Past the Shallows: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

One day on the boat, the men have finished their fishing early and Miles daydreams about surfing with Joe after they get back to the wharf. He is interrupted when Martin spots Atlantic salmon in the water and they stop the boat to catch the fish. Dad and Jeff amass a large catch while Miles scrambles to unhook the salmon and Martin kills each fish one by one.

Suddenly, Dad reels in a giant mako shark that has bitten onto the salmon on his line. The shark crashes onto the deck and throws the fishing boat off balance, sending Miles flying into the railing and causing water to pour into the boat. Martin tries to yank Miles away from the shark as it thrashes up against the young boy and pins him to the railing, but the animal’s enormous tail hits Martin’s legs and he falls on top of Miles. Miles can feel the shark’s teeth brushing against his skin and is sure that he will be bitten.

Dad yells that the boat is going to capsize, but Jeff shoots the shark in the head to prevent the animal’s wild thrashing from tipping them over. Jeff laughs hysterically even as the shark’s teeth rip into his shins, shooting the animal again. The sound of the rifle temporarily deafens Miles, and he stands in shock as he watches Dad scrambling to rescue the abalone, salmon, and fishing equipment that had fallen off the boat amidst the chaos. He looks down at his body and realizes that the shark has not hurt him at all.

Miles watches in disgust as Jeff unnecessarily guts and mutilates the dead shark. He is especially disturbed when Jeff cuts into the pregnant animal’s womb and stabs the live baby shark inside. Miles catches the dead baby and holds it in his arms, thinking of how strong it must have been to have killed and fed off its other two siblings in the womb and how it would have survived if Jeff had just let it go into the water.

Miles, still deaf from the gunshots, suddenly feels Dad hit him from behind. His father flings the baby shark into the water and slaps Miles in the face, forcing him to take the wheel of the ship and steer them back to shore. Miles looks over to see Martin slumped against the wall of the boat’s cabin, his leg broken and mutilated by the shark.

Back on land, Jeff goes off to a pub while Miles and Dad take Martin to the hospital. Miles realizes that he will have to skip school next term and work on the boat with Dad and Jeff until Martin can return, and Martin cryptically warns him to “watch Jeff” before trailing off. When they arrive at Huonville Hospital, Miles reflects on seeing Granddad in the same hospital when he was sick. He regrets that he was too afraid to approach the bed or hold Granddad’s hand during his one visit before the old man died.