“I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and I’ve treated an untold number of sharks bites,” Mr. Ethridge said. There’s been no graphic fight like people expect to see from a shark bite, or like they see in the movies.” (As in the movies, though, most shark attacks are “provoked attacks” — encounters humans have initiated.) As I watched the long body of the shark undulated slowly, flicking its tail fin to swim beneath my board, I thought to myself: This shark isn’t going to bite you. And in any case, you’re more likely to get struck by lightning than to be bitten by a shark, even here. I waited as the set rolled closer, and when the first wave was just about on top of me, I turned toward shore.

Source: International New York Times September 03, 2020 13:18 UTC