My first shark dive was a terrifying idea and it took some persuasion for me to get wet. But, in a very short time, their appearance tempted me from well behind a large mound of coral.

They're so graceful and, yes, singleminded. All they look at are those big chunks of fish.

We had some big excitement on the Great Barrier Reef. Neil, our dive master, was busily managing the bait line. Then, two good sized sea snakes did swim down from the ocean surface, curving elegantly and symmetrically around his legs! They are very poisonous and their bites lead to death.

All that he could do was to freeze. He did, and, after some frightening minutes, the snakes swam back to the surface of the Coral Sea. We were frozen, too, and the release of bubbles was massive.