EDITOR’S ANGLE
The Sharksploitation Issue S
ensationalism sells. We’re sure to make a bundle on this issue. It’ll fly off the shelves.
Sharksploitation rules! Not so fast. We aren’t half that crass, although
any time the subject of sharks comes up, some are sure to think the worst of our motives. Sharks are spooky and scary. Their preda-
tory perfection arouses fear and insecurity in humans, who venture into their watery world at a distinct disadvantage. Luckily for us, to the overwhelming majority of sharks, we’re far too lean and bony to bother. So why cover them at all, if not to cash in on
the hysteria? For those of us on the coast, sharks are a fact of life. Although most of us will fish a lifetime without running into the business end of a toothy buzz saw, some aren’t so lucky. In three short years, two of our fellows have
held on in shock as great whites gnawed and gnashed at their boats. Both attacks happened in a single spot, the now notorious Bean Hol- low off California’s Central Coast. YouTube videos shot in Australia show great
whites nosing curiously around kayak anglers, inspiring understandable jitters. South Africa, another shark hotspot, seems sure to follow. In the warm ocean off the Hawaiian Islands, tigers prowl with kingly hauteur. They’ve been known to cruise right up to kayak anglers, usually from an unexpected direction. Car- rion eaters, they’re looking for an easy meal, not hard plastic. Still, a large tiger shark is 15 menacing feet long, packed with the potential if not the will to cause grave bodily harm. A handful of us worldwide are likely to
encounter an aggressive shark each year, so the responsible route is to cover the topic. It’s fraught with so much natural drama, it’s easy to think we’re piling on, referring to sharks in sensationalistic terms. Easy, in fact, to fall into the trap and do it by accident. That’s not our intention. We are aiming for
a factual, reasoned approach that covers the questions kayak anglers consider when they think about sharks. Questions such as short of staying home, what can be done to lessen the risk? Is there any protection? And yes, what is it like to come eye to eye, tooth to tooth with one of these immense predators?—when the tables are turned and the hunter becomes the hunted? I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with both of the kayak anglers who took the wildest ride
SHARK SNACK: The fish, not the kayak angler. Except in the rarest of cases, a
kayak angler is too lean and bony. PHOTO: WILL RICHARDSON
imaginable, holding on for dear life as two tons of muscle used their kayaks as chew toys. Af- ter what must have been deep, soul-searching reflection, both ventured back onto the ocean. I think there’s something to the wisdom shared with me by my friend Jim Sammons:
The shark in your head is the most dangerous one. When I see you out there, I’ll be dangling my feet. Just not at Bean Hollow.
PAUL LEBOWITZ is the editor of Kayak Angler and a long-serving columnist for Western Outdoor News. He lives with his family in San Diego, California. And still has all his toes.
www.kayakanglermag.com… 7
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