A Bigger Boat: Shark Forces Newcastle Closure
For some reason, I’ve always been fascinated by sharks. Perhaps an early expedition to the Shedd Aquarium spurred my interest. Or, more likely given my pop culture obsessions, I watched Quint, Brody and Hooper battle the mammoth great white in “JAWS” at too early an age. To tell the truth, “JAWS” maintains a “Shawshank”-like hold on me all these years later. That is to say, if I find “JAWS” on cable television, I’m stopping and kicking my feet up.
I currently reside in southern California where shark sightings are fairly common. Still, the local news outlets can’t get to the sand and surf fast enough when there’s a beach closure. In fact, there was a huge issue last summer in Manhattan Beach (a city south of LAX) after a swimmer was bitten by a shark. The beach was closed for a period and a long debate about fishing from the pier ensued.
A similar debate and longstanding alert is occurring in the city of Newcastle. The beaches have been closed for more than a week as a gargantuan great white shark, estimated to be some 16 feet long and 3,700 pounds. The picture below inspires wonder and, let’s face it, a bit of fear. The shark has been feasting on dolphins, and the video (linked above) illustrates the damage caused by this massive predator.
Get a bigger boat.
