Bitey Bitey at Sunday Beach

Well, as most of the local-yokels already know, 12-year-old Nicholas Vossler was bitten by a suspected Bull Shark at Sunday Beach outside of our beloved Port O Connor, TX.  Brent and I grew up at this beach, and we definitely still enjoy some quality time out there together now.  Fortunately, Nicholas' foot was able to be surgically repaired, and from everything that I have read and seen (it even made the Today Show!!), he is recovering well.  Here are some links if you're interested in this incident and keeping up-to-date on Nicholas' recovery:

Nicholas Bites Back! (His own blog about the event!)
Shark Attack Monitor
Chron (from Victoria Advocate)

So, this brings about the public service announcement part of this message:  Let's look at some of the most common pointers about avoiding shark incidents, particularly those that apply to us along the Texas Coast...

1)  Notice that sharks may bite people, but it is less common for them to actually consume someone.  Apparently, people taste bad.  The shark spits the rest of them out.  Scientists report that most initial shark attacks are the shark "testing" something.  Granted, yes, they are testing it with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, but testing nonetheless.  So, the first point is to avoid looking like anything that might actually taste delicious to a shark.  Did Nicholas' feet resemble anything that a shark would normally eat?  Probably not.  Does a surfer on a surf board look similar to a tasty seal or large fish?  In some cases.  Does shiny colorful jewelry and clothing perhaps resemble the scales of fish?  Yes.  Rethink the bling.

Delish.

2)  Safety in numbers.  Just like girls going to the bathroom.  Sharks (and bar creepers) both pick off singletons.

3)  When a fish is injured, it splashes around a lot.  When people play in the surf, they also splash around a lot.  Coincidence that these behavior coincide with shark attacks?  Probably not.

4)  Bleeding.  You know this one already.

5)  As demonstrated at Sunday Beach, sharks are not intimidated by shallow water.  Especially where there is deep water nearby for ease of entry and exit.  Sunday Beach is the perfect example...

6) Bait.  You may not be the intended bait, but you might be nearby.  We've all watched schools of baitfish cruising the waves (OK, some of us blessed to live on the coast have).  Avoid bait... balls in the surf, attached to some guy's (or gal's) fishing rod, or on a stringer for wadefishing. 

Brent had an issue with this one time-- He and some buddies were diving and spearfishing off a rig offshore.  They had their dive flags posted, which is a clear indicator of divers below (as should have been the empty boat tied to the rig).  Brent always recalls watching fish by the rig and then seeing a half of a fish floating down through the water by him... following by seeing a large Hammerhead shark cruising by above them.  Yep, some other "people" had arrived at the same rig and started chumming.  Needlesstosay, words were exchanged at the surface.

EEEEKKKKKK!

7)  If you see a shark, GET OUT OF THE WATER!  There are some website that analyze the "swim style" of the shark to determine if it is being aggressive or not... seriously... don't waste your time.  Go find a nice sandy spot on the beach and a cold beverage.

On average, there are 75 unprovoked shark attacks annually (don't get me started on the provoked attacks, they asked for it).  Of these, about 10 result in an unfortunate fatality.  Basically, you have a better chance of winning the lotto (go get a ticket Nicholas, when you're old enough anyway!!!), getting struck by lightning, or being killed by a dog, bee, or snake.

Also worth mentioning (since we're talking about sharks)-- A friend of mine started this several years ago-- Sharkathon!!!