Shark Day at the Beach

September 6, 2009 | Posted by Paul Wolborsky

This Labor Day weekend, the scenario from Jaws came to life. Monomey Island off Cape Cod had recently become populated with Seals. And Great White Sharks have been sighted. Monomey Island is only a mile away from the very beaches portrayed in the movie. The beaches were closed.

This time, it’s a different story.

Jaws captured our fear of the oceans. For 2 hours, we became our ancestors who dreaded the night. The shark was the monster, it was evil and must be destroyed.

But something wonderful happened after people left the theatre. It inspired a fascination with Sharks. It inspired us to study, not destroy Sharks. It inspired Shark Week. One season, the commercial showed people standing poolside, afraid to enter the water. Another season, at a beach, a woman cried out ‘Shark!!’, and everybody ran into the water. People know that sharks can be dangerous, but know that very few people get killed by sharks while many get killed driving. Even victims of shark attacks speak out to save them. Sharks belong in the water, it’s their home, and we are only visiting.

Jaws captivated the imagination of kids all over to become Marine Biologists. Some on the water right now off Cape Cod. They ordered the beaches closed.

Only this time, was there fear? Dread? No. Those same Marine Biologists who saw Jaws saw opportunity and successfully tagged 2 sharks. Now they can study their migratory patterns. And the beaches? Nobody can swim this weekend. But guess what? People are probably there now to watch the Sharks. Not to bother them, not to hunt them down, not to scream to the authorities to kill them so they can swim. But to thrill in a Nature that is wild, that could kill them, but of which they are part.

A relationship with nature, based on learning, acceptance, and respect, is a core part of Sustainable living.

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