Underwater Rescuer

I remember that night like it was yesterday. For years, I'd wake up mid night-terror, the playback of the terrified screams coming from the human’s mouths echoing through my restless mind...

When I was quite young, about 84 years old, I was making my way through the Atlantic Ocean, focusing my attention on finally catching a live seal. I imagined in my mind’s eye the hardy, gamey taste of the coveted creature- it was the only thing I could think about for years. I had heard tales that other Greenland Sharks like myself fell into situations where they were able to catch a seal, and I was determined to join the ranks. It’s quite a rare delicacy to eat seal, as we move so slowly, they can out-swim us the moment we are detected.

Though my eyesight is not my most useful feature, I circled around a large floating island of ice, waiting for any unsuspecting seals to swim by. The floating ice allowed me quite a bit of coverage so I could potentially catch one by surprise. I slowly circled for hours, snacking on any fish that crossed my path.

After what felt like days of waiting, I felt a movement in the water. Was it a large pod of seals?! No...something massive was coming. I swam a ways away from the ice to try to get a better look at what was approaching, but I couldn’t see much in the cold, black, dark of the night.

Before I could even register what was happening, I heard a commotion, and what I assumed to be a large ship came into view. I had never seen a ship before. It was bigger than I ever could have imagined a ship could be. I had only ever encountered a small one-man boat when I was a mere pup, and this was definitely not that. I watched in awe as this huge ship collided with the floating ice, and the sound of the ice scraping against the ship filled my ears. My curiosity took hold.

I started swimming after the ship- bumping past a creature that I later realized was a seal once I heard it barking not long after I had passed. My newfound curiosity of the ship far surpassed my life-long lust for a seal, so I continued my pursuit. I cannot swim fast, so it was a shot in the dark that I would ever catch up with this fast-moving ship. But unfortunately- I caught up with it.

By the time I reached the ship, it was partially submerged underwater- the rest of the ship hovering over the ocean at an angle. There were people...so many people... bobbing up and down like pieces of driftwood in the water and never-ending screams floating over the ocean surface. The screams overwhelmed my senses and I dived down deep into silent waters for a few minutes to catch my bearings.

I slowly ascended back towards the ship and noticed small boats of people oaring by. I swam towards the boats to make sure the humans were unharmed, but I don't think they noticed me as they moved farther and farther away from the sinking ship. I wondered where they were going. I wasn't sure how close we were to land, but I hoped they'd reach it.

The people who were just seconds ago floating in the water, now started to disappear from the surface and plunged down below like sinking rocks. I tried to catch the ones nearby on my back and lift them back up towards the surface, in hopes that they would again let air into their lungs, but it did not seem to be working. They didn't regain any signs of life once they broke the surface. One after another, they proved to be lifeless. I had no choice but to let them sink to a cold ocean floor grave. I hoped they didn't encounter any man-hungry creatures on their way down. These people didn't deserve to drown, let alone be eaten.

I slowly moved through the remaining sea of floating bodies, bumping and nudging to check for life. The small boats were not coming back and I could still hear screams.

I came across a human that was ferociously flailing his body in the water, trying to stay afloat. I tried to come up from underneath him to give him rest, but I was too late. He had expended all his energy. The flailing stopped and he, too, became lifeless. He joined the others below.

I tried to help three more humans before I resigned to the fact that I just couldn't save these people. It was too late. I was too slow, and not the right creature to help.

The screams started to subside just as a loud crack sounded, followed by rough waters. The ship had now broken in two. The end of the ship that had been high in the air was now in the water, sinking second by second. There were a few more people in the water now, bobbing and yelling for the small boats. They must have been holding on to the railings of the ship as it hovered, and jumped off as it crashed down. I listened from under the surface as their voices quieted with every passing minute. The small boats were just too far away.

If only I were a faster swimmer, I could help them get to the small boat. But I would never make it in time. I told myself.

Overcome with sadness and defeat, I started to turn around to leave the gruesome sight behind, to be pushed deep down into my consciousness as a distant memory...the day I watched helplessly as hundreds of people succumbed to an unexpected demise.

I swam a few feet when I heard the faintest of sounds. I slowly moved my body back and forth, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. I locked in on the sound and swam back towards the wreckage. A female human was using everything she had left to try to get someone to hear her. She was just too far away.

I knew we may not make it, but I loaded her on my back and took off in the direction of the small boats. I can't move swiftly, but maybe I can move just fast enough to get her to safety. After what I had just witnessed, I couldn't give up now. If I could save just one person from this sea hell of a night, it'd be worth it.

It was a struggle to swim high enough up to ensure she could breathe out of the water, but low enough so that I could manage. I did have to take her down a few times, but I could feel her move when we broke surface so I knew she was alive. She didn't make any more sound, though. I hoped she knew I was helping her and was just saving her energy. I hope she wasn't scared of me.

We swam. And swam. And swam. Slow and steady. She stopped moving as much and I had all but given up hope when I finally saw it. A small boat. This boat was circling like it was searching for any possible survivors. I swam the human as close as I could get to the boat and slammed my tail against the top of the water to make a splash. A bright light shined from the small boat and bathed the human in its glow. I heard some yelling from the men in the boat and as soon as I saw two arms reach out for her, I pushed the female up towards them. They pulled her into the small boat as I dived down into the water to rest my body now that I knew she was safe.

I never went back to the site of that ship wreckage. I couldn't quite understand the gravity of what I had witnessed. All those humans, and no one there but me to save them. It was the single most gutting experience I have witnessed in all my 194 years. It took me a few years to truly move past the events of that night, but one thing that really kept me going was the thought of that human female that I carried to that small boat. I like to imagine she made it safely back to shore. But I do wonder if she remembers me.