Hello friends!

Perhaps some advanced English for you...

In a recent chat with a very nice Russian man who lives in Israel we discussed what it was like where we live. I grew up on the Gold Coast. It is a very beautiful beach-side city. Some people say it is like Hawaii. But I think it is unique. It is famous for some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and excellent surfing conditions. My friend asked me, are there sharks?

That's an interesting question. The basic answer is no. I do not recall of any person ever been taken by a shark on Gold Coast beaches. That's how we say shark attack in Australia - 'taken by a shark'. But people have been killed or even died in rivers on the Gold Coast (and also Brisbane). Don't let that scare you. Let me explain why.

First, if you wish to swim in a river ask if it is safe to swim in. Ask a local person, or ask a person at the hotel. On the Gold Coast there are two rivers which may be a problem. Now, when I was a little child I swam in one of these river almost every day. Me and my two brothers loved swimming! We swam every day. The type of water at this section of the river was called 'brine'. This is the name given to when the fresh water from the mountains mixes with the salt water from the oceans. But, there is another river, very close to famous locations - Main Beach, Surfer's Paradise, Chevron Island, etc that no local person will swim in.

This is why. Shark develop parasites on their bodies as they swim in the ocean. These parasites love the ocean condition of salty water. The sharks know that if they swim into fresh water for a time the parasites will die. So the sharks swim from the oceans into the rivers to cleanse themselves. If people swim in these rivers the shark may attack them. So, always ask, 'is this river safe to swim in?'

But, as for our beautiful beaches. No, they are fine. You can swim and surf in peace. You may even see a dolphin! And, did you know dolphins can attack sharks? They can out-manouvre the sharks and fight them quite well. The dolphins smash their heads against the shark belly and the shark retreats.

I hope this has been interesting for you.