Thread:FEY72/@comment-27145139-20160317014534/@comment-27108021-20160318163126

Oh! On the giant turtle ride. I've snorkeled within feet of turtles but none big enough to give a ride or even let me close enough to touch. That was in Hawaii not California.

Sharks are always out there but are not as much a risk (no attacks documented at that time) on the California coast where I was. Was scared they'd pop up in the swimming pool and kill me as a child but pretty much got over the fear. Even though where I lived is considered a breeding ground for great whites (and the abundance of baby shark steaks the neighbor shared from his daily spear fishing pays tribute to a lot of shark hanky panky going on), I never actually saw one in the decade we were there.

Did have a whale pass under me while I was on a surf board once and that was pretty terrifying. And yet so thrilling at the same time. I don't know if he knew I was there but he was close enough that I could touch part of the time and see the huge barnacles that were actually attached to his back. Got sucked down by his wake and tumbled a bit. And could seriously have been killed by any move he made. I'll repeat: Terrifying! Got out of the water and stayed out for several days.