I attempted to walk with dignity to the ocean to wash them off, only to break into a run after I simply could not take it any more.  Wading into the water was sweet relief, and for a wonderful moment I was both cool and relieved be bug free.  It was at that moment I was surprised to see two dorsal fins in the shallows a mere hundred feet away.   It became clear they weren’t dolphins when one of the sharks launched out of the water with a fish in front of its tooth-filled maw, the entranceway into its stomach opening and closing several times midair.  I was in awe.  It was one of those jaw-dropping moments on Shark Week where upon seeing it you swear off oceans for good.  The shark was roughly 5-6 feet long head to tail, and I wouldn’t have guessed it to be in such shallow water.  The dorsal fin of the other was no smaller.  I was then faced with a decision--to stay in the water with the sharks, or to return to the sand gnats.  With a vigilant eye focused on the sharks, I stayed.  It was in this way I learned I hate sand gnats more than death…

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