CNN reports a third Florida shark attack today on an Austrian tourist. Not as serious as the previous two- one of which was fatal.
Which one of you guys forgot to feed the fish?
I’m not worried. They’ll all be full by the time I’m down there for IMFL.
Yes stay away, do not come to Florida. We have enough people here.
I was in Pensecola Beach in 2000 & their were sharks all over the place near the coast on the Gulf side.
We were out on a fishing boat and saw several big ones pretty close to shore.
I acutally hooked a big tiger shark using a relatively light line, tackle and gear.
I fought him for about 45 minutes as he circled the boat and then tried to run (we would let him run, following him with the boat hoping that he’d tire out).
Eventaully the line broke when it wore through where it was rubbing against his skin.
I just knew that I was not getting off that boat untill we were docked.
yeah, and we trained the sharks to eat the tourists that do decide to come!
I don’t care why the shark attacks me, I doubt it would be any consolation that he didn’t mean it and thought I was food. Speaking of which, if a shark eats a person doesn’t that mean we are food?
I’m not a panicky person and I don’t think I really overreact to news like this but no fucking way am I going in the water anywhere near where a person was recently attacked by a shark.
I would hesitate before planning a trip. Like many people, I am irrationally afraid of sharks.
And I’m not a wimp. I vacation in Detroit.
And I’m not a wimp. I vacation in Detroit.
You’re just incredibly stupid! 
“And I’m not a wimp. I vacation in Detroit.”
LOL.
I live on Florida’s east coast and have been surfing, sailing, swimming and frolicing in her salty waters my entire life. I’ve seen sharks and have been bumped by them while surfing. Yes, pee does run off the wax on your surfboards.
A couple of years ago, I had the (insert appropriate word here) of having to stay in the Detroit area for almost three weeks.
I can honestly say that I feel safer in the ocean. Sharks don’t always sport fins and wear gray suits.
I find this whole shark media-fest amazing. I call it Sharconomics. The more we hear about shark attacks in the news, the happier we are as a nation. Nothing else must be going on in the world to talk about.
The summer before 9/11, all there was in the news were stories about shark attacks. As a nation, these stories must indicate that things are back to normal.
Aside from the long drive and the ocean swim is one of the main reasons I’ll never do IMFLA. As slow as I swim I’d look like a wounded seal to a hungry shark.
Thanks for visiting. While not necessarily the greatest city on earth, Detroit is also a victim of media hype.
That reminds me of a line from one of my favorite movies. A sarcastic reply when asked why someone is vacationing in Detroit is “Because I like shitty weather”.
Personally, I like sharks. I like watching shows about them on TV, I like reading about the, I like going to places where they are and I like snorkelling and SCUBA diving and being able to see them. I think they are cool, and it is interesting to be in close proximity to an animal so powerful and potentially dangerous while I am in its element and out of mine. That produces a set of sensations I rarely experience any other way andprovides an intersting perspective on nature and the human role in it. They look cool too.
I’ve never had a problem with a shark and only been scared by one once. I know shark attacks are very rare and I’ve heard all the lightening statistics. I wouldn’t want to be in murky water without a mask and fins where there are sharks though- that would be scary. It’s different went you are on vacation snorkelling and you see one cruising along. That is fun.
i’m sure it was scary (though Nurse sharks don’t have teeth…) I was in the water with a 10-foot spotted eagle ray once & was scared like a little girl. Being in the water with something bigger than you just don’t feel right…
funny, i’ve never seen a seal in florida waters and i’m not sure many of the sharks there have either?!?!!?
“I think they are cool, and it is interesting to be in close proximity to an animal so powerful and potentially dangerous while I am in its element and out of mine. That produces a set of sensations I rarely experience any other way andprovides an intersting perspective on nature and the human role in it. They look cool too.”
Is that a metaphor for women?
Tom
Here is a new adventure for you - Iron Man South Africa in Port Elizabeth - rest a few days in the game parks then head to Durban - where about an hour south some of the finest scuba in the world occurs on Aliwal Shoal- my 99% of the time you will see raggies (medium size local species of shark) - one of my last dives there I saw potatoe bass (around a meter in length), turtle and raggies - not uncommon to see hammerheads as well - mind blowing experience
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Sharks are absolutly and undeniably intriguing, at the very least. As a species they tend to affect people in the same way as any animal that challenges human’s claim to the top of the food chain when people find themselves in their domain. But unlike snakes, lions, wolves, bears and other predators there is something unique about sharks and peoples reactions to them.
I’m getting my first tattoo soon, as soon as I can pick a two week period to stay out of the pool. The tattoo design happens to be that of a shark.
<< I didn’t know it was a (insert name of harmless) shark at the time. For all I knew, it was a Great White >>
Ditto - same thing happened to me/us, on our honeymoon. We’re on an island on the Great Barrier Reef, our first day there, out enjoying the spectacular snorkeling. My wife swims over franctically, gets behind me, and points to a 12 ft shark that is now swimming directly towards us.
So, instinctively, I reach for my scabbard for a knife. Wait a second, I’m not GI f’n Joe, I don’t have a scabbard with a knife, WTF was I thinking?? D’OH!! 
Anyway, the (it turns out it was a harmless reef) shark swims about 3 feet away from us, decides we’re not interesting or food, and jets off.
We didn’t find out until a couple hours later that our lives were never in jeopardy, so needless to say, it probably took at least that long for our sphincters to untighten.