If so, can you tell me if the sharks come up, if there are jellies, and if stingrays will hurt you.
I've got fears of open swimming in the gulf--which is a shame--everytime I try to overcome, there goes a stingray, and i dash to the shore. Maybe some facts could help me with perspective and not be a scardy-cat.
Thanks!
Jerrycat ;)
Parents
Former Member
I grew up on a barrier island off the coast of Georgia and swam in the Atlantic Ocean while I was a child and teenager. I live about 2 hours from the Gulf now and swim in it frequently. In the entire time I lived on St. Simons no one was ever attacked by a shark in that area even though shark fishing was a very popular sport in and many very large sharks (and sting rays) were caught. And, I never heard of a person getting hurt by a sting ray. Some folks were stung by jelly fish. A jelly fish sting does hurt, but its not terrible, terrible. While jelly fish are present most of the time, there are usually more in the water at the end of the summer... August. There are a lot of cures for jelly fish stings we use to take a benedryl or two, pour household ammonia on the sting, and pile wet sand on the effected spot.
Sharks will follow schools of fish into shallow water at high tide. When the tide goes out they ocassionally get caught in tide pools or between the beach and a sandbar, so be very careful if you wade in these shallow, but inviting play areas. Don't swim in schools of fish; or if you are in an area with seals, stay away from the seals, sharks sometimes mistake humans for fish or seals.
Elaine
PS--Dolphins are wild animals, treat them as such--who knows they may be having a bad day and your approach was just the last straw..lol...In all seriousness, while dolphins don't tend to attack humans, it has been known to happen.
I grew up on a barrier island off the coast of Georgia and swam in the Atlantic Ocean while I was a child and teenager. I live about 2 hours from the Gulf now and swim in it frequently. In the entire time I lived on St. Simons no one was ever attacked by a shark in that area even though shark fishing was a very popular sport in and many very large sharks (and sting rays) were caught. And, I never heard of a person getting hurt by a sting ray. Some folks were stung by jelly fish. A jelly fish sting does hurt, but its not terrible, terrible. While jelly fish are present most of the time, there are usually more in the water at the end of the summer... August. There are a lot of cures for jelly fish stings we use to take a benedryl or two, pour household ammonia on the sting, and pile wet sand on the effected spot.
Sharks will follow schools of fish into shallow water at high tide. When the tide goes out they ocassionally get caught in tide pools or between the beach and a sandbar, so be very careful if you wade in these shallow, but inviting play areas. Don't swim in schools of fish; or if you are in an area with seals, stay away from the seals, sharks sometimes mistake humans for fish or seals.
Elaine
PS--Dolphins are wild animals, treat them as such--who knows they may be having a bad day and your approach was just the last straw..lol...In all seriousness, while dolphins don't tend to attack humans, it has been known to happen.
