00:00:00
Hey weirdos, I'm Ash. >> Alina. >> And this is Morbid. This is Morbid and it's going to be a
00:00:19
cinematic one. >> Cinematic, you say? >> We're going to be talking about shark attacks.
00:00:28
Yeah, not just any shark attacks. They're from 1916 and they're famous shark attacks.
00:00:33
>> Really? Jersey Shore ones, in fact. >> know if I've heard of this. Do you know
00:00:37
that even when I swim in a lake, I'm terrified of getting a shark attacked? >> Oh, yeah. I'm terrified of anything.
00:00:43
Sometimes I swim in the pool and I'm like, what if there's a shark in here? And I'm like, what if there's that thing
00:00:48
from that episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark in here? >> I know, that would [ __ ] me up. You know?
00:00:54
Go watch Go watch Laughing in the Dark, by the way, if you want to hear recaps of Are You Afraid of the Dark.
00:00:58
>> There you go. We're not on it, but I'm just saying it's a good podcast. And And Mikey's on it, so.
00:01:04
>> Mikey's on it. >> And Dave. >> And Dave, who made the cinematic. >> And Brian. And Brian.
00:01:10
And Eileen. >> And Eileen. We don't know, but I'm sure she's great. >> Yeah. But yeah, so I always think that thing's
00:01:16
going to come out. I know. I got that. >> Man's Float? Yes. >> That's the episode.
00:01:20
>> Yep. That was always the one that really scared me, that and I'm cold. >> I'm cold. Uh, but yeah. So,
00:01:30
this is going to terrify you for water. I'm scared. >> Today, just like Jaws did. We'll talk
00:01:35
about Jaws, too. We are going to talk about Jaws? >> Yeah, but before we do that,
00:01:39
>> we have an announcement. >> an announcement, hey. >> It's kind of like an announcement that's
00:01:44
not an announcement. It's like a half announcement. It's like a Get ready. >> Get ready. Just, you know, keep your
00:01:50
eyes peeled on the Instas. Mhm. >> that's really the only social media we have. Maybe we'll make a Tik Tok about
00:01:56
it. Probably not. Um but we'll think about it. >> Definitely keep your Definitely keep
00:02:01
your eye on the Instas and this space in particular if you're not on the Instas.
00:02:05
Obviously, we'll talk about it on the pod. >> Yeah. We're going to be announcing
00:02:08
something pretty big. >> Yeah, maybe something that you can attend. Yeah, maybe.
00:02:14
Maybe you could go to. Maybe you could go to there. Maybe. I don't know your life. I don't know. Just keep that in
00:02:19
mind. Just keep that in mind. Think about it. Think about it for the next uh week or so. Yeah. You know, just keep it
00:02:23
in mind. Keep your eyes peeled. Your uh your ears peeled. Keep everything peeled.
00:02:27
>> gross. Your onions, your potatoes, peel it all. >> it all. Peel away. And if you're like my
00:02:32
kids, peel your apple as well. Peel your apple, yeah. You know. No, eat the skin. There's so much fiber
00:02:36
in it. >> I know. I'm I tell them. I tell them. Tell them say TT's fiber maxing Yeah.
00:02:41
You should, too. Two out of three of them will eat the skin of a kiwi, but not the skin of an apple. You're
00:02:46
supposed to eat the skin on the kiwi. I was like only a few days ago old when I found that out. Yeah, it's really good
00:02:51
for you. >> Didn't know. Mhm. I thought you were like weren't supposed to, in fact.
00:02:55
>> Nah. I mean, it's kind of like it's so it's weird. >> Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, eat the skin,
00:03:00
guys. Do it. Live Live your life the way you want to live it. And also, if you're looking for a book to read,
00:03:05
Hey. I know somebody who wrote a few books. I'm always going to tell you about it. Always.
00:03:11
>> Always. >> Uh the third book in the series, The Butcher Legacy, you can pre-order it.
00:03:15
And I think there's still some signed copies left at Barnes & Noble. So, if you want those, I don't know if there's
00:03:21
any left, but if there is, go grab them. They might be gone. >> it down. >> Uh go hunt it down. So, go pre-order it.
