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The four Soldiers who stood over the shark tank knew what
creatures lurked below. But as large flashes of gray streaked across
the dark water, they willingly dove in to see if what many find
terrifying could actually be therapeutic.
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August 10, 2017 - Soldiers from the Warrior Transition Battalion on
Joint Base Lewis McChord get lowered into the shark tank in a
cage at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium Aug 10. Operation Shark Dive
is a program that gives ill, injured and wounded soldiers the
opportunity to swim with sharks. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Erica Earl)
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The directors of Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium’s
Operation Shark Dive have been working with ill, injured or
wounded Soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in a
program that helps Soldiers heal physically and emotionally
by diving with sharks.
Operation Shark Dive is one
of several programs for Soldiers in the Warrior Transition
Battalion (WTB), a battalion designed for Soldiers to
recover and help transition back to regular Army units or
civilian status.
The dive is part of the battalion’s adaptive sports program, a
diverse program that offers on and off-post activities for wounded
Soldiers to stay active and engaged in the community. The adaptive
sports program also satisfies the physical training requirements for
Soldiers in the battalion.
The dive is primarily designed
for learning breathing techniques, said Brian Caskin, a physical
therapy assistant for the battalion at Madigan Hospital on JBLM.
Caskin added that the process of controlling one’s breath in the
tank mimics yoga and meditation breathing exercises, “with a more
interesting view.”
“It is good practice for staying calm and
for breathing control,” Caskin said.
“They are addressing a
fear while being forced to control their breathing.”
Staff
Sgt. Jose Parra, Sgt. Steve Wurth and Spc. Jessica Knoerr, members
of the WTB and participants in Operation Shark Dive, are no
strangers to overcoming fear. They’ve each overcome their own
obstacles, including a traumatic vehicular accident for one of the
Soldiers.
None of them had even been snorkeling before the
dive. The program gave them the opportunity to don a dry suit and
respirator and submerge themselves in a tank, just arm’s length away
from five different species of sharks.
Parra said swimming
so close to sharks is surreal.
“It’s definitely a check off
the bucket list,” Parra said. “I didn’t think I’d be checking off
something like this.”
The partnership with Point Defiance
Zoo and Aquarium began in February. Since its launch, the WTB has
offered monthly dives. There are plans to conduct two dives per
month starting in September, said Caskin.
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August 10, 2017 - A shark swims under Sgt. 1st Class Erica Graham at
Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Operation Shark Dive is a program
that gives ill, injured and wounded soldiers the opportunity to swim
with sharks. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Erica Earl)
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David Todd, a member of the shark dive team at Point
Defiance, said the program aims to teach participants that
sharks are vital to ocean life and are not the fearsome
creatures of gory cinema.
“The experience is meant
to be mesmerizing rather than high adrenaline,” Todd said.
“We’ve all seen “Jaws,” and most people would say sharks are
intimidating, but some of the sharks are even timid around
the four-inch long damselfish in the tank.”
Despite
the tame nature of the sharks at Point Defiance,
participants must stay in a cage during the dive.
Todd said staying in the cage is a matter of safety for the
divers so staff can ensure the respirators work, as breathing with
the equipment does not come naturally to everyone. He added that
prohibiting divers from roaming is a safety measure for the sharks
and coral as well.
The dive includes a small course on the
types of sharks in the tank and the importance of ocean
conservation.
The breeds of sharks in the tank are blacktip
reef sharks, Japanese Wobbegong sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks
which are the heaviest in the tank at 350 to 400 pounds, and sand
tiger sharks which are the most timid of the sharks in the tank,
Todd said.
The dive includes a course on the ecological role
of sharks and other sea life. At the end of the dive participants
were encouraged to sign a pledge to protect the ocean and help keep
it clean.
Sgt. 1st Class Erica Graham, a platoon sergeant for
the WTB who also participated in the dive, said the opportunities
are available for Soldiers to have adventures and experiences like
this, but participating takes initiative on the Soldier’s part.
“It’s up to them to take advantage of the opportunities,” Graham
said, “This one was about conservation and a sport that Soldiers
with injuries can participate in, and there’s a lot more out there
for those who want to do it.”
Operation Shark Dive is free to
all Soldiers in the WTB, and Soldiers only need to sign up through
their platoon sergeants or through the adaptive sports program desk
to participate.
Point Defiance also runs a program for the
public called the Eye-to-Eye
Shark Dive that began in 2013. It
is similar to Operation Shark Dive but it is not free and the course
and time in the tank are condensed.
The Eye-to-Eye Shark
Dive is available to everyone, non-military included.
More information about
the Operation Shark Dive or the Eye-to-Eye Shark Dive
By U.S. Army Spc. Erica Earl
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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