The Man Who Rode Sharks

Why ride sharks?

Bill Royal's first shark was wrestled in to feed his familly during the depression. Later, he risked his life capturing sharks alive for scientists doing human cancer research. Following a trail of shark fossil teeth in 230-foot-deep Florida springs Royal discovered an underwater prehistoric graveyard that enabled scientists to recover the first remains of Ice Age Man 12,000 years old. Here is high voltage adventure at its best!

"I was spearfishing alone a hundred yards from the boat when a tiger shark with pectoral fins so big he looked like a heavy bomber approached and started circling me. He was in no hurry. His movements were close and deliberate. His markings were those of a young adult about twelve feet long. As he circled, his eye stayed fixed on me. Suddenly my rubberband arbalete speargun felt awfully flimsy. Pivoting with the weapon pointed at the shark, I wondered what he had in mind, If it was what I suspected, I had to act soon... ... The shark barreled into range. I held off until he was a scant three feet from me. Then the arbelete lurched in my hand, the shaft leaped forward and I was amazed to see the slender rod pass entirely through the shark's midsection... He side-slammed me...and tore off, taking everything including my empty arbelete with him... I stared into the blue haze, hardly daring to breathe...."

"....I reached back for the rope and was unable to find it. I turned the light to where it should be on the floor. But there was no floor! Suddenly I was completely disoriented. Where the hell am I? There were no longer any rock walls around me, just water.... ...I turned around and started following the floor. Or was it the ceiling?...I wasn't too sure I was even oriented up and down. Watching my bubbles didn't tell me much...they seemed to be streaming off toward my feet...Was I turned upside down?...I flipped over and started following them in that direction...All I found was...a rock ceiling... All I was doing was bumping around in my own tomb...I couldn't have more than a few minutes of air..."