00:03:27
You can go to butcherlegacy.com. Pre-order it wherever you want. Hard cover. It's going to be great. You can
00:03:32
get it ebook. Audiobook news will be coming. Uh and you know what's is crazy? Some of my
00:03:41
favorite authors of all time have given me blurbs for the book. >> [ __ ] moment.
00:03:47
>> And they've been pretty amazing. So, it's it's given me a big head. >> I love that. And it's just been fun. I
00:03:54
can't wait I can't wait for you guys to see what authors agreed to do it because
00:03:59
I am still speechless about it. Yeah, it's blowing my mind a little bit. Also, we're on opposite sides of the room
00:04:05
today. Yeah. And like it didn't feel weird until right now. >> Yeah. We flip-flopped the room a little
00:04:10
cuz we needed to clear the energy a bit. It looks so good in here. I'm so so happy with the way that it came out. But
00:04:15
all this out in it just hit me how weird I feel. >> Yeah. Not in a bad way, just in a like
00:04:19
well a whole new world. Exactly. You know. You know what else was a whole new world?
00:04:26
Jersey. 1916. Yeah. Yeah, that was a whole different world. >> There you go. Look at that segue. Look
00:04:31
at it. Look at it. Uh so first we're going to this is going to be cinematic. It's going to be
00:04:37
gruesome. It's going to horrify you. Okay. But you know, here we are. It's morbid.
00:04:43
So It is. >> It's also going to be a two-parter because holy [ __ ] there's a lot
00:04:47
>> Mhm. in this one. I mean, this is like far past what a one-parter could do because it's just a lot.
00:04:53
>> I'm scared. >> Um and I'm going to I'm going to give you a lot right up front. So
00:04:57
you're going to have to take it. But let's go back to what we're all thinking about right now. What are we all
00:05:02
thinking about when we think of sharks and shark attacks? Jaws. Yeah, Jaws. I want to watch Jaws now. So in the
00:05:11
opening scene of Steven Spielberg's iconic >> iconic 1975 film Jaws, which my kids
00:05:19
want to watch so bad and I've not let them watch it yet. >> Not yet. Uh two teenagers steal glances
00:05:24
at one another from across a bonfire before coming together to go for a walk along the beach. What could be more
00:05:30
romantic? >> just going to say that's romance at its peak. Well, during their walk, one of
00:05:35
them, Chrissie, decides she wants to go for a late-night swim. What's more romantic than that?
00:05:40
>> I'm not late-night swimming, Chrissie. >> So I'm with I'm not with this boy, either, because the boy, having had too
00:05:46
much to drink, stumbles and passes out on the beach. So, >> Terrible. romance gone.
00:05:50
>> Yeah, romance absolutely dead. >> Chrissie's like, "You know what? I'm going to take my little swim by myself."
00:05:56
So, she goes to take the swim, and she stops for a moment. She's catching her breath. She's looking up at the pretty
00:06:01
night sky. It's real beautiful. Real moment of peace and calm and self-reflection, you know?
