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THE BEST EVENTS, TALKS AND SPORT
* festivaan Singers. dancers. musical theatre or anyone wishing to enter the open talent category should hot foot along to this nationwide talent contest. Don't worry, there are no Cowell types in the judging panel. Radisson SAS Hotel, 301 Arger Street, Glasgow, Sun 19 Feb. *ThoWaron Terror . . . a War on Liberty? Irene Khan, secretary general of Amnesty International asks how the legacy of radical thinking, innovation and creativity can be applied to Edinburgh University and society today. Assembly Hall. Mound Place, Edinburgh, Tue 21 Feb.
* Kevln McCloud In Dlscuulon with Stuart Coogrove Surname spelt a funny way Kevin is the charismatic architecture-obsessed machine who presents Channel 4‘s Grand Designs. He talks about his favourite and most reviled buildings. The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, Tue 28 Feb.
* 8am and Sam Clark: Cookery Demonstration Samuel and Samantha Clark have both cooked at leading restaurants such the River Cafe. They come to share their passion for food of the Moorish regions. Valvona 8 Crolla, 19 Elm Row, Edinburgh, Wed 1 Mar
Wht sin
Sharklife
Not—scared-of—anything type Paul MacEachen spent breakfast time with some of the world’s most successful predators, very much hoping they’d already
had their Coco Pops.
here's a scene in that 1975 tttoy'ie where Quint
states to Brodie: ‘The thing abottt a shark is.
it's got lileless eyes; black eyes. like a doll‘s eyes. When it comes at you it doesn't seem to be Iiy'ing.‘ Having just watched 'I'inkerbell. an I I loot sand tiger shark weighing 30 stone. glide el‘l‘ortlessly over my head. I‘d haye to agree with the esteemed sea captain. Its eyes do appear dead. The problem is how Very much alive the rest ol' it looks.
As I approached Deep Sea World on a l'ree/ing Sunday morning I admit I had some pie-Shark diye nery'es. not helped at the hooking desk when the punter behind me described me as 'shark bait' to his little girl. She stared at me in a conl'used lashion. I felt a hit sick.
Thinking my positive shark thoughts (images or
(ireg Norman and the Pathetic Sharks l‘rom lift. I met my fellow divers and our diying instructors. Mylo and Steye. They explained what happens during the diy'e. the signals we‘d use and the skills we'd practise pre-tliye. l still felt sick.
Then. into the dry sttits. on with the breathing apparatus and into the side pool. ()ne ol‘ .\Ion‘s
colleagues checked our air levels and took a note ol'
ottr dry suit numbers -- 'So we can identity the bodies.' deadpanned .\Iy'|o. "That was a jokef he added. as I picked my jaw oil the floor. I made sure I was last to drop into the pool just in case the sharks felt a bit I'risky‘. No problems though. My l‘eIIow diy'ers awaited me at the bottom unharmed.
.-\s we crawled along the mock sea bed Steye and Mylo constantly checked we were all coml'ortable.
\Ve proceeded slowly on our knees as the tiger sharks patrolled the upper hall ol' the pool. Stcye pointed otit the sea me that we could touch. mainly things without sharp pointy teeth. \Vhen the lirst male tiger shark appeared I was utterly mesmerised by it. It cut past me. l'lashing its Stanley blade smile. I could Iiaye reached Hill and Itttlclletl ll. lI Incidentally . . . don‘t.
Stingrays l'Iew past and eels snaked around its as we wayed at the kids inside the glass tunnel who regarded its like lunatics. You could tell these child \oy eurs were really all dying to see one ol‘ tis ripped apart as the Iiye tiger sharks Ioottlcd itt attd out ol the darkness constantly. keeping their apliotic eyes trained on us the whole time.
In what seems like no time at all. w e'd tray ersed the whole (II the [Hull attd were all salely back lll. showered and changed. Steye handed out our cet‘tilicates. stating that I'd stlccessl'lllly tll\etl. without incident. with the sharks. I asked Ium about the 'without incident' bit. I'iye years ol shark diying .
. surely there must haye been a nibble at some point'.’ '.\'ah. we keep them well led. They aren‘t really interested in you.' he said. "Iheies really yery little risk inyolyedf ‘.\hh. I see.' I replied. realising I may haye iust missed my one opportunity in Me to say to a shark: 'You'II haye had your tea then."
“As st) cltise,
You can offer yourself up as breakfast, lunch or dinner at Deep Sea World on the Shark Dive Experience for £145. Call 01383 411 880 or go to deepseaworld.com.
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