Can a shark attack victim ever be called "hot"?
 

One rare scare
By TOM ZUCCO, Times Staff Writer
Published June 30, 2005

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EGMONT KEY - Mary Mathias had given up looking for fish.

It was late Tuesday afternoon and she had turned to watching pelicans on a dock at the Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge at the mouth of Tampa Bay.

Just as she set down her fishing pole and dangled her legs over the side, a large shape appeared in the water and started coming straight toward her.

"I really wasn't worried," said Mathias, a junior at Eckerd College who works at the 328-acre refuge as an intern with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. "I took a picture of the fin."

Then, suddenly, in a week when sharks have attacked two tourists off Panhandle beaches, Mathias had her own too-close-for-comfort encounter.

"It leaped out of the water about 5 feet away from me. I pulled my feet up really fast and it started snapping its jaws. I was so scared I forgot to take my finger off the button and just kept clicking."

Mathias stood on the dock, frozen with fear, and watched the 6-foot shark thrashing about so close to her she got wet from the splashing.

"I was afraid to head in," Mathias said. "I thought it would follow me."

But after a few minutes, the shark stopped moving. Then it picked its head up, rolled over on its back, and lay motionless in the water.

As it turns out, the blacktip shark was not attacking Mathias, a shark expert said. It likely was in its death throes from a recent Red Tide outbreak and probably wasn't even aware she was a few feet away, said Bob Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at Sarasota's Mote Marine Laboratory.

"Absolutely in no way does this reflect attack or aggressive behavior," he said. "My guess is this animal is having severe problems and she (Mathias) just happened to be in the area and caught it on film. Her presence there had nothing to do with it. This species doesn't go after large prey."

After the shark stopped moving, Mathias ran down the pier and looked at the pictures on her digital camera.

"I couldn't believe how close it was," she said. "The shark was beautiful, but I'm really sad it died. It was like a rabid animal." The refuge where Mathias works and the adjacent state park just west of Fort De Soto Park are accessible only by boat.

The shark was a mature blacktip, said Hueter, a healthy looking fish, except for its extremely unusual behavior.

Blacktips are common in coastal waters, he said. They feed on small fish and are less likely to target people. The species is responsible for roughly 16 percent of the attacks in Florida waters.

Both Mathias and the shark, Hueter said, were probably victims of bad timing.

During late spring and early summer, many sharks instinctively move into shallow water to give birth. That's probably what brought the shark into the bay.

But recent outbreaks of Red Tide in the area trapped some sharks before they could escape to the open gulf.

"This animal was clearly suffering some behavioral problems consistent with Red Tide," Hueter said. "We know sharks can be killed by Red Tide if they're trapped in it."

A photo of the shark with its jaws open, Hueter said, is uncharacteristic for blacktips.

That Mathias was there to watch the shark in its death throes was purely a coincidence.

"This is a sharky area in the summertime," Hueter said. "And she just happened to witness something that's very rare."

I'd hit it. Twice.

Red Tide obviously has some secondary meaning that I was unaware of.

yes

nice job carrying on the torch rkmsuf.

Until I find out how old she is, I would refrain from hitting it.

She's a junior in college, so hit away.

I'd hit her so fast, she wouldn't know what hit her.

But I would leave a note, telling her it was me.

You guys are talking about the shark, right?

Until I find out how old the shark is, I would refrain from hitting it.

Is it wrong to be envious of a stump?

I thought she looked young, until I saw the college thing. This is a 100%.... hell yes.

If only there was a hole in the stump and inside was a pool of human feces and I could fit in it.

Yeah, but....she goes to Eckerd College.

Sorry, a bit of Div II rivalry humor.

Blah, I'd pass.

Well, no. If the lights were off I would

Nice legs, but she looks like a bit of a Monet. I'm with bug on this one.

You know people, the pool of shark attack victims is not overly large. If your dream is to do one, this is probably the top of the pile.

Other than having a face like Jon Bon Jovi, sure, she's cute.

With those teeth, I was thinking Jani Lane, but...to each his own.

A junior at Ekchard college eh....I'd hit it 3 times.

It could be worse, she could be from Rollins.

Touche

I respect that.

Nice set of gams.

Referring to shark attack victims and being on "the top of the pile" brings to mind a disturbing, yet funny, mental image.

Just to clarify. Is your opinion on pass based on "internet fantasy world" where you get to pick any girl in the world that you want, or would you really pass in real life?

If it's the latter, could you kindly post pics of the girls you have nailed? Just to get a good frame of reference for your decision to pass :D

dola,

If someone wasn't actually bit by the shark, is she really a "shark attack victim"? Isn't that like saying someone is an assault victim if someone wanted to beat the crap out of them, but the "victim" ran away?

She's cute.

edit: I mean her face isn't the best... but whoever said she has nice legs is right. :D

I'd give her the shocker.

Agreed. Put up or shut up.

Honestly, I can do better than that. I do consider myself to be a computer geek, but physically I don't believe there is a girl out of my reach (financially, that's a different story).

I've also posted pics of a few different girlfriends I've had, so I rest my case. :)

Doesn't her nose make her look like a shark herself?

Sly, FN, sly.

Very cute chica... NICE legs and mid-chest section... The John Elway teeth take away a bit, but still a very attractive girl.

A 13.6 on the MK Bangable Scale.

Definetely hot from the small pic. I wonder how many of you guys saved the jpg and then zoomed in on her? LOL. I would say she is quite doable.

Why would you zoom in? Zooming out seems to make more sense.

hawt

13.6?

On a scale of what? How are we supposed to know if that's any good or not?

Why would you zoom out?

Oh.

13.6 out of 5 stars.

Its a drinkin night aint it?

Oh, I don't know...

Good grief, I think some of you really would hit anything breathing or less than 2 hours dead.

The Elway comparison was pretty dead on, my first thought was along the lines of "What do you do for a pickup line? Ask her if she'd like to share a bucket of oats or something?" She'd probably say "Neigh", but still.

Granted, my second thought was "nice legs", but her dental resemblance to Smarty Jones was just too much for me to get past.

Unfortunately no. It's a nothin-ta-do night. Except beat it.


Just kidding but seriously

I'm pretty selective, but damn.... I'd do it, and I promise you folks... 98% of you guys would do it too.

-"What happened? Why did the Shark attack you? Were you taunting it?"
-"Yeah, I go into the sea sometimes, just to fuck with sharks. I have this thing...it's called a shark rocket, and I shoot it at them, and it really annoys them. And then I just wade there in the water, and they come at me, but I’m really good at eluding them. I know this hip move, it’s something porpoises do...and then I pretend I’m a bottleneck and I stab them in the gills, and it really is effective."

Why the long face?

This thread almost made me choke on my bagel this morning. Too early for a hearty laugh while eating.