I Am A Swimmer Jackie Greenwood   © Copyright 2026 by Jackie Greenwood

Photo by Diogo Miranda at Pexels.

I have a brother in the Bahamas and love to swim the beach in front of his house. My nephews, who are experienced divers, have warned me about sharks. I swim parallel to shore, my right hand grazing the bottom with each stroke so I can throw sand in the shark's eye before I punch him in the nose. That's what they’ve told me to do, and I believed them.

Last year, I visited and went for a swim – my normal route – back and forth up the beach, 300 meters each way. I was on my second or third pass, just hitting that zone that all long-distance athletes know about. Suddenly, an enormous grey creature zipped by from behind, literally stroking my body toe to shoulder. All I saw was a grey tail fin, disappearing as quickly as it had come.

I raced from the water screaming, “Shark, shark!!”.

The beach was deserted- no witness to my shark encounter.

Running back to the house, I grabbed my husband and we went outside to scan the water. He had doubted my account. Within minutes I spotted a fin, thirty feet off the beach, tracing back and forth.

“There,” I shouted.

A hungry shark? No, a dolphin!

As we later found out, one had escaped from the local “Dolphin Adventure Experience.” Perhaps it was lonely, or curious, or just looking for a playmate.

Not the shark encounter I thought I’d had, but a moment I will never forget.