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Texas surfers co-habitating with sharks
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Are sharks cutting us some slack? Have they given Texas surfers squatter’s rights? Officials theorize that the shark population has been declining in the last few years due to fishing. The blacktip, sandshark, and tiger shark are some of the well-known sharks that share our coast. In doing research, I could not help but notice the aggressive, bull shark. After much fishing, the bull shark is fighting back the fishermen who wade in the water, and leaving surfers out of it. It is true that sharks, like humans, are simply hungry. Sharks looking for their favorite food source, fish, often misinterpret it in the form of a leg, arm or foot. For surfers, probably the most dangerous place to be besides a reef break, is in a school of fish.
The bull shark, found all over the world, (including rivers and lakes) seems to enjoy our murky, brackish water. They have made the gulf their home. According to Ithocology’s site, there have been 12 attacks in Galveston from 1911-2006, only one proving fatal. Looking at the stories behind these attacks, most were presumed bull sharks.
Since the closest thing to a shark siting lately has been the band Shark Attack, what have we Texas surfers been doing right? It may simply be that something else got to us first... that the only laceration we incur is that of a sea shell, and that shuffling our feet has made more than just the stingrays move away. Perhaps it’s that when we see fish going through fight or flight from a larger predator, we place all our limbs onto our board?
I have another theory altogether. It is one of mutual respect. My brother jokingly phrased: "If I don't eat them, they won't eat me." He said this after having surfed a beach for about a year when he realized it was shark infested. Back here at home, the beach patrol habitually starts their workout by swimming around the jetties (a known loitering area of local sharks). Sharks have yet to bother them. Since we cannot see them beneath murky waters, we hop on our board and forget sharks are present. Though they view us as a “bull’s eye” (by sensing the vibrations in the water), as neighbors, they keep to themselves.
"If I don't eat them, they won't eat me."
Check out local band Shark Attack here: http://www.sharkattacktx.com/
For more on special project Shark Weekend: http://www.examiner.com/x-4770-Houston-Surfing-Examiner~y2009m4d18-T-or-F-surfing-among-sharks-means-you-know-them and http://www.examiner.com/x-4770-Houston-Surfing-Examiner~y2009m4d18-What-are-your-odds-of-a-shark-attack-while-surfing
Stay tuned for more on sharks and surfing on this very special Shark Weekend!
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