2 Tiger Sharks and 3 Hammerheads

When I heard this announced on the radio this morning, I thought, "Okay, I've got to do a post to my blog."

I mean, seriously, it has been 6 months! Where have I been? Did I fall off the south side of the planet, or what? Did I get sucked down a toilet that swirls the opposite direction when it flushes? Maybe.

So, apparently two tiger sharks and three hammerhead sharks were spotted off the coast of Perth this morning. Three beaches have been shut down. Not the one I normally go to, but don't worry, I won't be getting in. I rarely ever get in. Maybe just up to my knees...sometimes waist deep, but not usually.

The ocean is a scary place. I'm scared of sharks and jellyfish and rips...big waves...

The jellyfish I can overlook when there are already 100 people in the water...that's a pretty good sign that there aren't any jellyfish. I'm not even sure that Perth has a jellyfish problem. In Queensland on the east coast, they have a jellyfish season. They have two kinds of jellyfish whose stings can be fatal. If you want to know more about them, go here: Marine Stingers

So on to sharks and rips. I'm sure everyone thinks sharks are scary, especially if you saw Jaws as a child. So traumatizing.

Rips. There's a public service announcement on the radio here that says, "To escape a rip, swim parallel to the beach. To escape a rip, swim parallel to the beach. To escape a rip, swim parallel to the beach."

Rips are Australia's biggest beach killer. It's a current that runs perpendicular to the beach that can wash you miles out to the ocean. Scary, huh? Watch this video from the Surf Life Saving Club of Australia. Very interesting. Or you can go www.ripcurrent.com.au if you want to learn more about rip currents.

So, sharks. Chris (my Aussie boyfriend) always tells me that "they" patrol the beaches by airplanes or helicopters to look for sharks, that it's nothing really to worry about. (Did he not see Jaws?!) Having heard the announcement on the radio today, I believe him...the part about them patrolling. But it still freaks me out.

Australia is a beautiful place. I'm sure I said it before sometime 6 months ago, but it bears repeating. Beautiful. The ocean really is clear blue and green. The sand really is white. Sunshine and blue skies. I got to go out on a jet ski in the ocean the other day...the Indian Ocean! Who would have thought?!

I guess I'll leave it at that for now. I know you might be wondering about the past 6 months. I'll get to it.

90 degrees and sunny...with sharks.