Never felt threatened by sharks

My first reaction to the editorial cartoon published June 30 showing both hungry people and sharks heading for Cape Cod was to smile, but then I had other thoughts.

The average person is afraid of sharks without any knowledge of the real risks and how to act accordingly. Shark attacks are extremely rare, and in the U.S. there is an average of only one shark fatality every two years. Many more people are killed by lightning.

Sharks don’t like to eat people, and most bites can be described as a mistake, such as when they mistake a surfer for a seal (imagine what the surfer lying down and paddling looks like from down below when you have poor eyesight). When they do bite, their reaction is “yuck” and they spit you out.

The problem is that the press goes overboard to report every shark incident which leaves people with a distorted perception. How often does the press do a big story about someone in the Midwest getting killed by lightning?

I do a lot of scuba diving and have had many encounters with sharks but never felt threatened. I am always on my guard, but never felt that there was any reason to worry. I’ve even had them come up and seem to be asking for me to pet them.

Lee Armstrong

Southampton

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