First of all, let's remember that you have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than being bitten (never mind eaten) by a shark. However the mind is a powerful thing and it can't help but lurk in the back of your mind that the shadow at the edge of the turtle grass isn't a dark patch of grass or a rock but JAWS!!
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That said, if you happened to be looking at the business end of a large shark with nothing in your hand but a metal detector and a sand scoop "Brother you've got problems". I know the odds but I always keep my peripherals searching the water especially when I am surrounded by bait fish looking for protection in the cloud of sand I am stirring up.
I ran into a large barracuda 2 days ago, he had to be 5 feet but he looked a lot bigger! He sized me up from about 20 feet, thought the better of it and swam away, I backed away into knee deep water, I could have used some Nitro then as most of the cuda I see in Bermuda are no more than 3 feet tops and they never bother you.
Proper foot gear and gloves are a must I think, way too much glass, etc., it's just not worth it. I wear Chaco watersandals with heavy vibram soles and sturdy non-metallic construction, they keep my feet safe and comfy. I wear water gloves by SUG they only cost about $10 and they fit snug with a velco clasp, plus I can pick up a dime easily with them on; my current set are a year old and still good.
Sunscreen, if you're not wearing it you are going to leave a nasty looking corpse plus get a painful sunburn. A hat, I almost always wear one, but I am folicly challenged as the saying goes.
The biggest danger in our sport besides other people is riptides, they kill more people every year than sharks kill in a decade, easy. Remember never to swim against the current but across it until you are out of the current otherwise you will exhaust yourself and become a bloated statistic.
Play safe out there Kids, it can be dangerous at the beach
BDA
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