Exactly 20 years ago (seems yesterday !) on January 2nd 1999 I took my first PADI Open Water scuba dive licence in Airlie beach in Queensland, Australia, a truly great spot overlooking the spectacular and immense Great Barrier Reef. At that time sharks attacks were as frequent as today but there was no internet to share the news.

Here is today´s news of a shark attack near Airlie Beach that left two young British men injured, one with a severed foot. I am very happy that this time things didn´t end up worse as last summer when a man lost his life in the same area. Discussions and debates continue about whether culling sharks is right or wrong. Sure is that shark attacks occur as traffic accidents or any other despicable events. It´s also true that we are only guests at see and as scuba divers, we should be prepared to take some risks and be conscious of the problem as much as we do when we ride a bike or we go trekking.