| Q |
How long have you been working as a professional
lifeguard? |
| A |
I've been a year round professional lifeguard for 13 years. |
| Q |
How many miles of beaches are you responsible
for, and how many visitors per year do you get? |
| A: |
We cover 17 miles of beach and get around 540,000 visitors per year. |
| Q |
Describe what your beaches are like. |
| A: |
We have white sand beaches with dunes consisting of sea grapes and
sea oats that are about eight to twelve foot high. The water is blue
with reefs starting 75 - 100 yds out. |
| Q |
There has been an increase in shark attacks
in Florida over the past few years, what do you attribute this to? |
| A: |
We've had a steady increase of recreational water enthusiasts which
includes swimmers, boaters, divers, surfers, jet skiers, and wind
surfers. More people in the water will naturally cause more shark
encounters. |
| Q |
How serious are the shark attacks in your
area? |
| A: |
We've had one fatal attack outside our guarded area since I've been
working here. We get the typical 3 - 4 attacks per year, mostly to
surfers but none have occurred at the beaches we cover. The only other
extremely serious attack was the one on Dawn Schauman in 1993. |
| Q |
Have you noticed an increase in shark
attacks since they banned commercial netting close to shore? |
| A: |
I've noticed an increase in bait fish, but the shark attacks in
our area have remained about the same. |
| Q |
What are bait fish? |
| A: |
In our region, bait fish are red roe mullet and herring. The predatory
fish follow the schools of bait fish during a seasonal migration pattern.
|
| Q |
When is your bait fish season? |
| A: |
August - mid November and March - May. |
| Q |
What type of sharks are indicative to
your area? |
| A: |
Blacktips, spinner sharks, bull sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks,
hammerheads, sandbar sharks, and tiger sharks. |
| Q |
What is your procedure for alerting beach
goers when sharks are spotted? |
| A: |
We blow the air horn three times, fly the red flag (no swimming),
and the lifeguards get everyone out of the water. As a safety measure,
we keep beach patrons out of the water for twenty minutes after the
sharks have left the area. |
| Q |
In what other situations do you fly the
red flag? |
| A: |
During lightning storms, if bait fish are present, or if hurricane
debris is in the water and poses a safety hazard to swimmers. |
| Q |
Do you feel that sharks are dangerous
and should be feared? |
| A: |
Sharks are at the top of the food chain in the ocean. They eliminate
the weak and sick and are a vital part of our environment. Without
them, the balance of nature would be offset. They shouldn't be feared,
but respected. Most shark attacks are a case of mistaken identity.
If people learn to recognize when sharks are present, bait fish or
dive bombing birds for example, shark encounters would occur less
frequently. |
| Q |
What safety advice do you have for swimmers
visiting your beaches? |
| A: |
Always swim near a lifeguard and follow their advice. They spend
forty hours a week on the beach and are acutely aware of the prevailing
conditions. Read the Ocean Conditions and don't be afraid to
ask the lifeguard questions. |
