Visiting the Shark Attack Capital of the World
It Seems They Only Nibble
“Yeh…. Shark Attack Capitol of the World,” said the town bus driver. “That’s what they call us. Kind of like a nickname.”
I could think of a lot of cute nicknames for places; The Big Easy, City of Love, The Big Apple…all calculated to make you want to visit. But Shark Attack Capital of the World—not so much.
“Does that nickname bring people here?” I asked.
“It must,” he answered, nodding toward the dunes of New Smyrna Beach and our destination. The water was filled with surfers and families romping in the breaking waves. “Have fun! Watch out for sharks!,” as we stepped on to the beach.
New Smyrna Beach was smack dab on our route for the Great Loop and our boat was docked at the city marina. I had only discovered the town’s nickname from a sign that welcomed boaters. But the numbers of people in the water seemed at odds with the area’s reputation as the Shark Attack Capital of the World. Maybe it was all hype. Since bus drivers don’t have much skin in the game, I asked a man standing on the hard-packed sand who was fishing in the surf. “Is this really the Shark Attack Capital of the World?”
Life Guard Tower New Smyrna Beach
The man laughed and answered, “That’s what people say who track such things. We only have five or six attacks a year, but I guess that’s more than most places.” Pointing to manned towers spaced every so often along the beach, “Lifeguards keep an eye on things. When they spot sharks, they wave flags and blow whistles to get the bathers and surfers out of the water. Happens most days. Stick around, you’ll see it. But the sharks aren’t man eaters—nothing like Jaws. Our sharks just take a bite to see if it’s worth eating. They must not like our taste because they move on, leaving a half-moon-shaped bite. At worst they take a chomp or a nibble out of someone’s leg or arm. I haven’t heard of anyone losing an arm or leg.”
“Why here?” I asked. What’s different about New Smyrna Beach?”
New Smyrna Beach - a favorite place for surfers and sharks
“The sharks like it for the same reason as the surfers. The sand bottom shoals for a long way out. Which creates great waves for the surfers. Sharks like it because fish have no place to hide and are easy meals. Sometimes the sharks mistake a human for something tasty, but then spit it out. Fishing is good, except I have to bring the fish in fast, before a shark eats it.”
Glen and I walked along on the hard packed sand, past bathers and surfers who didn’t mind sharing the water with finicky-eater sharks. It made sense to me. Despite the gruesome imagery of Jaws, Glen and I had been able to unlearn our fears during the years we snorkeled Pacific island reefs. Regular beach goers here had done the same. Looking out at the breaking waves, it was a little exciting to think that sharks were out there, even if we couldn’t see them.
Glen got swamped by a feisty wave right after this
My surprise at the surfers and bathers turned into admiration. They didn’t balk at a challenge and neither should I. It had been a rough couple of days, full of humbling mistakes as we traveled The Great Loop. But like the surfers and bathers on New Smyrna Beach, I am not going to let my imagination and fears prevent me from living an interesting life. After all, it’s just a nibble.