and culls, like is happening in too many other parts of the world.

Why I wear pink fins

Most people assume that I wear pink fins and have pink diving accessories because, obviously,  I'm a cliche girly girl. In fact the reason is totally the opposite. I wear pink precisely because I'm not usually perceived to be a girl at all; to mark my female identity and redeem a sense of femininity in a predominantly male orientated industry. 



I'm not sure why, but the colour pink seems to be synonymous with female identity, so my using of the colour pink is an attempted reminder that I am, in fact, a girl. I have always been happier to go catch some waves or play beach sports with the guys than to lie on the beach sunbathing, but in doing so I have been accepted and treated like one of the boys, because 'most girls don't act like that.' 



I want to break down these gender barriers and stereotypes that dictate what is and isn't socially expected from girls. Working as a dive instructor I have unfortunately experienced countless sexist remarks and people's archaic views on the 'woman's place' first-hand.It used to be considered bad luck to have a woman on board a boat because they distracted the sailors from their sea duties. Thankfully we've come a long way since then and I am qualified to drive, crew and work on boats just as my male counterparts are. However it seems that some people's views have not moved with the times.


I often receive condescending comments about wearing pink fins; however I would rather accept these sweeping generalisations and assumptions of fitting a stereotype than to be forgotten as a female. What I struggle to accept though, is people assuming I will be inferior to my male colleagues; an opinion purely determined by my gender. Or people presupposing that I am just a deck hand or intern because they don't expect a girl to have a career teaching people to scuba dive. 


What frustrates me the most though is when people are surprised if I actually do a good job: I want to be seen as good at my job because I'm a girl, not despite it.



However, this gender stereotyping can even be extended to colleagues and employers. I have worked in several dive jobs where women are encouraged to work in the shop and let the men do the heavy lifting and filling of tanks. Is equality so much to ask for in first world society in the twenty-first century?




For a while I tried to suppress my female identity and fit in with the guys, in order to be treated as an equal, but to no avail. The guys I worked with used to hide or use my dive equipment 'as a joke' because I was the only girl, and so by default, the only target. I am all for a bit of fun in the workplace, but it gets tiresome when you become the target for all pranks, solely due to your gender. So I bought pink fins to embrace the fact that I am a girl, but to be respected and not targeted for being one. It seemed to work, apparently most guys don't want to be caught dead diving in bright pink fins.

Meet Kiki the nurse shark

Here in Grand Cayman we have a friendly neighbourhood nurse shark called Kiki who absolutely loves divers and often joins us on our dives.

She has the temperament of a labrador puppy and will swim right alongside divers, sometimes even brushing up against them. It is important that divers resist the urge to reach out and pet her though, however tempting it may be, as humans have all kinds of grease and bacteria on their hands which if transferred onto a shark's skin can be harmful to them.

Nurse sharks can reach up to 14 feet in length and weigh up to 750lb. Kiki however is around 5 feet long.

We know it is Kiki when we see her, not only from her behaviour but she also has a scar in her lip where she was once hooked on a fishing line.

Nurse sharks are generally a nocturnal species, however Kiki seems to be active all through the day, choosing to hang out with divers over sleep!