Mind over shark...I mean "matter"

Day one at the beach provides great wind. Steve gets the kite while I swim in the surf with the kids. The water is warm and shallow for quite a distance out. The three of us are floating and diving down to find sand dollars and jumping over the waves. We are the perfect picture of a Florida beach get-away. Until, that is, I look up...a gigantic hammer head shark is cruising right next to us!

Now, I'm not good with guessing sizes, but this shark was longer than Steve (who is 6'4"). In a frenzied instant, I gather (read: drag) the kids to the shore. Evan keeps asking, "What was it, what did you see?"

"Oh, just a big ray. I wanted to get a better view of it from the shore, let's look at it." We see the shark still cruising--not curving like a dolphin, not coming up for air like a manatee, and, as Evan noted, not flying like a ray.

Evan says, "Mom, that's not grey like a ray, it's a lot darker."

"umhmm."

He adds, "And it's not shaped like a ray, it's more like the shape of a big log."

"umhmm" I answer again. By now Steve is back with the kite nearly fully inflated. I tell him about the shark, debate whether or not to let the kids know what it really was and then securely park myself under the umbrella in the dry sand for the rest of the afternoon.

No kiteboarding yet. We'll see what tomorrow brings!