Shark Mania

With all the Shark news surfacing, there isn't any wonder why a special week has been dedicated to these ferocious yet fascinating creatures.

(PRWEB) July 24, 2004 -- Discovery Channel kicks off Shark Week this Sunday night with Primal Scream. The show features an underwater photographer who survived a savage shark attack and captured the exhausting battle on video camera.

Forge Books released Steve Alten's MEG; Primal Waters, third in his New York Times best-selling series, available in bookstores now. Primal Waters is about Carcharodon megalodon the 70-foot, 70,000 pound prehistoric cousin of the great white shark . According to Steve, this prehistoric creature may well still be around. He say's there have been reported sightings over the years that match a Meg's description. A very possible theory is that they may have went deep trying to avoid pods of Orca, which may have been their only enemies. If so, then members of the species may still be around. Download a FREE excerpt of Primal Waters by going to http://www.stevealten.com/primal_waters.htm

Ironically, a week before Shark Week, the Associated Press reported a shark warning that was issued along the Alabama coastline. An aerial survey spotted large numbers of sharks, but no beaches were closed to swimmers. Lifeguards and public safety workers in the beach resorts were instructed to watch for sharks and warn swimmers. This is the same area where a 7-year-old boy, Trenton Martin, of Oden, Ark., was bitten on the foot by a small shark on July 2. He was looking for shells with his grandfather in waist-deep water off the Gulf Shores Public Beach.

All this Shark mania certainly brings attention to the fact that it is important to practice safety on your next trip to the beach. The National Parks Conservation Associations website (http://www.npca.org/marine_and_coastal/marine_wildlife/avoid_attack.asp) suggests the following tips to avoid attracting sharks.

* Don't carry dead fish when swimming or diving.

* Don't swim at night, early in the morning, or early in the evening. These are the times when sharks are hunting.

* Stay out of murky water.

* Don't wear contrasting colors or flashing objects.

* Avoid wading or swimming in offshore sloughs or channels, such as might occur between sandbars, and in waters that drop off steeply to greater depths.

* Never molest a shark of any kind, regardless of size.

For more information concerning this press release, contact leisa@montagemarketing.com.

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