00:06:06
And then she's briefly yanked downward from something beneath her. And this is such an I I can see this scene in my
00:06:12
head because she has this look in her face where she's like confused, scared, but kind of
00:06:18
just like a like a huh like you could tell she's just like what the [ __ ] was that? She's like Ashton Kutcher? And
00:06:24
then she is violently dragged through the water. Her body is whipped back and forth in this completely unnatural
00:06:31
motion. She's screaming in pain and terror, and then she just disappears under the surface, and we never see her
00:06:36
again. >> Bye, Chrissie. >> That's it. Bye, Chrissie. The next morning, local police find a severed arm
00:06:42
on the beach, and it is all that's left of Chrissie. Rip. Damn. Literally. What a way to begin a movie. In the 50 years
00:06:49
since its release, the production and release of Jaws has definitely become the stuff of legends. You know, an
00:06:54
unexpected blockbuster with record profits that introduced the world to one of Hollywood's most highly decorated and
00:07:02
widely praised directors, of course, Steven Spielberg. >> the only. But, we know now pretty
00:07:07
unintentionally introduced the world to what would become one of humankind's most feared
00:07:13
and fearsome enemies. Yes. >> arch nem- Not mine, but hopefully not yours, but what was thought of as our
00:07:20
arch nemesis, the shark. >> The shark. Uh beginning with the moment Chrissie is dragged beneath the water to
00:07:26
her death, audiences that watched Jaws spent 2 hours watching one of the world's oldest living animal groups be
00:07:33
demonized and recast as a complete villain in a horror movie. >> poor sharks. They really do get a bad
00:07:39
rap. >> Yeah, and and it was shown as something that stalks and kills its human prey
00:07:43
with honestly like cunning and like malicious intention. Like >> going to say literal intent. Like
00:07:49
intent. But in reality, shark attacks are so [ __ ] rare, guys. >> Yeah. According to the Florida Museum of
00:07:56
Natural History, there are less than 100 shark bites bites every year. With roughly half being, quote,
00:08:03
unprovoked. Typically, you know, that's the result of the shark mistaking a person for its
00:08:08
normal prey. >> Yeah. So it's like makes sense. You know. But fear of sharks and fear of
00:08:13
shark attacks it's pretty understandable, of course, because they're so foreign looking to us. You
00:08:19
know what I mean? It's also the whole prospect of being eaten alive. >> And that's the thing that even by
00:08:23
mistake, if I can be eaten alive, that's scary. >> of a big deal. >> It's kind of like like hippos are scary
00:08:29
as [ __ ] and we should be scared of hippos. But sharks are a totally different situation. Like hippos [ __ ] hate us
00:08:37
and they want to hurt us. >> the [ __ ] out of us. >> to eat the [ __ ] out of you. They are
00:08:41
pissed at you for even existing. Sharks are not the same. >> I'm so sorry. Quick quick little
00:08:47
divergence here. I was watching Tik Toks yesterday and this one girl, I think she
00:08:51
was in I forgot where she was, but her driver was like, I can cross the river in the car. And she was like, no, you
00:08:56
can't. And the driver crossed the river in the car and there was hippos in the water.
00:08:59
>> No. Isn't that horrifying? Hippos will [ __ ] you up >> Mhm. intentionally. And they will like they get pissed just
00:09:08
by seeing you. >> Yeah, they scare the [ __ ] out of me. And they're fast and they can run really
00:09:12
fast underwater. I don't like underwater they can? >> They run really fast underwater.
00:09:17
>> They're like made for that? >> And they swim fast. Yeah. Those those big old scary [ __ ] can go
00:09:24
fast. And they're fast on land. They're scary. >> Yeah, that's horrifying. Yeah. But
00:09:28
sharks not the same. Those are two examples of things that we look at and we go, holy [ __ ] that thing is so huge
00:09:35
and could eat me alive and that's terrifying. One of them wants to, one of them doesn't. Yeah.
00:09:40
So, and that's the thing like they're sharks are huge, like a lot of them are huge.
00:09:45
>> big. They move really fast and even an accidental or exploratory bite by a shark can have serious consequences
00:09:53
because they're so big and fast. >> the concept of an exploratory bite. >> Which they that is a thing with sharks.
00:09:58
>> I know. They'll just be like, "Hmm, maybe." >> Like, "Let me just see what >> Just a little taste test. I just want to
00:10:03
see if you're actually a fish." And then they take a bite of you and they're like, "Oh, that was It's not what I
00:10:06
wanted. >> It's like me with a cheese plate. I'm like, "This one could be good." Nope.
00:10:10
Nope, don't like that one, you know? Now, Jaws not only exploited the understandable and
00:10:15
actually probably pretty healthy fear of sharks, to be honest. It exacerbated it a lot. It created a
00:10:22
monster out of an ordinary, you know, pretty imposing though animal that has existed far longer than we have, leading
00:10:29
to stereotypes about sharks, particularly the great white shark, that caused hordes of commercial and casual
00:10:36
fishermen to hunt, kill, and display them without regard for their population or their ecological importance.
