I Was Bitten by a Shark While Facing Fear of Sharks

I was bitten by a shark while on a mission to face my fear of sharks.

The humour of the universe is not lost on me.

I’m a big fan of challenging beliefs and facing fears, so about seven years ago, I decided to face every fear I had—even the irrational ones. This was while I was living in a landlocked part of Canada, which makes the shark part especially funny.

I faced my fear of success.
My fear of failure.
My fear of being judged.
My fear of spiders.
My fear of snakes.
My fear of heights.
My fear of being sick.
My fear of feeling my feelings.
My fear of not being good enough.
My fear of being alone.
My fear of being in a relationship.

Fear after fear after fear.

When it came to sharks, though, my mind was very clear: Nope. We are not doing that.

That’s how I knew I had to.

So while traveling in Belize with a beautiful soul friend, I decided to go swimming with sharks. Harmless nurse sharks.

Even that felt paralyzing.

I had already had a great white shark encounter years earlier while traveling in Perth, Australia. And like many of us, I had been thoroughly programmed by movies like Jaws. Even swimming with six-foot nurse sharks felt terrifying.

One of my superpowers is feeling afraid and doing it anyway.

So I did it anyway.

What I hadn’t accounted for was my preference at the time for very sparkly nail polish—underwater, it apparently looks a lot like tiny fish gills.

While in the water, I dropped into a deep meditative state. I could feel my connection to everything. I was tapping into what I can only describe as the collective consciousness of shark energy. I was feeling them, petting them, and they were brushing alongside me.

That’s when one came over and bit me.

I screamed in surprise.

My hand was in its mouth. Blood started squirting. People started screaming. The guide on the boat was yelling.

And then… everything went very calm.

Time slowed to a standstill.

Because I had worked extensively with reactive dogs, my instincts kicked in. I knew not to pull my hand away—if I had, I likely would have lost fingers or suffered much more serious damage.

So I stayed calm. I gently bopped the shark between the eyes. It opened its mouth and released my hand.

I remember thinking it was hysterical.

Like some cosmic joke.

The years of fear—the avoidance, the tension, the staying out of the ocean entirely since the great white encounter—had been far more painful than being bitten by a six-foot nurse shark.

I was reminded of this story yesterday while talking with a client about fear.

Fear absolutely has a place.

Fear keeps us from touching hot stoves.
Fear can guide wise decisions.
Fear can protect us.

There is no shame in fear.

You are a divine being having a human experience—and humans feel fear. It is divine to be vulnerable. It is divine to feel afraid. It is all part of the journey.

But what this experience reminded me of is how much pain we quietly endure by avoiding fear.

Fear doesn’t just protect us—it can also trap us. It keeps us small, disconnected, and living far from the experiences that expand us. The energy spent avoiding fear is often far more exhausting than facing it consciously.

Facing fear doesn’t mean being reckless or ignoring intuition. It means learning to discern the difference between fear that protects and fear that limits. When we meet fear with presence instead of avoidance, something shifts. Confidence deepens. Trust grows. Life opens in ways we can’t access from the sidelines.

Living virtually fear-free—not fearless, but free from unconscious fear—has given me a sense of freedom I can’t even fully describe.

And that, to me, is worth everything.

If this resonates and you want support navigating fear, growth, or alignment in your own life, reach out.

If you’re navigating connection, alignment, or growth in your own life and want support, I’m here.

Together we heal.
Together we grow.
Together we evolve.

Love and gratitude,

Sandy