Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Most people are afraid of sharks in the ocean. See a fin in the ocean and most people’s hearts start to race or even skip a beat or two. Fear is often the first primal impression.

Almost everyone very much dislikes jellyfish stings – or stings from any kind of marine life from poisonous fish to stingrays.

But swimming with sharks and swimming into jellyfish broods is not a frequent experience for a vast majority of swimmers.

On a more daily basis, we find running into bits of seaweed floating aimlessly in the ocean is a more frequent experience. Admittedly, we swim along enjoying the sensation of seeing our progress along the coast and then…wham! Our hand enters a slimy, unseen pieces of seaweed and we are shocked. We immediately pull our hand back, sometimes coming to a complete halt if the drift of seaweed is large. We catch our breath and continue moving along if the seaweed is small.

But that exact moment when our hand hits the seaweed is, frankly, a bit on the scary side.

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