Sharks and Dolphins

Shark Week did get one thing right: the presence of dolphins in the water does not mean there are no sharks around!

my friend insists that dolphins will attack sharks and thus you are safe in the water when dolphins are around. he's gonna get killed.

larger sharks, like tigers and bulls, eat dolphins. not on a regular basis maybe, but they can and do eat them sometimes.

the problem here is twofold.

1. yes, dolphins are very friendly and curious. but that's no guarantee that a dolphin can't attack you. if you get too near them before they have a chance of checking YOU out first, you may get a bump. especially if there are calves in the pod. if there are females who are in season, they tend to fight and may not be in the best of moods. you don't want a bump or bite from one of them! if you see dolphins smaking their tails against the water, that's a sign of irritation and i think it's best to leave them alone. it could be just that another dolphin took another dolphins fish, or it could be that a predator is nearby. you just don't know.

2. you swim over to some dolphins and everything is ok. they swim off and you have to get back to shore or the boat. if there happens to be a predator nearby who's been stalking the pod, guess who looks like the injured/weak/left behind member? yes, there have been cases where dolphins have protected swimmers from sharks, but it certainly doesn't happen every time!

it's august and a lot of you guys are heading to the shore. right? rule of thumb: use common sense. and as always, please respect the ocean.