I first saw the movie “Jaws” when I was around 10.  (I know that dates me but what the heck!)  After watching that movie and having the Garanimals scared off me I developed a completely irrational fear of swimming in lakes, the ocean and even my Nani’s pool at night.

I didn’t let that stop me from enjoying my water activities.  I swam in the lakes, water skied,boogie boarded in the ocean and yes, even used Nani’s pool at night.   Now let me be honest here and tell you that every time I was in the lake, ocean and the pool at night I saw that scene from the movie.  No, not the one where the shark eats the girl in the water, it’s the one where Quint is laying on the transom of the boat and the shark bites down on the boat and Quint slides into the shark’s mouth.

As I got older, this vision faded.  Slightly.  On my honeymoon I spent .1 second in the water because once I heard what my breathing sounded like through the snorkel, I flashed back to that movie, imagining the headline “Honeymooner Attacked in Jamaica” and scampered right onto the boat.  In Hawaii last year after I had successfully (and with only a slight panic attack) snorkeled, a few people on the boat pointed to the reef and told me there were a few “small” sharks over there and I should take a look.  I quickly returned to the boat and got out.  No thanks.

Ok, I do have a point here.  I have a friend who swims in Aquatic Park in San Francisco.  It’s an open water swim area right in the bay, but surrounded partially by a curved pier.   She loves it and I shudder because as I’ve told her and other people over the years that there are sharks in the bay.  I’ve been pooh-poohed by numerous people over the years when I make that declaration but that’s fine, I watched “Jaws” and know the skinny on these things.

Lo and behold, what headline do I read in the November 4, 2009 edition of the Marin Independent Journal?  “Tagged Great Whites Tracked into SF Bay”.   Apparently, 5 of these buggers wandered under the Golden Gate Bridge between 2007 and 2008.

I rest my case.

Now go run!

Keli 🙂