‘You are paddleboarding next to 15 great white sharks,’

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Boris13c
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‘You are paddleboarding next to approximately 15 great white sharks,’ chopper tells Calif. beachgoers
“You are paddleboarding next to approximately 15 great white sharks,” Deputy Brian Stockbridge announced via a loudspeaker.

Stockbridge was in a helicopter, flying off the coast of Dana Point in Orange County, Calif., at about 2 p.m. local time on Wednesday. And, indeed, swimming in the Pacific Ocean below and clearly visible from the air, were several great white sharks. Their fins rose menacingly from the water as they glided back and forth.

“They are advising you exit the water in a calm manner,” Stockbridge added. “The sharks are as close as the surf line.”

No one was hurt, and OC Lifeguards Chief Jason Young said the situation wasn’t dire enough to call for an ocean closure, which only occurs when the sharks are more than 8 feet long or acting aggressively.

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Despite their predatory prowess and well-earned reputation as killing machines, great whites aren’t actually all that dangerous to humans. Most people who get attacked by the terrifying fish survive, as nature writer Sy Montgomery told The Washington Post last year. Seals, it turns out, are their dish of choice.

“For a great white shark, a seal is a big juicy steak with a slice of chocolate cake,” she said. “A person is an old piece of celery that’s been sitting on the counter all day.”

In the United States, the fatality rate for shark attacks was a mere 1.7 percent in 2014. Worldwide, the figure was nearly 13 percent, as the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

The best way to avoid an attack is to pay attention to lifeguards and steer clear of smaller fish, said Emerson, of the Union Tribune.

“If you find yourself surrounded by a massive school of bait fish,” he said, “maybe it’s time to paddle in or find a new surfing spot.”

so, there you are, calmly paddleboarding in the sunshine, and then you hear this announcement from a chopper overhead ... and then you look around and now see the shark fins chopper guy is referring to

I say the odds of actually getting the suit you are now wearing clean are very low but fortunately the sharks do not follow the brown trail you are leaving as you paddle towards shore
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
George Carlin
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Rockbear99
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pray you don't have a bloody hemorrhoid that day.
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