Jonathan Kieran

Yesterday was marked by two tragic shark attacks in warmer waters of the Western world, as a probable Great White Shark completely bit-off the leg of an adult Mexican woman swimming with her child, and an American woman was killed in the Bahamas. The latter attack likely involved a tiger shark—the most common large predator of Caribbean waters—and was particularly astonishing because the animal reportedly came out of the water and grabbed the victim right off her paddleboard. She had been enjoying a gentle morning jaunt with a friend off a beautiful beach adjacent to a fine resort.

Facts must be faced: Shark populations have been increasing exponentially due to environmental restrictions placed upon fishermen, both commercial and private, since the late 1980s and early 1990s around most of the globe. Before that time, larger predatory sharks, which have ruled the oceans for millions of years, had been reduced in number to the point wherein humans, who have only been participating in wide-scale recreational marine activities (diving, beach swimming, surfing) for 120 years. This imbalance gave humans a century—a mere blip in time—in which to feel comfortable as adventurers eager to plunge into the ocean wearing bikinis, wetsuits, and board shorts.

And hair-raisingly gruesome attacks still occurred to capture worldwide public attention during that carefree century.

Now the playing board has changed. With a growing restoration of the proper ecosystem across the globe, humans should not feel as cavalier about frolicking in the sea, particularly in areas known to harbor large shark species like the Great White, the Tiger, and the Bull. More people on our overpopulated planet are engaging in salt water activities than at any other time in human history. The chances for courting trouble have skyrocketed.

Don’t believe disingenuous environmentalists and marine researchers who have the nerve to laugh and tell you that “sharks don’t want to eat people. These accidents are all cases of mistaken identity.”

That’s a load of codswallop intended to maintain a certain rote type of propaganda intended (nobly) to protect certain shark species from being hunted by an angry public out of vengeance and fear.

If you are the only unprotected, clumsy mammal in the water and a large, hungry shark is nearby, it DOES WANT TO EAT YOU and will likely size you up for either an initial exploratory nibble that ends in trauma … or frenzied dismemberment followed by total ingestion. If a shark bites your leg off and then leaves you alone, it’s probably because just one leg will do, you’re fighting tooth and nail for your life, and rescuers are already on the way, making a fuss.

Be careful out there, folks, and spare a thought for yesterday’s victims and their grieving loved ones. The sharks are back.

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[A scintillating new shocker-of-a-novel by Jonathan Kieran is slated for major release in Spring 2024 so clear your calendars, book lovers. This one is built for speed. Stay tuned for more … ]

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