Post by Al on Jul 22, 2008 19:10:14 GMT -5
Here’s an interesting story, and it’s true.
Last Sunday July 13, my husband, daughter and I went to Robert Moses Beach (Beach 2) on Long Island and I saw a very small shark AT MY FEET ( I don’t swim, I only go ankle deep on the shore)!
Hurricane Bertha had created fantastic swells and rip currents, so the waves were huge, crashing all around our feet. We were well beyond the lifeguard area because it was so crowded (hundreds were there). About once an hour, the lifeguards would come to our area and clear everyone out who was swimming past the flags because it was so dangerous. Of course, as soon as the lifeguards left, everyone would go back in! They left us “waders” alone.
Little one was really enjoying chasing the waves, so hubby and I took turns watching her along the shore. It was my turn to watch her. She was a few feet behind me. When a huge wave came in, I looked down at what I thought was debris or seaweed and discovered it was a three-foot shark, flopping around, very alive and pissed off or scared (who knows: I don’t speak shark). I could have touched it if I really wanted a thrill, but I am not that daring! I pointed it out to the younger couple standing next to me and tried to mouth the words “SHARK, but it took several seconds to come out of my mouth. Once the guy heard me, he was in disbelief but wanted to see it himself, so he stuck around. By that time, the huge waves took the shark back into the ocean.
Another big wave and sure enough, it came back. This time the guy saw it, too. His girlfriend took off in fear.
I called hubby down to see but he missed it. (He said in all of his years growing up by the ocean on L.I., he only saw one shark and it was further out in the water, not on the shoreline.) He was pretty excited! He and the other guy figured it was too small to be a threat and convinced me NOT to report it to the lifeguards (I really wanted to). They said it would mean clearing the beach, and there were so many hundreds of HOT sunbathers who needed those waves to keep cool and happy. Baby continued to chase waves, and we never saw the poor shark again. Hope it’s OK.
Then, this past Saturday night, I heard on the news that a nearby beach, Zach’s Bay had witnessed a thresher shark (long tail, about 4 – 6 feet long) swimming around. I definitely didn’t see a thresher, because the one I saw was smaller (a yardstick or smaller), gray and tan, with 2 fins on top and one on the bottom. No long tail.
I am sending this to you because Robert Moses State Park doesn’t have a Web site: just a phone number and post office box number. I figured maybe you could post this on your chat room. Just PLEASE don’t publish my name or E-mail address. You can respond to me if you’d like.
Best wishes.
Last Sunday July 13, my husband, daughter and I went to Robert Moses Beach (Beach 2) on Long Island and I saw a very small shark AT MY FEET ( I don’t swim, I only go ankle deep on the shore)!
Hurricane Bertha had created fantastic swells and rip currents, so the waves were huge, crashing all around our feet. We were well beyond the lifeguard area because it was so crowded (hundreds were there). About once an hour, the lifeguards would come to our area and clear everyone out who was swimming past the flags because it was so dangerous. Of course, as soon as the lifeguards left, everyone would go back in! They left us “waders” alone.
Little one was really enjoying chasing the waves, so hubby and I took turns watching her along the shore. It was my turn to watch her. She was a few feet behind me. When a huge wave came in, I looked down at what I thought was debris or seaweed and discovered it was a three-foot shark, flopping around, very alive and pissed off or scared (who knows: I don’t speak shark). I could have touched it if I really wanted a thrill, but I am not that daring! I pointed it out to the younger couple standing next to me and tried to mouth the words “SHARK, but it took several seconds to come out of my mouth. Once the guy heard me, he was in disbelief but wanted to see it himself, so he stuck around. By that time, the huge waves took the shark back into the ocean.
Another big wave and sure enough, it came back. This time the guy saw it, too. His girlfriend took off in fear.
I called hubby down to see but he missed it. (He said in all of his years growing up by the ocean on L.I., he only saw one shark and it was further out in the water, not on the shoreline.) He was pretty excited! He and the other guy figured it was too small to be a threat and convinced me NOT to report it to the lifeguards (I really wanted to). They said it would mean clearing the beach, and there were so many hundreds of HOT sunbathers who needed those waves to keep cool and happy. Baby continued to chase waves, and we never saw the poor shark again. Hope it’s OK.
Then, this past Saturday night, I heard on the news that a nearby beach, Zach’s Bay had witnessed a thresher shark (long tail, about 4 – 6 feet long) swimming around. I definitely didn’t see a thresher, because the one I saw was smaller (a yardstick or smaller), gray and tan, with 2 fins on top and one on the bottom. No long tail.
I am sending this to you because Robert Moses State Park doesn’t have a Web site: just a phone number and post office box number. I figured maybe you could post this on your chat room. Just PLEASE don’t publish my name or E-mail address. You can respond to me if you’d like.
Best wishes.