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Tell Me About The Sharks

thefury avatar
thefuryBeach Comber
10,678 views
I'm returning to the beaches I loved as a child after too many years on the Atlantic coast in Hilton Head. My children tease me about not entering the water in HH any deeper than my calves and I have the movie Jaws to thank for that! What can I say? I simply like to see what's in the water around me. Since I've heard plenty about sharks in Gulf waters and my children, ages 6 and 10, love to swim, I have my concerns. Are these concerns valid? Help me out folks! I've had a nightmare or two about this.😱

Replies

62
thefury avatar
thefuryBeach ComberAuthor
#27
...turning to page 1038 in my handy Websters... reduction division, nope; reductivism, nope. Ah yes, here we are, redundant! Yep. That whole "dead deer carcass" thing would appear to be, well, you know.:blush:
Jdarg avatar
JdargSoWal Expert
#28
...turning to page 1038 in my handy Websters... reduction division, nope; reductivism, nope. Ah yes, here we are, redundant! Yep. That whole "dead deer carcass" thing would appear to be, well, you know.:blush:


Well, you know, asked the question. ;-) 😀
rapunzel avatar
rapunzelBeach Fanatic
#29
The only sharks around here that you have to worry about, hang out at Pandora's.

Sharks, cougars...that Pandora's is pretty much a safari.
seacrestkristiBeach Fanatic
#30
:welcome: the fury. Try faith and a prayer. :wub: plus all the common sense stuff probably never hurt either.
RiverOtter avatar
RiverOttergot any pics?
#31
Let me see... no swimming from dusk to dawn, don't swim past the first sandbar, no shiny jewelry. What about swimming with a dead deer carcass tied around my neck? They are in abundance around here (northern KY) right now and we've got to do SOMETHING with them. 😀


Just remember, you don't have to out swim the shark....... you just have to out swim your buddy 😀
Paula avatar
PaulaBeach Fanatic
#32
:welcome: TheFury:

We have two children, now 13 and 15, but we still don't swim much in the ocean. We go to the beach to hang out and enjoy the beach and shoreline (watch the dolphins, sunset, etc.; look for beach treasures; wade in the water near the shore; sometimes we stay very near the shore and swim a bit; make sand castles; read; nap) but when we want to really swim we go to the pool. I think about sharks (not too much) and moreso riptides. And the best advice is to not let the kids go in the water unless it's a green flag and even then keep your eye on them and not let them go too far. Frankly, I'd go in the water with them if they were in the water. I tend to be overly cautious in general. I notice, however, that the locals don't seem to get in trouble in the ocean -- it's usually the visitors who don't pay attention to the flags or common wisdom (e.g., use a life jacket when in a boat, wear sunscreen, etc.).

We take safety so much for granted in SoWal that we don't even think about it -- we just have a great time.
Smiling JOe avatar
Smiling JOeSoWal Expert
#33
At the beach, I'd worry more about getting skin cancer than shark bites. ;-)
seagrover avatar
seagroverBeach Fanatic
#34
I just say one about 4:30 this afternoon - he was swimming very near the shore - inside the second sand bar. We were looking at a "gar" or something like it and we all saw the shark swim by. Right here in Seagrove - S. Andalusia beach walk over area - for real!!!!
RudyjohnSoWal Insider
#35
Just remember, you don't have to out swim the shark....... you just have to out swim your buddy 😀

:floor::floor::floor:
Uncle Timmy avatar
Uncle TimmyBeach Fanatic
#36
I just say one about 4:30 this afternoon - he was swimming very near the shore - inside the second sand bar. We were looking at a "gar" or something like it and we all saw the shark swim by. Right here in Seagrove - S. Andalusia beach walk over area - for real!!!!

Uh huh. I just love to take my morning swim with that prosthetic fin attached to my back. You should see the folks jump.........
Smiling JOe avatar
Smiling JOeSoWal Expert
#37












These sharks were caught near the beach, just a few miles away from SoWal's beaches. Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun :shark:
Bobby J avatar
Bobby JBeach Fanatic
#38
Please note the sharks were not in there normal habitat when caught. The ones I have a problem with are the land sharks... They will come up and grab you right off the beach...Very scary. Actually, looking at the pics they got a little more to fear then we do!
Smiling JOe avatar
Smiling JOeSoWal Expert
#39
:roll: Well, the sharks certainly appear to have more teeth than the guys who reel in the sharks.
Paula avatar
PaulaBeach Fanatic
#40
At the beach, I'd worry more about getting skin cancer than shark bites. ;-)


And transfats if you eat twinkies at the beach. As I said, I'm happy swimming in the pool and enjoy the beach at the beach. I figure I just let Mother Nature and her creatures take charge and I live around them very happily.

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