GronkNation

07.23.18

Gronk Deep Dives With ESPN and an Ocean Full of Huge Sharks (Video)

Posted by: Gronkowski

Gronk can be seen diving to depths that no New England Patriots player has ever dared before when his Shark Week special “Monster Tag" premieres on Discovery Channel Monday night.

But before the serious stuff hits the air, a much more light-hearted video was shown on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” this weekend with footage from Rob’s recent trip to the Bahamas. 

Yes – there were LOTS of big sharks, but also some cool dance moves, WWE references, hilarious banter … and Bobby Goons in the most epic dorsal fin hat ever! 

Gronk paired up with ESPN writer Sam Alipour for the video, which also appears in the current HEROES issue of ESPN the Magazine. Poor Sam ended up being the brunt of most the jokes as the crew used him as shark bait as they prepared to plunge beneath the surface of the Atlantic with the aid of Sunn Odyssey Divers.

First off, who knew Gronk could scuba dive??? That’s no small feat in itself. According to Alipour, that was a watery revelation for Rob from his manager Henry Penzi (who is a co-producer on the Shark Week episode) before they hit the water.

Thankfully the big fella adapts to all sporting challenges like … a fish to water, and was soon suited up in full scuba gear on the dock in West End, the westernmost town on the island of Grand Bahama.

"Shark diving will be one of the biggest thrills of my lifetime," he said after getting his feet wet.

Of course, aside from “will I get eaten alive?” the most important question of the day was: "I've never worn a wet suit before. If we pee ourselves, it'll stay in the suit, right?" 

The last time Gronk, Goon and Henry were all in the Bahamas together it was aboard the Gronk Cruise and we can assure that they weren’t wearing wet suits then – unless dayglo Zubaz shorts count.

Marine ecologist Neil Hammerschlag had some words of advice for our shark diving rookies before they descended: "Get bit by lemon shark and it's like you stuck your hand in a blender. A tiger's bite is more like a chain saw." Oh, wait. That’s not reassuring at all! 

Fortunately most breeds just want a taste so they do a “bite and let go,” but from a 16-foot shark with razor sharp teeth, even a nibble can do a lot of damage.

Alipour seemed way more scared than Gronk, and even asked him to help out with a WWE move if they got in trouble. “I can suplex the shark -- flying elbow off the top rope!" Mojo Rawley's future tag team partner promised. 

Luckily it didn’t come down to that, but their encounters were very, very frightening. “Hole-eee smokes, these sharks are scary! That shark just hit me in the head!” said Rob through his mask at one point.

Check out this hilarious excerpt from Alipour’s retelling:

From here on out, I try to keep my eyes at least half-closed at all times, so here's Mr. Gronkowski with the play-by-play: "Did you see that shark wiggle his tail in my face?" [Sorry, missed it.] "Look at that one -- that shark has shark bites on it!" [Nah, I'm good, thanks.] "Sam, how do you feel with three sharks circling you right now? Pretty good?" [Seriously, did the San Jose Sharks make the playoffs? Anybody?] "All right, Sam, ready to get outta here before we get bit?"

When the comedy duo were back safely on the boat with Goon and his shark fin hat, the only thing left to do was dance! We call this the “I’m so happy to be alive and not  shark food” move.

Check out the video above, tune into the Discovery Channel on July 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT to watch Gronk on “Monster Tag,” and pick up the new issue of ESPN the Magazine to see more from their adventure.

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