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June 23, 2009

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Drew it in with your animal magnetism, did you? You're right: I chant those long odds when a dark shadow goes by my periphery. Also chant: only pull into a ball if it starts to circle you, otherwise, keep pulling, breathe, relax. Safely at the keyboard, now, I say: I hope if I see one, I will just keep swimming long and calm, because really, what else can you do? other than wear a yellow bikini? (heard they don't like yellow). But I won't. I'll probably freak out, cold sweat, and unlike you, would NOT go back in, IF i got out.

Well I'm glad you chose not to spit on it... sharks HATE rude people.

Yikes, where's my mommy?

Great story!

Dude, that's INSANE! Glad you made it out ok. And I can't BELIEVE you went back in! I've seen a few underwater, but that seems like a whole different ball of wax; we both knew what each other were, vs. looking for all intents and purposes like a very tasty seal. Yikes!

Wow! Happy birthday, I guess :)

Michael,

We all know seapeople like to tell a "the one that got away" story...but in this case, you're the one that got away.

Immediately, try to remember all the details of the sharks morphology: Fin shape size and location, particularly the tail fin, etc. Then go on to one of those sharks sites and just make sure it isn't one of 3 members of The Evil Axis. Barring that...it's just a curious fish, albeit a shark, but nothing to worry about. And if it isn't part of the Evil Axis, all the better, for it's then helping to protect the food chain for us, from an undesirable apex predator.

Wos, a GREAT tale. All in all, still better you than me. But if it was me, we would have found out if a sailor can waterstart on pure flatulence alone.

Mike, I have been thinking about getting a longboard to surf the LI ocean swell this summer-fall... now I'm having second thoughts...;) Never heard of shark attacks on LI but never really looked into statistics....

Tony, get the longboard! I'm going windsurfing in the ocean the next chance I get.

he he he he he he he snicker snicker chuckle haha! That's all you can do (laugh). Because if it wants to eat you, it will. Just goes to show that it wasn't all that interested. I'll bet your dinner tasted extra scrumptious that night (even though it was just hot dogs).

:)

OH Please.......sharks are people friendly here on LI. I was out in the surf yesterday and the shark stopped by and asked for the Puffin - he wanted to know why he was being chased around by the guy with the knife (fin) attached to his board.

Michael,

You are a braver man than I. You didn't panic and thought thru your options of getting back to shore. Can't believe you went back in to sail some more.

Rich S.

This is a good movie about sharks: http://www.sharkwater.com/.

Thank God you managed to stay on your board. If it was me the first thing that would have happened is I would have fallen in with shock then God knows what would have happened. Mind you not all sharks are going to attack you - they may be just curious. Rather not find out though. I am quite impressed at how focussed you seemed to remain. I hope I would be like that in your situation.

Bunty, I'm here to tell you that there's nothing like a shark to focus you on your shlogging skills! Someone elsewhere commented "imagine if you were a kiteboarder in that lull!" As for the possibility that the shark was just being "curious" (which it surely was) one of the ways that sharks determine whether or not you're worth eating is by taking a bite out of you. Marine biologists call this "tasting" and apparently most sharks spit out whatever they bite off humans, and then leave.

That's a load off your mind (or your leg).

Two weeks ago I had an even more perilous shark encounter while visiting South Texas near the Gulf of Mexico. I had to visit a lawyer.

Cool story. I've kiteboarded over smaller sharks at Cape Hatteras, sound and ocean side, but was going a lot faster than that. Love to see some more.

i have irrational fear of sharks and snakes . . . i'd a been rude if that was me on the board . . . and there would have been a scene. not sure i'd a seen the scene, but there'd a been one. bravo

I think your shark encounter should go under the category of “excellent experiences”. The truth is that this is most likely your fourth or seventh (and that's probably conservative) close encounter with a shark: this is the one you saw. The others passed below you, or you just missed them.

-Ian

Wow!

I just soiled myself

talk about an adrenaline rush!

Wow!!!
Amazing story. My brother lives north of San Diego and surfs there.
About a year and a half ago a triathlon swimmer was attacked and killed by a shark.

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    "It's good to have a shredmobile" my friend Caldwell said, so I made one. It's a Ford E150 cargo van done up with lumber and k-mart plastic boxes.

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