Yes that's right I dived with Sharks this weekend :P

So i have wanted to try and catch up with all the exciting things i have done since i got to South Korea but i have realised that i am just terrible at making the time to write a blog. So rather then go back through all the things i have done i will just post a couple of photos of some of the more fun things.

Now to more recent exploits, this weekend i took in a baseball game which was only my second ever game (I am English and we certainly don't do baseball at home) which was absolutely awesome fun with the Busan Lotte giants winning 7-3. Then the Saturday was the long awaited day of my shark dive at the Busan aquarium. Yes thats right a SHARK DIVE.

And it is pretty much what it sounds like, i have never done any scuba diving before so you go there for about 6 hours learn the very basics of scuba diving and get tested on pulling off the most essential skills (like breathing lol) and to make sure you don't go into a crazy panic the first time your completely underwater and breathing through an inhalator. Before that we had the luck of being shown around the aquarium and to get a look at the main tank we would be diving in. There were about four different types of shark in the pool along with grouper fish (which are absolutely huge fish one of them easily the size of a smart car lol) a few stingrays and a lot of smaller random fish swimming about.

So my first thought when i climbed into the tank and was sat down on the floor whilst we waited for the others to join us was what the hell am i doing here!?! Lol focusing on breathing through an inhalator is quite difficult when a shark is literally swimming towards you. Me and my buddy Adam just looked at each other in a mixture of fear and amazement! So when all of the group were together we started the walk around the bottom of the tank (the gear was pretty heavy and we were given weighted belts to keep us submerged) It was so surreal not only were there sharks little a foot above me at some points but when they actually look at you it is one seriously eerie experience! Personally i decided that i didn't want to stare the shark out as he was clearly the king of the tank and didn't hold the gaze for more then a few seconds.

We spent some time looking for shark teeth at the bottom of the tank as these guys lose and grow teeth and some ridiculous rate there are a lot of teeth along the bottom i got three big ones which i will try and post a picture of :) Then when you see the grouper fish that is absolutely huge and you start to realise it could probably swallow you whole then you really get the adrenaline pumping!

And probably even more surreal then taking all this in was the fact that we were in the main viewing tank. So whilst i am focusing on the breathing and watching the sharks glide across above me in all their glory, lots of Koreans were waving at us through the glass and taking pictures of our moment of madness. The little Korean kids were so excited when they waved at us and we waved back or posed for the pictures.

As we made our way back to the rope i was the last one to get out of the tank and when i took one last look behind me there were two sharks gliding in my direction. It took a real leap of faith to turn my back on them and calmly climb up the rope. Afterwards when we had our debrief in the training pool one of the large sea turtles took a liking to us and swam in to say hello. We were able to stroke its back and its head and at one point it even swam up and practically put its face next to mine (I think it wanted a kiss lol) It was a completely surreal experience and without a doubt one of the coolest things i have ever done in my life!

Now i wouldn't say i have ever been a crazy daredevil, i have never sky dived (though i am planning it) I have never bungee jumped, and never gone white water rafting (planned for two weeks time :P) Its not that i am particularly scared of these things, though bungee jumping was never one of my bucket list lol. It's a combination of laziness and lacking the opportunities to do them. I am without a doubt changing as a person and i am more inclined to take on these crazy challenges and really enjoy myself then i ever was before. Wow that sounds super cheesy but it is true life is good and South Korea is awesome. Take it from me if your thinking about doing it get on with it and don't look back!

A couple of side notes one being that teaching is getting a lot better and i am really starting to actually enjoy it rather then struggling along. I love nearly all of my students and even the tougher classes (6th graders) i am really starting to find my feet and enjoy it.

And finally i met up with one of our fellow chalk boarders Jenn in Busan for post shark dive celebrations it is cool to meet someone you feel like you already know from their blogs. Anyways thats all for now feel free to ask me any questions and i'll try and get some pictures up soon.