Surviving the Unexpected: A Flight and a Shark Encounter

A Terrifying Flight to the USA

I was so excited when I was selected to play basketball for my country. We were to fly to the USA, and, as I drove to the airport, I kept thinking how luck seemed to be going so much my way these days. The sun was blazing down—just the right sort of day for flying, or so I thought.

The Moment of Panic

I met the other members of my basketball team at the airport. There were thirteen of us on the flight. We were laughing and joking as the plane taxied down the runway. Nobody took much notice of the safety video they were showing. After all, we’d seen it all before—and wasn’t flying the safest way to travel?

The plane was ascending when we heard an explosion! There was a terrible hush. Then a whisper of panic went round the plane. A frightened-looking steward appealed for calm. He was still speaking when, suddenly, the front of the plane seemed to dip and we realized we were hurtling toward the ground!

I suppose it all lasted only a few minutes, but to me it was a lifetime. People around me shouted and screamed, but I just felt numb with disbelief. Was this really the end of everything?

A Miraculous Recovery

Then, against all hope, we felt the plane level out and we slowly began to gain height. As everyone cheered, the pilot announced that he had the situation under control. We made an emergency landing a few minutes later.

Two years on, experts still haven’t revealed the cause of the incident. Until they do, I will never take another flight. In fact, to be honest, I don’t think I will ever fly again. It was the most frightening experience of my life—and one that I don’t mean to repeat!

A Summer Day Turned Nightmare

I remember everything vividly! We had just arrived at my favourite beach. It was just an ordinary summer afternoon and the beach was crowded. People were sunbathing or getting out the picnic things, ready for lunch. Some kids had already marked out a football pitch in the sand with piles of clothes and were now in the middle of an exciting game. Others were swimming or paddling. An ice cream man was parked on the sand some time before and he was doing excellent business. There was a surfing competition going on, and I was watching the brown bodies of the surfers ride the waves. Then I heard a voice scream, ‘Shark! Shark!’