Insert Jaws Theme Here

In honour of Discovery Shark Week, I decided to put myself out there and become a statistic. 

That's right, ladies and gents - I am an Australian shark attack victim. But before you get all crazy and picture me in a hospital - may I remind you that sharks come in all shapes and sizes. Some sizes are very small. And some sharks don't really bite, so much as... ram your ankle.

That's right - the ankle-biter, as I have been nicknamed in the past, was ankle-attacked by a shark. Ironic, don't you think?

But I'm getting ahead of myself - back to the beginning of the trip...

Because life is extremely difficult when one doesn't vacation every three weeks, 10 girlfriends and I decided to hop up to the Whitsunday Islands for a long weekend. For those unfamiliar with the landscape, the Whitsundays are a cluster of 74 islands termed "fringing reef" - they are located just off the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. We decided to do a live-aboard boat for 2 days, followed by 2 days on the mainland, Airlie Beach. And there is no better way to get close to your friends than to live aboard a small boat for a couple of days, let me tell you! 

No, only kidding - I'm lucky to have a (mostly) sane group of girlfriends, the crew was great, and the cuisine was surprisingly awesome! Minor seasickness occurred, but otherwise an excellent trip. The highlights? Hanging out under a blanket of stars (in a hot tub no less - I travel in the lap of luxury!); hanging off the back of the boat as a dolphin plays in the boat's blue light; watching a mamma and baby whale crest alongside the boat; scuba diving and hearing the whales call to each other; scuba diving and making it through 2 dives without any near-death experiences (a first!!); visiting the famous Whitehaven Beach; and... oh yeah. The shark.

So we're walking in calf-height water near Whitehaven Beach - just me and 20 of my closest boatmates. And my crew leader decides, in typical male fashion, that he is going to corral and jump on a small black-tip reef shark. (I think that's the type. Could be wrong.) Now this little guy is barely over a foot, but we all know what happens when creatures panic - strength comes out of nowhere. 

So crew member Richie jumps on the shark, which of course manages to escape. But as he turns to leave, what does he see but 20 different pairs of (extremely pasty) legs blocking his escape route. I could feel his panic. And then I really did feel it, because that wonderful little guy decided to choose MY pasty legs in particular to ram his way out. And let me tell ya, those sharks do not have slimy skin - they have SANDPAPER. Apparently it's a defense mechanism - who knew? So while there were no tooth marks, I did have quite a nice little scrape along my ankle - and now I can officially say I was attacked by a shark whilst living in Australia. 

I swear it looked bigger in real life.

James Bond ain't got nothing on me.