I Survived a Shark Attack!

It happened just a short while ago in Florida at the beachside town where I grew up and am now visiting.

I usually begin my day by jogging barefoot in the water for about a half mile, then swimming back through the surf to where I started. In the years I grew up doing this, I've run into a fair share of jellyfish (though somehow never have been stung), been nipped by cantankerous crabs (more shocking than painful), and even have been joined for short stretches by curious porpoises and manta rays.

However, I have never once encountered a shark. Of course I've seen many small ones reeled ashore on an excited fisherman's line. But in the 25-plus years I've either lived at or visited this beach, I've never seen a shark's fin slicing through the water near me or even from afar.

This year, however, there happened to be a few shark attacks along the Florida coast, with the majority of them occurring at Ponce Inlet, about 30 miles south of where I'm staying. Ponce Inlet is where the Intercoastal Waterway joins the ocean. The unusual habitat attracts a lot of bait-fish, which attracts a higher number of sharks. Because of the better waves, surfers also are attracted to this area.

Almost all the shark attacks occur with the surfers. With their feet dangling in the water, sharks are fooled into thinking they are grabbing a nice-sized fish. When they realize "the morsel" is attached to something much larger, they let go, leaving a foot needing a fair share of stitches, a surfer with a great story to tell, and local and worldwide news networks with a great clip to scare the holy mackerel out of all their viewers.

A number of people at the condo where I'm staying have seen me swimming in the surf from their balconies. When I run into some of them on the elevator, they ask me if I'm familiar with all the shark attacks taking place.

One lady did me the favor of telling me in precise detail how Tiger Sharks don't just "bite," they "GNAW."

Another neighbor I ran into on the beach went into detail on how many sharks he's seen in the water. While he was describing how he would never go swimming here, he suddenly exclaimed, "Look, there's a fin now!"

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