Shark Season Is Upon Us!

It's not officially summer until a surfer is bit by a shark and a media frenzy is whipped up. So Sunday was apparently the first official day of summer. The AP is reporting that a surfer was bitten by a shark off the coast of New Jersey on Sunday. It was the first reported shark attack in New Jersey in 30 years. And it might have a been a young Great White shark! Stay tuned to the news for Jaws themed reports on the story.

About a year ago, I read the thoroughly interesting chronicle Twelve Days of Terror of a series of gruesome shark attacks in New Jersey in 1916. Now that was a frenzy! Although the type of shark was never determined conclusively, most experts think it was either a Great White or one or more Bull sharks. What was truly horrifying about the story is that the shark(s) not only attacked people in the ocean, but also attacked swimmers in an inland canal. The idea of being eaten by a shark in a river is terrifying!

By all accounts, that summer was worse than anything that has been seen in Florida, California or Hawaii in the past few years. Maybe it is morbid curiosity, but sharks are fascinating. These ancient creatures are truly amazing. But they are definitely not going to keep me out of the ocean this summer.