Near Fatal Shark Attack

At the end of July the boys, my mom and I took a trip to Houston for the birth of my new nephew Garrett Taylor Sullivan. What a trip. I would tell you all about it, but Windi may read this (love you Windi) and this post is just about our near deadly encounter with a Shark in the Gulf of Mexico.

I LOVE the beach. No, I don't. I LOVE the OCEAN. I love sitting in the ocean. Swimming in the ocean. Riding the waves in the ocean. I love the ocean. I could spend all day, every day in the ocean and be the happiest girl in the world. But I can't be alone. I have to have someone with me. Because then I have less of a chance of being the one eaten by a shark.

How could you go on vacation, one hour from the beach and not drive to the beach? I can't imagine it. Evidently, some people just don't care as much about the beach. So, I decided I was going to take one day, pack up the boys and go. Noah is my beach buddy, my ocean buddy. He loves it just as much as I do. Jonah - not so much. But I was taking him anyway.

At the last minute we decide we are going to stop half way and go to visit NASA in Houston. So by the time we got to the beach it was late in the afternoon. Probably around 430. We were so excited to get in the water we threw our shoes and clothes off and went running in. All of us were so excited.

We like to walk out as far as we can. At least up to the boys necks. So we were out there. Enjoying ourselves. There were waves but they weren't too big or high. Actually we wished they could have been a little bigger. But we were enjoying. There were other people around enjoying the day at the beach as well.

We noticed two guys that were out further than we were (the only people further out than us) and we kept watching them. They looked like they were goofing off and having a good time. The boys were dying for me to let them go out that far. But I wouldn't let them.

So I was still paying attention to these guys goofing off. The all of the sudden I saw a fin come up right behind them. Yes a fin. Yes right behind them. It was time that the boys and I high tail it of the water.

I CALMLY grabbed the boys and ran as fast as I could in the ocean without panicking. I said a short prayer for myself, the boys and the two guys getting ready to be eaten by the shark. I couldn't tell the boys what was wrong because I didn't want them to panic and I didn't want to panic other people.

I didn't want them to panic cuz if they started splashing around the shark might come after us. I didn't want to panic other people because what if it really wasn't a shark and I was just seeing things.

So we got out of the water. We are standing on the beach. I am just waiting for the two guys to be eaten. I am waiting for one of them to suddenly be pulled under the water. I felt so bad for knowing there was a shark surrounding them and swimming right next to them and I was not doing anything about it. But what was I to do? What if it wasn't a shark and I would look like an idiot and panic all of these people for nothing. But isn't someone's life more important than my pride and a short panic attack for a hundred people? Evidently, I decided not so. I just stood there. I couldn't do anything but pray and watch. Does that make me terrible.

So Noah looks up at me and he is like "Mommy - why can't we get in the water?" I quietly tell him because I saw a shark in the water. But don't say anything cuz we don't want to panic people if mommy is wrong. So I pointed out where it was and told him to watch that way. I told my son to watch for two guys to be attacked by a killer shark???!!!! I must have been out of my mind. Considering the fact that on the way down I was reminding my children that sharks DO NOT live in the Gulf of Mexico. I have to tell them that so they will get in the water. Now here I stand telling my boys to watch two mean get eaten by a shark. Is that what happens to a person in survival mode? Probably not normal sane people. But for crazy aluff people it does.

So we stand there. We stand there. We stand there. Nothing is happening. The guys are still splashing around and goofing off. Noah points out that maybe I was just seeing things. Maybe it was a wave. Maybe it was fish jumping. Maybe it was the sun shining on the water. Maybe it was anything but a shark. After about 10 minutes of standing there I decided he must be right. Or the shark just wasn't hungry.

I decided to go with Noah's theory. The boys and I went back into the water. We cautiously went further and further out into the water. But I was on guard. Complete guard. My eyes scanning the water all around us at all times. The boys both on each of my hips. But not to worry we were still having a great time. Just a cautious great time.

All was great. It was like an hour later. Still having a great time cautiously. Then I noticed the guys that I had been staring at for like an hour just waiting for them to be eaten started heading my way. I didn't notice at first but then when they were on top of us I realized they were coming to us. :)

They introduced themselves to me. And then proceeded to tell me that they should warn me. Before they got a word out - I blurted out "that there is a shark swimming around??!!" They started laughing and said no. no. But why would they laugh at that? I mean who laughs at the fact that someone thinks there is a shark in the water?

So in my still panicked voice I ask them what then? What are they warning me about? They said there was a dolphin about 7 foot long swimming around. They just didn't want it to scare me. I was like - YOU ARE JUST NOW TELLING ME THIS????? I have been freaked out for over an hour over a dolphin??!!

So after I got over being upset with them for not telling us sooner I proceeded to tell them how I thought it was a shark. How I saw it swim around them. How I got the heck out of dodge and just waited for them to be eaten. How I was sure that any moment they were going to drug under water and eaten. How I felt my pride was more important than their lives. Somehow they were not offended by this. They just laughed and laughed. I think, no wait, I know I would have been like wth???!!! You were just going to leave me to be eaten? To just die while you stood and watched. But they didn't think this way.

So at the end of the day, we got to see a dolphin swim about 50 yards from us. That is pretty cool. We nearly died from a shark attack, but we saw a dolphin swim in front of us in the wild. It was a great day at the beach. Thank God we are all alive.