How big was the largest shark you've seen in the wild, and how close did you get to it?

The largest predatory shark was a great hammerhead shark, and it was in the Florida Keys. I was probably 13 years old. We were in a Boston Whaler fishing near Plantation Key in the upper keys. The shark swam under the boat scaring all the fishes we were trying to catch. It was longer than the boat. It was at least 18 perhaps as long as 20 feet long. That was exciting to me. That was probably one of the earliest initiators of me liking sharks.

Have you eaten shark?

Yes, but not anymore. I did before any trouble began in the U.S. waters. In Taiwan (a place where you eat first and ask later) we ate whale shark unknowingly. I stay away from it now because sharks are being over fished. It's not right to be doing it.

Was it grilled?

It was raw.

Describe what the whale shark tastes like. What is it similar to?

The whale shark, to me, was kind of mushy. You don't always eat the same parts of it. There, for instance, we ate the skin of both the blue and the whale sharks - not the flesh. It was kind of a rubbery consistency. I guess the best analogy would be eating an inner tube. An inner tube probably tastes better.

What was the scariest encounter you've ever had with a shark?

About 5 to 8 years ago I was in the Bahamas. I was there with a colleague who knew where lemon sharks patrolled - a sort of highway for them. I decided I wanted to see what happened if I got in their way. I got into the water with my sneakers, a mask and a snorkel. They got very agitated and started swimming around me in circles. I wasn't that concerned because they were kind of small. While I was doing that, unbeknownst to me, a large lemon shark was nearby that was about 7 to 8 feet long. It came directly at me. I questioned whether to stay half immersed in waist-deep water or immerse myself. It started swimming aggressively at me. I laid down completely in the water. I started swimming aggressively at it and punching out at it, and it veered off.

Related Sites

The International Shark Attack File Official Site

--By Polly Creedon