I can walk down the street to the beach and do so frequently.
However, I am not getting in the ocean waist deep; I might venture almost knee deep...
I am afraid 👶 of sharks, they bite and you get stitches, miss a hunk of flesh, or a limb😱; its not that you get killed, but are missing some muscle & tendons that you wish you still had.
Low odds of it happening but I don't care, I'm not getting the the sharks food bowl,
that is fear.
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I avoid places I can't carry, that is not fear; I'll go unarmed if it is a "have to".
I'd go to Wal-Mart unarmed repeatedly before I'd get in the ocean waist deep once; I've seen people catch 5-6 ft Bullsharks while surf fishing, Nope, nope, nope.
I put getting in the ocean on par with stripping down to your underwear covering yourself in a honey salmon glaze and walking unarmed through Grizzly country at night. Nope.
I've got a PM9 on me (minimum) at the beach, in my cargo shorts.
More than a few years ago, we were out at some linear rocks I found about 11-12 miles out (that was in the pre-GPS days when I was using Loran).
I saw a nice grouper get down on the bottom on his side; and wiggle his way under the south end of one rock pile. I knew that there was a ledge under both the north and south ends, and the opening got much bigger in the center of the rock pile. The was a small opening up top in the center where you could look in; though better with a dive light.
So I go over there, look in that hole; and all I can see is brown. Thinking it was the grouper, I shot it with my speargun.
Then the shark comes lumbering out of there; through the ledge on the north end; with my spear in his side, about 1/3 up from the tail.
So, I swam towards the back of the boat, looking for Paula along the way, as she’s snorkeling, around; looking at the fish, turtles, starfish, etc. So I get her attention and motion for her to get out of the water. She got out, and I swam over to the transom; telling her to take the spear gun, put it on the floor of the boat, and stand on it.
I got out, then got on my knees, pulling the shark over by the boat with the spear; trying to get it out. It was a double wing spear head; but only one wing had opened up, just under the shark’s hide.
Then things got interesting. I’m trying to hold the shark against the side of the boat to cut through the hide to get the spear out, and the sharks throwing me around on that non-skid deck (taking the hide off of my knees), as he's ramming the side of the boat with his head; trying to get to me. I eventually got the hide cut far enough to peel the spear out.
At that point; I decided to let him have that rock pile, and I moved a few 100 yards farther south to the next one.
I swim with sharks pretty regularly, and have swum with barracuda off Marathon; down in the keys. It’s a lot like going to Walmart; as long as you keep your wits about you, and don’t let any Wallmartians get too close behind you, you’ll be fine. 👍
Personally; I’d rather be with the sharks. At least they’re easily identified; and you don’t have to wait until they start to act to react.
