How the movie JAWS can help us deal with paralyzing fear...

[DiveHeart]

Attacking Fear: In celebration of Disabilities Awareness Month (Oct) Diveheart sat on a panel at the College of DuPage in Glenn Ellyn Illinois and advised young people with disabilities on how to overcome paralyzing fear when searching for a job, as well as how to identify & circumvent the unintended consequences that can come with that irrational fear....Inspiration: Compliments of Steven Spielberg & his classic film JAWS!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dylRZaaX7s
#fear #adapting #jaws #irrationalfear #scubatherapy #careerpath #diving#scuba #training #collegeofdupage #continuedlearning #cod #diveheart

 

[drbill]

I quit diving in 1975 after watching "Jaws" (filmed in part two miles from my marine biology lab). Three years later Jean-Michel Cousteau saw me suiting up for a dive during a program he ran and I worked for, and he asked what got me back in the water. I replied that I had just seen "Jaws II."

 

[Hoag]

When I first read the book (and later saw the movie) "Jaws", I had the opposite reaction. My first thought "I wonder if a high school kid from Canada could get into Woods Hole" and that is what inspired me to begin diving.

Notwithstanding my somewhat unusual response, several years later I found myself on a Live Aboard off Isla Guadalupe diving with Great Whites. There was one person on the trip who had what you refer to as a "paralyzing fear" of sharks in general. They were on this trip because they felt that if they could get in the water with Great Whites, then they could do it with any shark. The first day, they basically watched from the deck of the boat and did not get into the water, but by the end of the trip, they spent pretty much the whole last day in the water.

Their "paralyzing fear" had changed to respect, admiration and fascination! They could not get enough time watching them.

 

[DiveHeart]

I quit diving in 1975 after watching "Jaws" (filmed in part two miles from my marine biology lab). Three years later Jean-Michel Cousteau saw me suiting up for a dive during a program he ran and I worked for, and he asked what got me back in the water. I replied that I had just seen "Jaws II."

Well done....welcome back my friend...

 

[DiveHeart]

When I first read the book (and later saw the movie) "Jaws", I had the opposite reaction. My first thought "I wonder if a high school kid from Canada could get into Woods Hole" and that is what inspired me to begin diving.

Notwithstanding my somewhat unusual response, several years later I found myself on a Live Aboard off Isla Guadalupe diving with Great Whites. There was one person on the trip who had what you refer to as a "paralyzing fear" of sharks in general. They were on this trip because they felt that if they could get in the water with Great Whites, then they could do it with any shark. The first day, they basically watched from the deck of the boat and did not get into the water, but by the end of the trip, they spent pretty much the whole last day in the water.

Their "paralyzing fear" had changed to respect, admiration and fascination! They could not get enough time watching them.

Very cool story...great way to face their fears

 

[coolwave3]

The book "the gift of fear" by Gavin de Becker might be helpful with people dealing with anxiety and fear.

 

[DiveHeart]

The book "the gift of fear" by Gavin de Becker might be helpful with people dealing with anxiety and fear.

Thanks so much for the input. i'll check it out...have a great holiday

 

[Sam Miller III]

A few days ago @drbill posted

"A few years ago we had a 13' great white in the Casino Point Dive Park. A fishing boat was anchored illegally along the boundary lines and they were cleaning yellowtail. Four different groups (including two friends of mine) saw the GWS. I jumped into the water with my video rig but the visibility was too poor to see anything father than 15 ft. They closed the dive park while I was under water."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FYI
I have had three close friends killed by GWS
Al Snippersnoff (read about his attack in the book Golden sea- published by Playboy Press)
Randy Fry
Debbie Fransman

Two friends speared a GWS to save their lives
Harry Ingram shot the GHWS at the very last moment and rode its back
(read his adventure in The last of the blue water hunters by Carlos Eyles )
Bob Beaman shot a GWS at Catalina as a last minute as the shark rapidly approached him
(The shark swam off with his gun and all terminal gear )

Now I read of our own fearless @drbill with a camera in hand goes in search of a GWS, while the GWS was (or had been) in a feeding freeze- the most dangerous time to be in the water with a shark.

Since the 1950s I have had a number of up close and personal encounters of a most unpleasant type which created great respect for all sharks especially the GWS. I saw the Jaws series of movies and have an autographed copy of Peters book- Although only a book & movie they reinforced my respect for a creature who domain I enter which they have dominance in smell, vision and the ability to do serious damage

One must applaud @drbill for his bravery in his quest for a great UW photograph.

My motto is " Sharks are an occupational hazard of diving" --- Avoid them if possible

Sam Miller, III

 

[DiveHeart]

Well said Sam Miller, lll ...and as a metaphor for Fear....They are unmatched...which is why Spielberg used them to scare the heck out of us all...it's unfortunate that the "unintended consequences" resulted in the murder of millions of these amazing creatures since the movies release.