Sharks and You

I notice a number of people coming to my blog through searches suggesting they are interested in sharks or shark attacks.  I wished to state (as I have stated before) that sharks are, for the most part, not a threat to people.  Occasionally, a shark does bite a surfer and even more rarely, a swimmer.  And while it is hardly a consolation to those who do get bitten that it is a relatively rare occurrence, you are far more likely to be injured by a wave (or almost anything else) than by a shark.

I am not saying that I would be comfortable floating at the surface at night, treading water after a plane crash, but I am saying that sharks have a lot more to fear from us than we do of them, and I strongly encourage you to rent the movie “Sharkwater” so  you can get a different perspective from what the news media and the Discovery Channel are always hyping when the subject comes up.

I have gone swimming with the sharks, and the pictures of sharks on this blog were taken by Colleen and me while diving in the Bahamas.  It was a great deal of fun and an incredible opportunity to see these animals up close and personal.  While I would not recommend swimming in chummed water or even snorkeling while sharks are feeding, I can recommend with a high degree of comfort that if you are a diver, and are not scared silly of sharks, you will very much enjoy your first encounter.