Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz

It's normal to get a few shark stories circulating in the media over summer. Lately, however, there's been a disturbing trend.

When we say sharks, we're not referring to the slimey finance company director variety, but the ones that swim in the ocean. The difference is quite marked: The sharks in the ocean usually attack by mistake. Anyway, back to the beach and the annual 'ooh, shark sighting” stories.

Mostly it's a common occurrence which is seized upon by struggling newspapers to milk a few more sales for their dwindling circulations.
They figure it's the only thing that is going to interest beachgoers, since they've come to the beach to escape the usual doom and gloom stories. About the only thing that will pique their interest and extract some coin from their beach shorts, is the prospect of getting their beach shorts eaten.

This year, however, the shark stories have taken a more sinister turn. And oddly enough, mainstream media has missed the boat. Because the frequency and ferocity of shark encounters is definitely increasing.
The incidences have gone from a few dorsal fin sightings, to some quite close encounters of the biting kind.

The sharks seem to have stepped up their operations from giving a few frights, to actually becoming quite aggressive. There was the case of Kerry Grant and William McIntosh, first reported on SunLive, who were playing a bronze whaler near A Beacon off the Tauranga entrance, when a large Great White with a 'belly the size of a car boot”, ate it whole.

Then a surfer has been attacked off Taranaki.

Now, Brendan Faulkner has chilling pictures after being followed in an inflatable dinghy at Whaler's Bay at Great Mercury…by a great white. Brendan's partner Laura took the photos. Brendan was busy rowing. Quite fast, apparently.

Every second fisherman I've talked to in recent weeks has a shark tale to tell. Tasha from our office and her dad had a close encounter in their tinnie a few miles out.

Now, we don't want to sound alarmist, but there seems to be something up. Many are speculating that it's Rena's fault. A huge burley bomb sitting on Astrolabe, firing up the food chain into a frenzy-like fish and chip night at Gerry Brownlee's. We've heard rumours from salvage divers that a few 'resident” great whites are hanging around the reef, where they've never been seen before.And with human predators currently excluded from taking a share of the boosted reef bounty, I guess it's a good place for a shark to get a handy feed.

The Warmies will probably try to tell us it's something to do with changing seas and temperatures. However, I remain unconvinced that the sea level has changed in 30 years and the summer water temperatures have been disappointingly low, as we all know.
Whatever the reasons, something is afoot in Sharkesville. Watch this space, because I don't think we've seen the last of it. Doo dah. Doo-oo dah.

And he wonders why…

In other news, I don't know why this is funny, but the quote at the end made my day.

An Aussie living in England claims he was racially abused by his workmates because they made jokes about kangaroos and greeted him with 'g'day sport”.
Geoff Stephen, who has lived in Britain since leaving Australia 27 years ago, went off sick with depression in 2010 after six years working for Kent County Council.
He said that even when he asked his colleagues to stop, they continued to ask if his girlfriend was called Sheila, and told him to 'throw another shrimp on the Barbie”.
He even claims his former bosses listened to his private phone conversations.
'It's a breach of my Human Rights.
'I thought ‘Strewth', and couldn't believe it when I realised.”

Parting shot

Thanks to Wally:
A bloke in his armchair shouts to his wife: 'When I die, I'm gonna leave everything to you, love.”
She shouts back: 'You already do, you lazy bastard.”