00:10:43
>> That's really [ __ ] up. Now, both Spielberg and Benchley, who were like all the people who worked on the film,
00:10:48
they did go on to publicly state that they had a lot of regret for how they unintentionally
00:10:54
contributed to the overfishing and general demonization of sharks. And they stressed that Jaws is a work of fiction
00:11:02
and shouldn't be taken as anything else. That's like Don't be scared that like a
00:11:06
dream demon is going to come and stalk your teenagers. Like, it's a movie. It's a fiction.
00:11:12
>> It's so annoying when people have to explain like what should be a pretty widely understood concept.
00:11:16
>> fiction is fake. Yeah. Yeah. But the fact is, while it is a work of fiction, there's at least one instance in
00:11:23
American history where the stereotypes and fears inspired by Jaws were very reasonable. So, these were like
00:11:30
intentionally angry sharks. >> These are pretty pretty gnarly. This was called these in the summer of 1916 it
00:11:36
was called the summer of blood. [ __ ] Which is the most metal thing I've ever I've never heard of this.
00:11:42
>> Yeah. Uh now this summer Americans were waiting on pins and needles to learn whether you know their kids were going
00:11:49
to be called up to fight in the Great War that was unfolding in Europe. Uh but the nation's you know our
00:11:55
privileged class they started prepping for long summer vacations at beaches and lakes across the country. Different
00:12:01
vibes. So you know uh among them was Dr. Eugene Van Zant a widely respected physician who had come
00:12:07
of age during the latter half of the 19th century and now was nearing retirement and so like to spend his
00:12:14
summers by taking his entire family to Beach Haven in New Jersey. >> Nice. That summer felt very important to
00:12:20
Van Zant uh with the American metal medical association calling for quote preparedness camps to train American
00:12:27
doctors for field service. You know should the Americans join the fight in Europe. The likelihood that his
00:12:33
oldest son Charles who was like 23 at the time would be called in to fight it was kind of becoming more inevitable
00:12:40
with each passing day. But for the time being at least Dr. Van Zant wanted to make the most of the time they had and
00:12:46
enjoy this vacation with his family. >> Yeah I totally get that. And they did this a lot. They went there like almost
00:12:51
every summer. Now at the time very few like civilians and just like lay people essentially really understood the
00:12:59
ecology of the world's waterways or how the currents carried a big variety of sea life in and out of areas through the
00:13:06
year. In later years Beach Haven residents and visitors were shocked to find you know
00:13:13
all this kind of marine life that they had never seen before being pulled from the water by amateur fishermen. They're
00:13:19
like where the [ __ ] are these coming from like blue marlins >> Yeah. a 1,150 lb mako shark. Those are
00:13:26
both native to the tropics. So people were like, "Where the [ __ ] are they coming from?" They just didn't know that
00:13:30
that's something that can happen. Uh and again, no one, especially civilians, could have had any idea that
00:13:36
during this particular summer in 1916, a lone great white shark had become thrown off by the chaos of the Gulf
00:13:44
Stream and found itself swimming along the New Jersey coastline, growing increasingly hungry in the absence of
00:13:51
its typical larger prey. >> breaks my [ __ ] heart. >> So, he's just alone and hungry.
00:13:56
>> Lonely and hungry? >> Yeah. I know I I know this is going to get real bad, but I feel really badly for
00:14:02
him. >> Yeah. Now, in the early afternoon of July 1st, Dr. Van Sant's, again, 23-year-old son Charles, uh rose from
00:14:10
his spot on the beach and walked into the water. >> Oh no. Um he basically stopped when the
00:14:16
water reached his knees, and he started playing with this Chesapeake Bay Retriever Oh. dog. Who was all, "Don't
00:14:22
worry, the dog is going to be safe." >> Thank you so much. Uh but that's the only one that's safe.
00:14:27
>> Okay. Um so, they, you know, the dog was just in the water, he was in the water.
