I visited Florida a few months back, and witnessed a rather hilarious scene — a gaggle of teenagers, stamping out of the water as they shrieked about sharks in the water. It was hilarious, of course, because there weren’t any sharks. What had terrified them was actually just a curious manatee. It’s easy to understand why those kids freaked out. Sharks are terrifying to most people. The group spotted a dark shape in the surf and instantly panicked rather than take their chances. But guess what: Swimmers very rarely encounter sharks. In a typical year, there are only about 10 humans killed by sharks… and about 100 run-ins with sharks in total.… Read more