Should New Englanders Beware of Sharks This Summer?

My daughter Chelsea is a fish, but I have never been able to get my son Jamie to swim in the ocean with me. I taught all my kids to swim, but Jamie would only ever swim in a pool.

My daughter and I would take long swims past the breakers, and I pushed Jamie really hard, but he would just look at me and say, “No, Dad, that’s where the monsters are.”

I recently read an article in Bostonmagazine.com about the shark attack on Arthur Medici that happened last year.

Arthur, who was only 26 years old, had a passion for surfing, according to the article.  He and his good friend Isaac Rocha headed down to Newcomb Hollow Beach to grab some waves on a Saturday in the middle of September 2018.

After spending the morning catching waves, Isaac caught the best wave of his life. He turned back to rejoin Arthur and let him know about the great wave he just caught when horror struck.

Suddenly, there was a scream, a dorsal fin, and blood in the water.  Isaac acted fast swimming TOWARDS Arthur and using his rescue training from his schools ROTC program, sprang into action retrieving Arthur and taking him to shore.

Sadly, Arthur’s thigh had taken a direct hit and he lost too much blood to be saved, Bostonmagazine.com stated.

Because of wildlife conservation efforts, the seal population in the Cape Cod area has bounced back to high levels, but with that come the predators, according to the article.  You know, Great White sharks looking for a meal.

Some want the sharks destroyed to make the beaches safe for swimmers, but local wildlife conservation teams say more understanding is needed and if we cut back on the seal population, the shark attacks may increase on humans, according to the article.

So conservation and education or outright war on sharks? Whichever side of the argument you fall on, its wise advice to be careful and educate yourself about safe swimming practices.

Or, you can follow my son Jamie’s logic “you know what the odds of me getting bit by a shark are on the sand?  Zero Dad.  I am not going in that water!”

BTW-I no longer swim in the ocean. I'll take a jump in but that's it.