Shark Attraction

Genny - Ruth - Debbie

Six years ago my friend, Genny and I were kayaking in the bay after work one summer evening  in Rainbow Channel in front of Somers Point, New Jersey (USA). It was one of our favorite spots and it was a beautiful calm night. We paddle that route  quite often beck then. She turned back and looked at me and said, “Oh, no. Keep paddling.” I knew immediately by the look on her face something was very wrong. She is not one to scare easily. Shortly, a five or six foot  shark surfaced to my right about 10 yards between us the shore. Needless to say, I was terrified. I was sure I was going to die and/or lose my faculties. We continued to paddle for about a mile with this shark surfacing around us frequently (We believe there may have been more than one.) I was afraid to look in the water and kept my eyes straight ahead. She, on the other hand, is quite inquisitive  and kept looking for it /them. At one point I looked down to my right as my paddle entered the water and the shark’s dorsal fin was directly between us. I could have reached out and touched it! I was speechless on that paddle that night and I was never so terrified in my life. When I got to our destination, I dove out of my kayak headfirst. The whole experience was surreal. Neither one of us could talk for at least an hour. It was one experience I lived through that I will never forget.

Debbie Cotter