Shark!

2008©tukofujisaki

Now of course I have a dilemma. I went swimming later than my usual mid morning because I thought I'd go paint with the Plein Air Painters of Hawaii Island (Amy has started her own blog about it). They were just down the street in Kalapana. So when I got back I still wanted to get my swim in (I get obsessed like this, in New York it was rollerblading everyday, in Santa Fe, hiking). I went with my friend, Rick. I like to swim with a buddy. We usually swim to these rocks across the bay and then to another close to Kehena Point and back. As we were heading towards the point I came across a menacing looking lone creature...

My first shark encounter, too up close and personal. I think it was a reef shark, not all that dangerous except in murky water. We both made it out safely. But still, there have been a lot of sitings lately and even beach closings on the west (Kona) side. So here's my question. How long do I wait before I can venture out there again? I'm a little scared now...(and yet, incredibly, Arthur, who was born in Oahu, has never seen a shark in Hawaiian waters in his life!).