There have always been sharks in the waters surrounding LI and particularly out east, although they haven't normally come close in. Ever since "Jaws" in l975, although fiction, the thought that they might has been at the back of my mind when I last I went in. Only last month, two large ones were sighted from Robert Moses's beach which is where I'd be if I still indulged in doing more than getting my feet wet.

Mine is a water sport town. On my block alone, 3 of my neighbors have decent sized boats on trailers in their driveways..others have Sea-Doo's. We have two boat launching ramps in town. To me, having to launch one every time I wanted to spend a day on the water seems like a lot of work but those who love the water don't seem to mind and its affordable. A step up are the Marinas where you can rent a docking space for the season..an available one can be dicey since most are grandfathered. Then you have the more affluent where they dock their boats in their backyards..every two blocks, like the spokes of a comb, there are canals leading into the Great South Bay that culminate at Montauk Highway, Merrick in Nassau Country, a road that continues out to Montauk Point. They are the reason that flooding can be such a problem with a major storm. The Great South Bay is separated from the Atlantic only by the barrier Fire Island. Exceptional high tides and that water raises the levels of those canals. So far, as with Sandy, it's only effected Montauk Highway, a block south away from me but as far as insurance goes, I'm considered within the flood zone. Those on the south side of Montauk were decimated and even today, many have not recovered. Houses had to be raised ten feet to get insurance and some did not have the wherewithal to do it but most have.