I'm back and in shock!

OK firstly... sorry.. I haven't been blogging.. I could blame my busy schedule blah de blah however truth be told my blogging juices dried up. I was happy being a 'lurker' on my friends blogs and just generally mooching around on the Internet. Then today a friend told me she missed my blogs.. I mean its not like missing chocolate or something, but she missed my blogs.. so I had to make a decision, either get back on the bus or pack my blogging bags and leave town.... so here I am back on the bus...we'll see how it goes..

Anyway, what stirred me into action was a headline on the BBC website today (for all my American readers it's where you can go to find out what is ACTUALLY happening in the news around the world... its very informative and I don't watch the new here anymore)

Great white sharks in Mediterranean made 'wrong turn'

Errrrrrrrrr double take....

There are Great Whites in the Med? Eeeeeeeeek

I have a shark phobia... numerous trips to Australia give you a sense of foreboding about this magnificent fish.. especially on each of my trips this year someone has been attacked whilst I've been there (and died!) My swimming in Australia is limited to swimming pools and knee high wading in clear sea water.. and that's it period! But surely I was safe whilst I was snorkeling on all my French holidays..?

In the Mediterranean Sea there have been 31 confirmed attacks against humans in the last two centuries, most non-fatal... err MOST?

OK  I need to do some investigation

OK the Med seems relatively safe..The most recent attack took place on June 15, 1983 near Riomaggiore (Italy), where a scuba diver Roberto Piaviali was molested by a 3-meter long aggressive white shark while diving 5 meters down. Piaviali fled to the next submersible where the shark was driven away with wooden poles.

But Florida seems a different prospect altogether!



The odds of me dieing at the beach are pretty slim (2000 figures below)

Drowning and other beach-related fatalities 1 in 2 million

Drowning fatalities 1 in 3.5 million
Shark attacks 1 in 11.5 million
Shark attack fatalities 0 in 264.1 million


However Volusia county (Florida... where we would sometimes go to the beach) is apparently shark attack capital!

Volusia shark bites

2001 22
2002 18
2003 13
2004 3
2005 9
2006 12
2007 5
2008 24

at some times of year in Florida swimmers are warned out of water because the sharks are feeding on migrating fish... shudder

I love sharks... by that I mean i find them fascinating.... but I am now even more scared of frolicking in the sea... I think I'll have to stick to the pool... (plays out to JAWS music!)