Key West Lou / A SHARK AND ME

A shark and me.

A 30 year old Georgia man was attacked by a shark off Marathon sunday morning. Near Sombrero Key Light. His name Andrew Charles Eddy.

The shark 8-10 feet long. Bit Eddy’s shoulder. He had to be airlifted to Miami. The bite described as serious.

Eddy was attacked as he was entering the water.

Reminded me of my one and only shark incident. May there never be another.

It was 25 years ago. In the waters in front of the Casa Marina Hotel.

It was about 3:30 in the afternoon. No one ever told me the “big ones” come up around 4.

The beach at the Casa Marina is strewn with large rocks. Swimming impossible off the beach itself. The hotel had constructed a 300 foot dock running perpendicular to the beach out into the water. You walked to the end of the dock where there were stairs into the water.

Another 300 feet out in the ocean, the hotel had erected a tall structure. Wood. About 15 feet tall. The foundation had to be concrete buried many feet into the stand.

Its construction square. A ladder to climb up and down. Dimensions on top 15 x 15 feet.

I swam out. First time. The view spectacular. Better than from the beach itself. The railing was about 5 inches wide. I sat on it and starred out into the open water for well over an hour. Sort of meditative time.

I walked over to the ladder to leave. Something caught my eye. Big! It was a shark. I was later to learn a sand shark. Fifteen feet in length. I appreciate water magnifies things. Wide. Tan in color.

The shark was swimming around the structure I was on. I assumed the fish would swim away. Did not. An hour later, I was still waiting for the shark to swim away into the deep ocean.

Good luck! Like he knew there was a meal waiting for him top side.

I looked to the Casa beach intending to shout for someone in a boat to come for me. Good luck again! No one on the beach. Everyone had left.

Now I was concerned. The shark kept swimming around. Never deviating from its course.

I was scared! No way was I going into the water. I saw myself spending the night out there.

Suddenly, my friend made a sharp left and swam away.

I remained about 5 minutes. The shark did not return.

I was down the ladder in no time and swam like crazy the 300 feet to the dock. Never swam that fast before or since.

That evening I was at the bar in Square One with several male friends. A conch and snowbird mixture. Told my story and how scared I was. They all laughed.

They explained that based on how I had described the shark to them, it was a sand shark. They told me the teeth of a sand shark are way back in its mouth. The worse it would have done was mouth an arm or leg and then let it go.

I told them if such had occurred I would have had a heart attack!

Before writing this story today, I did a bit of research on sand sharks.

They are found in temperate tropic waters. Also known as a sand tiger shark. All sizes. Mine looked like a whale to me.

Also read sand sharks are docile. Only attack humans when bothered first.

The teeth description was different from what my friends had described. What I read this morning was sand sharks have a mouthful of irregular teeth facing every which way.

So much about the shark and me.

My research however brought a couple of interesting things to my attention. Relatively unimportant. Useless actually. However, interesting.

Sharks fart. The shark gulps air from the water surface. The air runs through the shark’s body and comes out from the shark’s cloacas. I assume cloacas is the shark’s ass.

Learned something else. More useless information. Spiders fart.

The Trump nominee to the Supreme Court is a given to be seated relatively soon. As much as the Democrats feel the need to make a battle of it, it is one they cannot win.

The Democrats may lose the immediate battle, but they can win the war.

It will take a Democratic President and a Democratic Senate. So vote for the Democrats this year. God will not punish you.

Come the new session, Congress can pass the necessary legislation and the President will sign it into law. Purpose: To expand the number of Justices. The Constitution makes no mention and so it should pass Constitutional muster.

The Supreme Court can then be expanded. What number? Thirteen or fifteen will do.

The Republicans deserve it. The American people deserve it. A fitting retribution.

The court system is antiquated. It is overburdened. Moves way too slow.

One of the first things learned in law school is justice delayed is justice denied. Look how long it takes for a final court resolution. Easily 1-3 years. Sometimes longer.

Cannot be permitted to continue.

I was thinking. When people think of our government, what do they envision? What do they see?

The face of our government is Trump and McDonnell.

Nothing to be proud of.

Sadly, coronavirus deaths in the U.S. passed 200,00o yesterday. Some are predicting 400,000 plus by January.

God protect us! Trump is not!

Globally, the number of deaths is reaching 1 million.

The U.S. position one of shame and disgust. I cannot understand how Trump and his son in law Jared can say Trump has been successful in fighting the pandemic.

Note that the U.S. has 4 percent of the world’s population. It has 20 percent of the world’s coronavirus deaths.

Does not make sense.

Thump’s recent comments re a vaccine in sequence were first months, by the end of the year, by election or soon thereafter. This past weekend, in days.

Enjoy your day!

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