Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

Every time I see someone walking down the street clad in black neoprene with a fish (surfboard) under his or her arm, headed for the beach, a question runs through my mind: "Is that person nuts?"  

See, I live in a part of northern California that falls within the ominously named Red Triangle, an area with the highest concentration of great white shark attacks in the world. The number of attacks probably has something to do with the number of white sharks around here, which can be summarized in a word: lots. Yet tons of people, my boyfriend included, paddle far out from shore in search of perfect waves while wearing what amounts to a seal costume.

Nuts?

I ask because I tried surfing out here a few times, and the mental aspect of it completely overwhelmed me. I always joke that I couldn't learn because I couldn't get the Jaws theme out of my head, but the truth is that my heart started racing the second I got into the ocean and didn't stop until I was back on land. The fear paralyzed me. Now, I've jumped out of an airplane at 12,000 feet, climbed frozen waterfalls, yada yada yada. Outdoor activities don't usually freak me out. But something about the knowledge that I was inhabiting the same body of water as 18'x8'x6' sharks (yes, those dimensions are accurate, these things are HUGE) struck me dumb.

How do people go out there day after day with that knowledge in their minds? Here are a few reasons I've found- none of which, mind you, are sufficient to get me back in the water.

Logic What are the odds you will actually get attacked by a shark, even surfing the Red Triangle? Pretty low. Not quite win-the-Powerball low. Maybe win-$10,000-with-a-scratchoff low. Many people reassure themselves with this fact when facing a gray, choppy sea.

("Sharky today," I've heard surfers say when looking at steely water. Then they paddle out anyway.)

Denial The "if I don't see them, they're not there" approach. This reminds me of playing hide and seek with my sister Lilly when she was two. She would plunk herself down in the middle of the livingroom floor, cover her eyes, and shout, "Come find me!"

Acceptance This is the Zen approach. The few people who truly practice this earn my undying respect. Acceptance means that when they get into the water, they understand and accept and feel that they are no longer at the top of the food chain, that something might eat them. 

Last time I checked, the "Great whites live here" sign had been revised to read "Great whites dine here." Lovely.

• sharks
• surfing
• fear
• how-to
• ocean
• beach
• California
• wildlife
• mental