CompuServe Messages

SHARKS!!

    13-May-95 21:01:47
Sb: #169438-SHARKS!!
Fm: Don Landis 71673,3612
To: MARTIN G FOSTER 70303,456
>>ROFL! I love your diving tips and stories. My favorite shark story is about a tangle I had with a small 4 foot Nurse shark under the 7 mile bridge in the FL. Keys. I was digging in holes in the bottom trying to pull some lobster when I felt something like an abrasive clamp slam down on my left hand which was pushed into a hole up to my armpit. I yanked my hand out quickly and looked into the hole and when the silt settled I saw the gill slits of the Nurse. The thumb of my leather glove was ripped to shreads and my hand was bleeding, more visually than real damage though. I was more excited than hurt. Just had a few scratches like a brush burn with coarse sand paper. Since I was only in 12 feet of water with my inflatable overhead I quickly surfaced and grabbed my speargun with a .357 magnum on the end. When I hit bottom the Nurse was cruzing the hole, circling. I poped him and then hauled the shark into my boat. Meanwhile I was being watched from a distance by the Florida Marine Patrol using binoculars. It didn't take them long to bust me for shooting a spear gun under the bridge (illegal). I explained that I was in grave danger as I got bit by the shark and had to shoot him. I guess they decided they didn't want to deal with my injury so they left me go with a warning that they would be watching me for the rest of the week. I hate sharks with chrome glasses and badges! The Nurse was excellent eating for the next month though.