Are you afraid you'll get bitten by a shark if you swim in the ocean?

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   rutleyposted 11 years ago

   Are you afraid you'll get bitten by a shark if you swim in the ocean?
   
   Did I watch Jaws to many times?

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2. 61

   DanielNeffposted 11 years ago

   No, you didn't. You're probably smarter than the rest of us.
   I don't think about it despite the fact that I am well aware they are out there.
   Two particular incidents heighten my awareness. When I was at the Gulf Coast years ago, walking on the beach at night, I witnessed a 10' shark about 50 yards off shore. As a wave broke, you  could see him in the wave, reflecting light from the shore.
   Another time, we were near a campground at San Destin, FL one summer day in 2006, swimming in the surf. A couple days later we heard on the news that a 14-year-old girl was attacked and killed at that very spot.

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   Moon Willow Lakeposted 11 years ago

   I absolutely am afraid of that! Whenever I visit an ocean again (as I do not live near one currently), I do not plan to go in the water any deeper than my knees! I'll save swimming for my local lakes and other indoor/outdoor pools!

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   toys-everywhereposted 11 years ago

   No, not swimming, but I do worry about surfing and boogie boards, as they make one look, literally, like Shark Bait. From the bottom anyways.

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5. 60

   duffsmomposted 11 years ago

   I grew up at the beach and spent my youth in the Pacific Ocean - and never gave sharks a thought.  Then when I was about 20 I saw JAWS---it scared me to death and I never really looked at swimming in the ocean the same way again.
   
   My brother lives in No. Calif where there have been a lot of great white shark attacks and he still surfs daily - I live away from the ocean now but I don't think I could get in the water in that area daily without huge fear.

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   Adventure Coloradposted 11 years ago

   I'm pretty well landlocked in Colorado, so I don't get to swim in the ocean a lot. When I do, I try to research the amount of and type of sharks in the area and the chances of encountering them. Just as a little precaution goes a long way in preventing lightning strikes while outdoors.

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   onegoodwomanposted 11 years ago

   No.....I fear my inability to swim for my life.

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8. 60

   sportgamesposted 11 years ago

   The probability of getting bitten by a shark is very small.
   You shouldn't be scare of sharks, you have a better chance to get hit by a car.

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   Lady_Eposted 11 years ago

   Definitely... and in the last few months people have been attacked by sharks. I get uncomfortable if friends decide to swim in the ocean too.
   
   My attitude is: We came on holiday together and we are all going back home together.... in one piece. lol

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    samtenabrayposted 11 years ago

    Not at all and i live in Australia, just a bit of common sense should be fine to keep you out of harms way.

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11. 79

    teaches12345posted 11 years ago

    I live near the ocean and that is a real concern when you are in the water. I always swim at beaches with lifeguards for this reason. However, I still venture out because life is about taking risks and trusting you will make it.

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    hawkdad73posted 11 years ago

    Yes, the fear petrifies me.  Is it bad that I have the same fear on land?  I'm also afraid of giant toddler-sized rats biting off my feet.

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    mikejhcaposted 11 years ago

    Yes, but not enough to stop me from swimming where it should be safe.  When I was fishing in the ocean a shark bit my large fish in half when I was reeling it in.  I also saw some small sharks when I was in shallow water near shore.  However I felt the beach was safe enough because people were using the beach and the small sharks I saw near shore were not dangerous.

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    SuperheroSalesposted 11 years ago

    I didn't use to be afraid of being bitten by a shark while swimming because all of the data says it is very rare.  I would snorkel without a care in the world.
    
    However, this past summer I began a blog that one day a week summarized all of the shark attacks that had happened that week.  I had no idea that horrible shark attacks were happening so often.  It definitely opened my eyes up to the possibility of being bitten, how bad those bites could be, and how many different types of sharks are out there that could bite you (along with aggression levels).
    
    I haven't been in the ocean since but I know it will take some bravery when I do get back in the ocean water.

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    truthisntstupidposted 11 years ago

    They say the chances of being attacked by a shark are very small. I think they must be right, since when I was a young man stationed at MacDill AFB in Tampa, Fla, I became addicted to sharkfishing. I and a friend of mine used to go to Clearwater beach on weekend nights before I ever owned a boat. I had a huge Penn Senator 16/0 reel on a deep sea Ugly stick.
    That reel held a half-mile of 130-lb test line. No way you're casting a big, bloody, 10-pound hunk of cut bait more than 5 feet with that thing! My buddy would hold my rod while I swam (yes, SWAM!) my bait out a couple hundred yards, then when I got back, I would hold his rod while he swam his bait out. It was after dark when we were doing this! Talk about spooky!
    We caught 8 - 10 foot bull sharks pretty regularly. They never bothered us when we were swimming our bait out, but looking back on it, I sure wouldn't do it now.
    A couple years later, I was stationed on Diego Garcia, a small island right on the equator smack in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The water was crystal-clear...and beautiful. Often while snorkeling I would wind up over a half-mile from the beach in 50 feet of water. The coral reefs, the six-foot barracudas, the fantastic abundance of life was intoxicating...but the waters were shark-infested.
    The first time a 10 or 12 foot oceanic whitetip reef shark comes and circles around you while it's checking you out (can I eat that?) it really freaks you out and you don't go back in the water for a week. You can see its eye, looking back at you while you're watching it. Pretty scary the first time or two, and you never do really get used to it.
    But I never had any trouble...even when there was blood everywhere, once when a friend tried to follow me down to 60 feet. He didn't know how to equalize the pressure and burst an eardrum. We were in 60 feet of water and over a half-mile out.
    No, sharks don't consider us a normal part of their menu.
    If they did, I wouldn't be here.

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