`CARA A CARA' DIVERS GO ``FACE-TO-FACE'' WITH SHARKS IN CARIBBEAN.Byline: BILL BECHER ROATAN ISLAND, Honduras - The attorney strokes the white belly of an 8-foot reef shark Several species of reef-associated sharks are known as reef sharks:
 This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. . I'm 70-feet deep in the clear blue Caribbean water off Roatan Island with a half-dozen scuba divers from Anthony's Key Resort. We're at a dive site called ``Cara a cara,'' which in Spanish means ``face to face.'' We're cara a cara with 20 gray reef sharks. The biggest are 9 feet. The sharks glide by Verb 1. glide by - pass by; "three years elapsed" elapse, go by, slide by, slip by, slip away, go along, pass, lapse advance, march on, move on, progress, pass on, go on - move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; "Time marches on" silently, swimming slowly past schools of smaller fish that seem unafraid. Remoras attach and reattach Re`at`tach´ v. t. 1. To attach again. themselves to the sharks. They're not parasites - the remoras count on the sharks' sloppy eating habits and dine on scraps of fish the sharks miss. Sergio Tritto, our dive master and a former lawyer from Italy, is the one petting the animals. It's a case of ``Do as I say, not as I do,'' as he warned us before the dive not to touch the sharks. He also said, ``Don't wave your hands.'' The sharks might mistake a hand for a fish and bite it. Tritto said he had been unhappy in his job as a legale in Naples and was searching for a new career. A friend told him about the sharks that congregated at a spot off the windward coast of Roatan, an island in the western Caribbean popular with scuba divers. Tritto decided to make a business out of leading shark dives. In the pre-dive briefing he told us to descend the anchor line Anchor Line could mean:
creep up advance, march on, move on, progress, pass on, go on - move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; "Time marches on" on us. Like Spitfire pilots in a school of Messerschmitts, we protect our 6 o'clock. If everything is right we will get to swim with the sharks before the feeding frenzy feed·ing frenzy n. 1. A period of intense or excited feeding, as by sharks. 2. Excited activity by a group, especially around a focal point: , said Tritto. Tritto has brought a white plastic pail full of fish to feed the sharks. He's wearing a pair of chain mail gloves, as a shark once bit his hand. So much for professional courtesy professional courtesy Professional discount Medtalk The practice by a physician of waiving of all, or a part, of the fee for services provided to a physician's office staff, other physicians and/or their families; PC has been extended to include the waiver of . Tritto signals us that we can swim freely with the sharks. Seeing the reef sharks slowly circling around us is something none of us will soon forget. We line up again in front of the coral wall. Tritto opens the fish bucket and the feeding frenzy is on. The sharks are especially aroused by the sound of jaws snapping on fish and there is a lot of snapping going on. One shark gets his head stuck in the bucket. Tritto grabs the shark and tries to turn it on its back to calm it, but the shark just shakes his head, bucket attached. The bucket comes off and the shark swims away. We head back up the anchor line. On the boat everyone is talking at once about their amazing experience with the sharks. Feeding sharks is somewhat controversial. Opponents say it can be dangerous and that it alters wild creature behavior. Those who defend it say the shark encounters help educate people about sharks and create support for conservation programs. Tritto says he's careful and only feeds the sharks a small amount of food so they won't become dependent on the handouts. His feeding spot is far from any beaches where swimmers might congregate. The shark dive is one of the optional activities at Anthony's Key Resort. The resort is a tropical playground for divers and non-divers. The bar and open-air dining room are set on a lush hillside overlooking a lagoon. Most of the rooms are on the key, a small island a 30-second boat ride away. Up to six dive boats go out four times a day on reef, wall, wreck and night dives. For non-divers, there are snorkel snorkel, tube through which a submarine or diver can draw air while underwater. When in use, the top of the snorkel tube extends above the water surface into the air. trips, horseback riding horseback riding: see equestrianism. , dolphin encounters  This article has no lead section.To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, one should be written. , picnics on the beach, kayaking and just loafing in a hammock hammock, suspended bed, usually of netting, canvas, or leather. The hammock and its name were introduced to Europeans by Christopher Columbus, who learned of them from Native Americans. . There is a Monday night beach party with crab races and a limbo contest. I divide my time between eating, diving, riding, paddling and thinking about sharks while swaying in a hammock watching the sunset. IF YOU GO Anthony's Key Resort offers dive and non-dive packages including seven-nights accommodations, three meals a day, air tanks, weight belts and weights, three single tank boat dives per day and two single tank night boat dives starting at $599. Dolphin activities, horseback riding, sea kayaking, hiking and shark dives are available, too. Information: www.anthonyskey.com or call (800) 227-3483. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) no caption (Shark with diver) (2) Divers are surrounded by sharks during a feeding frenzy in waters off the coast of Roatan Island, Honduras. Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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