Manchester NH's TV station has reported that there was a shark off of Rye Beach today. All swimmers in that area were pulled out of the water.

Scott

what kind?

All that is known is that there might have been a pair of them, it was a swimmer who spotted them and they may have only been about 6 ft. in length. There was no positive identification and some are suggesting sand sharks. Nobody really knows outside of the fact that they were spotted.

"Only" 6'???

Interesting photo, but this one is from Cape Cod

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cape-cod-shark-20120710,0,7741361.story

that time of year. Remind me to not purchase a kayak colored like a seal.

And now the Boston Globe is referring to the Cape Cod guy in the little blue kayak being chased by the shark as "the most famous kayaker in New England." His first time ever in a kayak - and note that he is not wearing a pfd!

pru

And now the Boston Globe is referring to the Cape Cod guy in the little blue kayak being chased by the shark as "the most famous kayaker in New England." His first time ever in a kayak - and note that he is not wearing a pfd!

pru

Thats what I was thinking ... far more likely to drown than be eaten by a shark!

Heading up to Casco Bay tomorrow morning for a few days of camping. Hope to photograph the seal colonies from a safe distance. Will plan to get a few good shark photos as well!! Wish me luck!!

Warren

Thats what I was thinking ... far more likely to drown than be eaten by a shark!

Although I wear a PFD out of habit (and for the nice pockets), I think it’s a reasonable risk for a swimmer to paddle sans PFD if she stays close to shore on a calm summer day.

Although I wear a PFD out of habit (and for the nice pockets), I think it’s a reasonable risk for a swimmer to paddle sans PFD if she stays close to shore on a calm summer day.

And when you fall out of your boat because you don't know how to paddle it and you're being chased by a shark, you can probably swim faster without a pfd....

pru

And when you fall out of your boat because you don't know how to paddle it and you're being chased by a shark, you can probably swim faster without a pfd....

pru

Okay, Pru dear. If I knew great white sharks were cruising around the area, I wouldn’t be out swimming or paddling there in the first place. Secondly, although I’m not faster than a shark, I could swim much faster without a PFD. Here’s an analogy: I couldn’t out run a car. But if I saw one coming at me as I crossed a street, I’d prefer to run rather than walk to safety.

Although, in general, it’s stupid to paddle without wearing a PFD, here’s an actual anecdotal incident where my PFD almost killed me:

I was paddling from the ocean to the bay through an inlet in Florida. Fast powerboats were going through the inlet, but I was far from the channel where they were and they were loud enough to hear. Suddenly, I realized a slow moving (perhaps 10 knots) catamaran was bearing down from behind me, only yards away. It was too late to get out of the way. Just as the catamaran collided with me I rolled over to get into the water and dive down. The buoyant force of the PFD prevented me from diving down as deep as I had wanted to (I was trying to get far below the propellers). However, I lucked out; when I surfaced I was almost exactly half way between the two hulls (far away from either of the two propellers).

The catamaran’s captain wrote me a check to pay for the QCC 700X that you saw me in last time. He claimed that the sun was in his eyes and that’s why he didn’t see me in front of him.

And, yes, of course, I still wear a PFD.

Attached is a picture of the offending catamaran (a week later, but almost precisely where the accident occurred). The second picture is of my damaged kayak.