My friends and I hiked 45 minutes to this remote beach in Eleuthera. About 15 minutes after taking this photo, I was snorkeling the reef behind me and had an encounter with a 9 foot Caribbean Reef Shark. It swam towards me but as soon as it noticed me noticing it, turned and glided into the deep.

I’ve loved marine biology since I was young so I knew it wasn’t a Great White, Tiger, or Bull Shark and I wasn’t in any real danger, but still, the experience was both terrifying and beautiful. Being noticed by a mature apex predator in its habitat will stay with me forever.