i had a canoe and done the same as u loll

A great way to spend a young day! Snorkelling and paddleing, sigh and yet how little I realised how lucky I was. (does that make sense?) It is only now I know about the Great Whites that used to come into the bay looking for Tuna. Sends shivers down my spine.

Wow, did they really?!

It was on a wildlife proramm I watched a couple of years ago. A huge one was landed at Wied-il-Zurrieq. My Mother (Known to us as oldbat too!) knew she tolfd me before she died and that was why she worried when I used to disappear for hours.

Doing my Google bit -"The existence of approximately 46 different species of sharks in the Mediterranean - 16 of them measuring three or more meters in length, and 15 being potentially dangerous species - makes the occasional encounter between humans and these animals in the most frequented and most travelled sea unavoidable. Up until the time this article was written, (1998), 60 cases of shark attacks on people or against boats (including canoes) have been registered with the MEDAF in the Mediterranean since 1899." However "the total number is very low compared to the millions of people who annually swam and dived in the Mediterranean since 1899."

Thanks admin, I remember that the proramme cited a couple RAF bods swimming in one of the bays on the island when one gave an almighty shout then vanished never to be seen again. They could prove nothing so that is unlikely to be recorded as a shark attack. Though, to be fair to sharks, often they do not intend to attack or injure. They are merely curious and taste us to check if we are edible and they rarely find us to their taste and spit us out again.

The only Malta case I heard of was the sad loss of Mr Jack Smedley in 1956. See Staff Album.

Yes, there are a lot of us Old Bats around, Chris - but each one, like your mum, unique!! The story of Jack Smedley was still very fresh when I arrived in Verdala staff room in 1957. His widow was still teaching there.