This weekend my 16 year old daughter Claire is going scuba diving. I am not going because I think I would panic so deep below the surface, so I am trusting her teachers and the other trained divers in the group to look after her. She is a good swimmer, completed her training with good results, and had an awesome weekend away on her first dives a few months ago.

But ...

This weekend Claire is going diving off a small island that has a large seal colony and I know she is going to have amazing adventures, with the seals coming up to the divers to see who or what they are. Sharks also like seals and divers in their wetsuits look an aweful lot like seals. I am not ashamed to say that I am absolutely petrified that something horrific is going to happen. I can't tell my daughter how I feel because I don't want her to be unduly concerned.

Shark attacks are a reality in these waters.... not frequent but still a reality.

I feel miserable and very very afraid.

I know it's all about trust and confidence and supporting your children as they grow up. Claire wants to be a marine conservationist, so I realise that I will always be on edge.... but she's my little girl!