Fun in the Sun

Our first full day in Tampa is a wrap. Today was all about the beach. We went to Indian Rocks Beach at about noon. Shells were gathered. Waves were ridden. Skin was reddened. At about 3pm, we packed up, returned to the hotel for showers and fresh clothes. Darryl joined us for Vietnamese noodle bowl dinner. Then, back to the beach to watch the sun go down.

It was so relaxing. We enjoyed age-appropriate beverages and Lucas rode his new skimmer board in the surf. There were few people on the beach. Some were out strolling its length. Two men were fishing near us. We really enjoyed watching them. They would bait their hooks with small fish (about the size of a trout from the deli) and then load the baited hooks in a kayak. One of the men would then paddle out quite a ways from the shore and drop the hooks.

After the sun had set and darkness was settling in, the fish struck the line. One of the men grabbed the pole and began a battle that would go on for nearly half an hour. The other man offered instruction and support. We all knew that we weren't going to leave until we saw what was on the other end of the line.

As the battle raged up and down the beach, we stood close, yet back, offering silent encouragement for the man with the pole. When the fish finally hit the sand, we were dumbfounded. It was a nurse shark that weighed over 200 lbs. Lucas lended the men a hand by holding the flashlight as they held the fish and removed the hook. Nurse sharks have two very long teeth, like tusks, that could have done a lot of damage to the man reaching in to remove the hook.

Once the hook was removed, they tagged the shark and returned it to the Gulf. They clearly were professionals who treated the shark with respect and awe. I took a lot of pictures of the event that they will be posting on their website.

What an amazing day. It was fun. It was relaxing. It was educational. Truly one of a kind.