00:14:31
He had grown up with dogs, so he like instantly bonded with this dog. And he'd seen him on the beach, and a
00:14:37
family member said, "It seemed just normal that Charles would just like hook on to this animal and just end up
00:14:43
playing with the animal even at like 23." You know, so they were just running around playing together, they were being
00:14:48
rambunctious in the water together, >> god, that's so cute. >> splashing, yelling, chasing each other,
00:14:53
like adorable. And in no time, Charles had fully immersed himself in the water and was swimming after the dog, who then
00:15:00
in turn would swim after Charles if Charles ran away. So, they were like Stop. >> forth chasing each other.
00:15:06
>> having the summer day of their lives. >> Yeah. No Above the surface of the water,
00:15:10
anyone could see the unmistakable signs of play and the sounds of happiness and fun
00:15:17
>> Yeah. that was happening with Charles and his new furry friend as they were swimming and splashing.
00:15:22
>> Uh-huh. >> But below the surface, from a distance away, the sight and sounds of Charles
00:15:27
and the dog would have looked and sounded decidedly different. Uh in fact, to an animal expertly
00:15:34
attuned to signals of distress from potential prey, the noise and disturbance caused by Charles and the
00:15:40
dog were exactly the type of chaos that would draw in a hungry shark. >> Mhm. So, swimming several miles from the
00:15:49
shore, this lone great white would certainly have received these signals being emitted by Charles and the dog,
00:15:56
and it would have turned into sound waves. And then he would take those sound waves and he would follow them
00:16:01
back to their point of origin. >> That's so [ __ ] scary. It's crazy how they're literally just designed to hunt.
00:16:09
That is what is fascinating about sharks. >> fascinating. >> They're literally designed for this, and
00:16:14
it's not like they just hear it. It's like sound waves, and they can track those sound waves.
00:16:19
>> Right. Like, what? From below and several yards away, Charles would have appeared to the shark as a large dark
00:16:25
shape. >> Yeah. >> Which is precisely the kind of prey the great white was accustomed to eating and
00:16:30
hadn't been able to eat. >> And better yet, at least from the shark's perspective, his vigorous
00:16:35
splashing indicated distress, >> Yeah. which meant the shark wasn't going to have to expend a lot of energy to get
00:16:40
this prey, either. >> Right. Also, according to um ichthyologist George Burgess,
00:16:47
it is widely accepted as fact that swimming with dogs is far more likely to attract the attention of a shark.
00:16:54
>> Really? I never have heard that before. >> So, Burgess says the irregular swimming
00:16:58
actions of animals are extremely attractive to sharks. >> Oh. >> paws doggy paddling, creating a maximum
00:17:06
splash, and the rear legs bicycle pedaling, four rapidly moving legs make a blending motion at the surface, and it
00:17:14
couldn't be a whole lot more attractive to a shark. >> Interesting. Of course, in 1916, neither
00:17:19
Charles or really anybody would have known that the noise they made was all but slapping the great white shark in
00:17:26
the face, drawing it closer and closer with more motion. >> Mhm. So, from the beach, a small crowd
00:17:31
had gathered and they were watching Charles and the dog kind of like play with each other.
00:17:35
And by then, Charles had started swimming out towards the diving dock anchored about 100 yards or so from the
00:17:41
shore. Both he and the dog had passed all the other swimmers in the water when a cheer
00:17:46
rose from the onlookers at the shore. Mhm. Um so, maybe he decided, you know, they'd swam out too far or maybe he
00:17:54
sensed something Charles couldn't, but for whatever reason, the dog suddenly turned and started swimming back towards
00:18:00
the shore. That's actually very interesting, too. And you have to wonder if he sensed something.
