Lions and Tigers and Sharks - Oh my!

Two years ago, six of my girlfriends and I took a trip to the Dominican Republic. While we were there, we decided to book a snorkeling trip, despite only half of us knowing how to swim.

The guide told us, "First you swim around the reef and watch hundreds of fish during feeding time. Then you go into a cage and see nurse sharks and sting rays."

I said to my friends, "Guys, I don't know how comfortable I am with getting in a cage with sharks!"

And my friend said, "Oh how ridiculous! You don't get in a cage with sharks. You get in a cage and the sharks are on the outside!"

And everyone one else laughed and agreed.

But I assure you, they were not laughing several hours later when we flopped into plastic enclosure in the middle of the ocean and found ourselves face-to-face with two sharks.

So my girlfriends and I clung to each other for dear life and made our way back to the opening of the cage kicking and screaming as one solid mass.

Please don't be the person who says, "Oh they were just nurse sharks!" While that’s true, I think a shark of any kind could do some damage when the only thing I have to defend myself is a water noodle.

And really don't be the person who says, "Sharks aren't aggressive! As long as they're well fed, they won't bother you!" because that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. They're sharks.

Here's how I see it: If I were a nurse shark, and I was swimming around in the ocean, minding my own business and someone caught me and put me in a pen, I'd be pretty annoyed. Then when they had the nerve to throw in seven screaming American girls who are getting all tangled up in life preservers, I'd be thinking, “Maybe I should just bite something.”

Anyone who disagrees may want to check in with Tatiana the Tiger in San Francisco.