[Kobi]

The beaches here have been closed to swimming many times this summer because of great white sharks chasing seals close to the shoreline.

One man encountered a shark in August and survived.

Today a man in his mid 20's was not so lucky. This is the first death in this area from a shark encounter since 1936. There have been many close calls, many surfers getting their boards nibbled on, and a few bites over the years.

Have to wonder how much more can be done to educate people as to how to avoid contact. Signs are everywhere at the beaches. The newspaper publishes safety stuff every couple of weeks. People have been warned these sharks only need 3 feet of water to maneuver. They have also been warned if they see seals in the area to get out of the water. They have put up swimming area barriers which are routinely ignored. We have planes, during the season, scanning the beach areas - they are looking for sharks to tag but also warn lifeguards of problems in the area.

Someday, maybe, people will learn sharks are just doing their thing, in their own environment, and are not looking to eat people. Their eyesight is so poor, they hunt by movement in the water without knowing whether what they are hunting is a seal, a human, a boat, or a toyota.

Smh.