Leonard had some great points. And just a few more thoughts.
For anyone with a fear of what’s in the water, I would recommend reading Shark Trouble: True Stories About Sharks and the Sea -- by Peter Benchley (the author of Jaws). Now before you start thinking this is a Jaws 2, this is a non-fiction work in which Benchley dispels many of the myths of sharks and other denizens of the deep
It was written in 2002, after the “Summer of the Shark Attacks” and is more of an argument against all of the shark hype. A chapter called "The Summer of Hype" sets the record straight on the 2001 media hysteria. The book discusses the real dangers of swimming in the ocean (e.g., tides, rips, and other currents) and how to avoid getting caught, as well as what signs to look for to avoid confrontations with sharks and other potentially dangerous sea creatures.
Now, back to your question - Basic rules to follow to avoid encounters with sharks include:
1) Don’t swim in areas frequented by sharks, at least not during the season that they are there.
2) Don’t swim through schools of bait fish, you can often spot these by a flock of sea birds flying overhead, diving for fish.
3) Don’ swim near boats that are chumming/fishing for sharks
4) Try to avoid swimming at dawn and dusk, this is when many sharks typically feed
5) Don’t wear shiny jewelry when you swim, many fish (including sharks and barracuda) are attracted to these.
6) If you see fins don’t get in or if you are already in the water don’t panic. Many fins belong to dolphins, however sometimes sharks and dolphins swim in close proximity.
7) And back to don’t panic – if you do see a shark try not to panic (yea right!!) most sharks are more interested in you as a curiosity and not food, however if you madly try to dash away you may aggravate the shark or lead it to believe that you are some odd sort of wounded fish that requires a closer inspection. It’s important to remember that no one can out swim a shark, so let them swim away from you.
And finally, very few people swimming in the ocean ever encounter a shark, even fewer encounter a potentially dangerous one and of those even fewer are actually attached. Statistically more people in the USA are killed by pigs then by sharks and how many of us are deathly afraid of pigs?
You are vastly more likely to die in a car accident driving to/from the event than you are to be attacked by a shark. I can only think of one (1) shark incident in an open water race and that was a few years ago in Hawaii and it was menacing, not necessarily an attack.
Here are the things I'd be aware of based on experience:
1) Jellyfish - Stung many times. I got stung so bad I was bleeding in a race in Atlantic City, NJ.
2) Getting smacked in the head by debris - Board to the head in rough seas off NJ coast.
3) Drunks in boats - Almost run over by a Canadian sailboat in Lake Champlain. The coast guard took care of that issue quite nicely. I also did get run over by a kayak in The Little Red Lighthouse race in NYC last year.
4) Fellow competitors - Have taken elbows/fists/feet to the head/groin/stomach more times than I can count. Several years ago I had to drag a petite teenage girl out of the surf when she had been soundly clocked by a fellow competitor.
So, forget the sharks, pay attention when driving to/from the race and be careful of PEOPLE.
Originally posted by Rob Copeland
Leonard had some great points. And just a few more thoughts.
For anyone with a fear of what’s in the water, I would recommend reading Shark Trouble: True Stories About Sharks and the Sea -- by Peter Benchley (the author of Jaws). Now before you start thinking this is a Jaws 2, this is a non-fiction work in which Benchley dispels many of the myths of sharks and other denizens of the deep
Many thanks to everyone for the shark advice- I live off of S. Florida so it is an issue (I've actually seen one swim off-shore), but I am aware that 1. most species of sharks do not maul people, 2. and statistically speaking, I have a far greater chance of (g-d forbid) getting hurt in a car accident, et. c., and 3. that I should be more concerned about man o'wars.
BTW-
Statistically more people in the USA are killed by pigs than by sharks
I didn't know pigs could swim...
:D
I'm getting ready for an open water event myself after a long, 6 year, layoff from swimming. A fun practice I got from Michael Collins' workout book that helps you prepare you for drafting works like this.
Swim 1400 yards. Each swimmer takes off two to three seconds after the swimmer before and drafts from the swimmer in front (that means occasionally tickling toes). With two swimmers in a lane, swimmers switch positions every 150 yards; with three or more swimmers in a lane, the first swimmer takes the last swimmer position every 100 yards. Makes those 1400 yards go pretty fast.
Have fun! (Or as my daughter would say, "I'll miss you daddy. I hope you don't drown.")
