Shark River a place to relax

January 3, 2017

By Kielon Hilaire. There are scores of people in the water at Shark River and that famous “Jaws” music starts playing in the background. You already know that a shark is about to rise from beneath and someone’s leg will soon be gnawed upon by teeth.

But, imagine, what if that creature turns out to be a boy who grins at you with mischievous intent. Or a girl, wearing just a two-piece bathing suit, her hair all wet and sketched against her sopping face. Frowning does little in casting them back whence they came, as even the knowledge that this river had long ago been infested with sharks never prevents them from having a fun time at this place.

Positioned between the “turtle villages” Toco and Matelot in Trinidad, Shark River has been a favourite among neighbouring residents. People usually spend a full day at Shark River obtaining an experience that is relatively different from the one you typically get at the sea. The people in the pictures convey this quite nicely.

One group in particular was busy laying out a net in the middle of the pond to catch some fish, while one or two of them had chosen to sit at the riverbank and stare in wonderment as they were not ready to bathe yet. Some played games in the water – splash! And others just took it easy as they traversed the shallower parts of the river, creating a concord of harmonious rings that engulfed them wherever they went.

The greatest thing is that most of the people were so friendly that a woman even cheered one of the snapshots (while she and two others were comfortably sitting in the middle of the river) with a big smile and a mild tribute to a beer she was drinking.

Oddly, on this occasion there was no music or food present at the scene – or perhaps some invisible sharks had just gobbled up the goods when the swimmers’ backs were turned – yet happy ambience resonating from the people’s mouths were enough to invigorate their inner beats.

In many cases where there is a mass body of water there is always some way to have fun. Combine that with the coolness of the river, the crudeness of good people and collectiveness of nature, and bathing in just about any river will definitely ensure a most entertaining time.

November 2012 – Issue 2 www.sweettntmagazine.com