"Your gonna need a bigger boat"

It was a serene Sunday morning in the southern part of California.  As tradition, I woke early, strapped my board to the top of my car and raced the sun towards the beach hoping to beat some of the crowds and catch the morning swell.  To my surprise as I cruised along the dirt road to "Old Mans" break, the beach was nearly empty.  I figured maybe it was a holiday, like "take your grandpa to church" day,  or "pet day" or whatever people are celebrating these days.
The swell was not the biggest I've seen, but I did catch a couple pretty nice, clean, empty waves.  Just me and my 10 footer cruising in the crisp morning air.  It wasn't until later that evening when I discovered the reason for the abandoned waters that morning.  No it wasn't the apocalypse, or nuclear waste in the water, it was the most fear inspiring concept of the deep blue . . .

SHARKS!!!!!

Yes two teenage, nearly 9 foot long Great White sharks had been spotted near the popular break.  Now, while quite rare that close to shore, shark sightings aren't altogether out of the question.  And it takes a lot to keep devoted surfers out of the water.  So what was the hook,  well these two curious teenagers had been reported as knocking into some surfers in the water the previous day!  A classic shark display of either curiosity or aggression.  I guess most informed members of society decided it wasn't worth finding out which one this was.  Fortunately, I was not currently a well informed member of society.  I say fortunately, because I did catch some fantastic waves!

This story came back to mind because we are in the midst, of a week long celebration of all things shark.  Yes, my friends, it is shark week!  The fact that we have a week devoted, if only on the discovery channel, to all things shark is about as fascinating as the notorious fish itself.  What is it about such an able and mysterious predator that is so intriguing?  Humans do seem to love to romanticize killers, even if it is an animal.

The ocean is truly a world unknown and the shark is it's king.
But as a novice, land locked, yet enthusiastic surfer I just hope the sharks keep letting us ride the good waves.

So here's to a lonesome Sunday morning in the surf and in the wise words of Jack Handey "Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even elephant.  It's a shark . . .  riding on an elephant's back, just trampling and eating everything they see."