Kinship With All Sharks

Yes... sharks! Those man eating super-predators that glide through the collective fears of millions upon millions of us rational, nature loving folk.And maybe you've already heard the statistics: for instance only 4 of 360 species of sharks ever attack humans, most of those accidental. Or that the odds of a shark attack are way way lower than say, getting struck by lightning.

I'm guessing you're not running for the water just yet, (you're running out of it, thank you Mr. Spielberg!) And I get it, believe me... a waterboy from Hawaii who's swam with sharks on a number of occasions. I know. It can be a disconcerting experience. It's also an amazing one.

And while I'm not trying to pet the things or hypnotize them like this crazy dude:


I do respect their intelligence, beauty and power. Up close you have to. Because man isn't the only great species ever to have evolved. Which is why I urge everyone to watch this film:


The simple truth that Sharkwater raises is that we fear what we don't understand. And too often we seek to destroy what we fear. Instead we should learn to appreciate and understand all life. And protect it.

That doesn't mean you have to go out and commune with a shark. But consider it next time you're in the ocean. That shark you so fear... is probably more afraid of you.

-Always merry and bright,
jordan

Kinship With All Dolphins

Have you ever been on a date where you have so little in common with the other person that you find yourself asking them 3rd grade questions like "if you could be an animal, what animal would you be?" No? Well try it sometime, it may just turn your night around. Me, I'd choose a dolphin.

They are amazing animals. I have rarely felt more awestruck and humbled than when swimming alongside them in the wild.


If you've never done this before, it's an incredible experience. One of those 1001 must do's before hitting the big jackpot in this game of life. Speaking of which, I've just added lion cuddling, personal jet-flight, and wingsuit gliding to my list.

But what I never knew before about dolphins and just found out (thank you Neal), is that they can do this:


Ok, so humans can do that too...but we can't play with our rings or bounce them through the water. How do dolphins do it? Theories abound, but no one's really sure. The one thing I do know is that it looks really, really fun. They've got to be at least as smart as we are.

So make sure you buy dolphin safe tuna, so that this won't ever happen!

-jordan