Ruben Onsu's Preparation Series Before Raising the Flag in the Shark Pool, Undergoes 9 Training Sessions

"Oh, if, if, yes if diving then my support is already certified. But this is not in a regular pool. Right, it's not in a regular pool, sharks. Can you imagine, sharks," said Ruben when met in the Tendean area, South Jakarta, Friday (1/8/2025).

To ensure the success of the event, Ruben is scheduled to undergo nine training sessions, each lasting two full hours without interruption. In these training sessions, he is also given a special opportunity to interact directly with sharks three times. He also explained the details of his training schedule.

"Eh, the interaction with sharks is given three opportunities. Yes. So there are nine training sessions. Two hours non-stop. So one training session lasts two full hours," he explained.

This training is designed to alternate between technical diving sessions and interactions with sharks. All of this aims for Ruben to fully adapt to the environment and his new "companions" in the water. He also describes how the flow of each training session goes. "So, uh, after that we have sharks, with sharks, then back again, like that. So it's back and forth there," he said.

Interestingly, all training sessions must be conducted outside of the operational hours of the tourist site to avoid any visitors. This sometimes becomes a challenge for Ruben, who has a busy schedule, including taking his child to school. He also has to be smart in managing his time. "And of course, going there when there are no visitors, right, for the training. Like that, the training has no visitors," said Ruben.

Because it is difficult to practice in the morning, Ruben eventually chose an afternoon schedule after the place closes. He even joked about the sharks' sleeping time that might be disturbed if he practices too early. For him, the comfort of the sharks is also an important factor.

"Morning, very early, right? In the morning, I have a hard time too, sometimes taking the kids. And if it's really early, it seems like the sharks are just waking up too. So we wake them up from their sleep and then they get angry again. So, it's already decided, I practice in the afternoon, when the place, what, what, what is it called, the operating hours of that place are closed, then I practice," he explained.