Sailing in the ICW ?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Sailndive345

Greetings Widget!..

As soon as you can substitute your fear of sharks with fear of running into (well, getting run over by) a freighter, you'll be like the rest of us

Seriously, though, based on your posting, I'd guess you are not a scuba diver - if you get certified and do a few fun dives, the sharks become part of nature like anything else in a hurry.

Have fun with the boat!

Sailndive

Welcome Widget... sure you'll be fine, thats the trouble with films like Jaws and Orca... it creates irrational fears.... don't sweat it...
You have more chance of being slapped in the face by a fying fish than ever actually seeing a shark...
My biggest fear is not merchant ships but what they can leave behind... 40ft containers that float with tops at surface level... near invisible on anything but a flat calm day...

[Kay Koudele]

Widget-
Are you still looking for help getting over the shark fear? Here's another woman's perspective: I don't believe I had an unreasonable fear of sharks when I started doing ocean sailing, but when we started cruising I was nervous about swimming with a lot of fish and sealife in general. I found that short times of snorkeling close to the boat helped a good deal, and soon found it so fascinating to see so many types of fish and coral, that I forgot about my anxiety. I did choose not to swim when I'd see nurse sharks, altho I was told they are harmless. The more comfortable you become just being at sea, the more likely your fear will decrease. Have you spent a good deal of time at the helm when you are in the ocean? That usually helps. Good luck, and keep trying. It's worth it!!