00:18:06
>> Yeah. If dogs do something, Yeah, and if he was trying to kind of tell him, like,
00:18:10
"Why don't you follow me, bud?" Yeah, like we're going to follow you. >> each other, just follow me back here. I
00:18:15
Oh, dogs, we don't deserve them. When he realized his companion, his furry companion, had abandoned him, Charles
00:18:20
turned and called out to the dog, but by then, the dog had reached the shore and
00:18:24
was going up on the beach. >> Wow, that's actually Yeah, I'm very interested by that. So, Charles' sisters
00:18:30
would remember that moment for the rest of their lives. They watched as their brother accepted that, you know, he
00:18:35
wasn't going to play with his dog anymore. >> Yeah. Um and he decided, okay, I'm going
00:18:38
to head back to the beach, too. So, the dog did give him a signal of some kind. I don't think he got a distress signal,
00:18:45
Yeah. clearly, but I think he Something in his brain told him cuz I we are so connected to dogs, I feel like, that
00:18:51
it's like I wonder if he was like, "All right, I'm going to follow him. Maybe I won't go back." Uh then, one of the
00:18:56
other bystanders noticed something else in the water. A dark fin had appeared behind Charles,
00:19:01
who was now swimming steadily towards the shore. >> This always sounds like fiction. Like
00:19:05
whenever you hear about a shark attack and people are like, "We saw the fin." It's like But that's exactly what
00:19:10
happened. >> god. >> And someone among the crowd shouted, "Watch out!" But Charles was too far out
00:19:16
to hear them. And even if he had, there was little he could have done. >> That's a watch out. Like what are you
00:19:21
going to do? Once a great white has decided to attack, it moves with incredible speed and it bites with 4,000
00:19:29
lb of force. >> Wow. >> Jaws full of sharp, jagged teeth that are designed for tearing and ripping.
00:19:36
>> Oh. Now the cries from the beach grew louder. But I don't think Charles could
00:19:41
really hear them. His head was going from side to side and dipping below the surface as he was swimming.
00:19:47
>> Swimming. According to many researchers, as the shark got close to Charles, it
00:19:51
would have received the final indication that what it was tracking was indeed prey. Okay. It would hear the thumping
00:19:59
of Charles's heart as he swam. That is diabolical. Doesn't that just send a [ __ ] chill
00:20:08
down your spine? >> That is diafuckingbolical. >> This is like in the sinking of the
00:20:15
Indianapolis. >> With the plates. >> plates that they could pick it up over the sonar. Just the clinking of a plate
00:20:20
together. >> in general and like the just the different strategies and or just like things that were like
00:20:27
predisposed with. Does that make sense? >> Yeah. Like it's just so crazy. Evolution
00:20:33
is insane. >> not like you just can't conceive of this kind of [ __ ] >> in and it's fascinating to me.
00:20:39
>> Yes. >> I could just do a hundred different episodes of this podcast on like predators.
00:20:47
>> Yeah. >> And maybe we should cuz it's really interesting. >> start a new series. I mean the show
00:20:52
>> in and of itself is about predators. So animal predators. Like the fact that it
00:20:57
gets closer to him and then the last little clink of like, "Okay, this is this is prey that I'm following." Is it
00:21:03
can hear his heartbeat? Like something about that just sent me. Now, if Charles had looked down at that
00:21:12
moment, he would have seen his own shadow reflected off the sandy ocean floor cuz he wasn't that deep anymore.
00:21:18
>> that he wasn't even that deep anymore. And he would have seen beside him something much larger. But by that
00:21:24
point, Charles was swimming in a little over 3 ft of water. I think that happens
00:21:28
actually pretty frequently, which is [ __ ] terrifying. >> And the shore was very much in reach,
00:21:34
but by then, it was too late. The crowd on the beach watched in horror as the shark exploded out of the water
00:21:41
and grabbed Charles's left leg just below the knee. Charles let out a scream that could be
00:21:45
heard as far away as the resort tennis courts. >> Wow. >> As the water around him turned from just
00:21:52
nice greenish blue to dark churning red. >> Cuz they again, you like what did you
00:21:56
say? 4,000 lbs of force? Force? That's crazy. >> According to author Michael Capuzzo, it
00:22:03
is a common for shark attack victims to experience painless torture, to greatly underestimate the severity of their
00:22:11
wounds, which you see a lot. >> Painless torture. Cuz you go into shock, I think, almost immediately. In that
00:22:16
moment, Charles would have surely had no idea what was happening, and he probably
00:22:21
wouldn't have felt a lot of any or a lot or any pain. Really. >> Interesting. Uh he would, however, have
00:22:29
realized that something had grabbed him and was trying to drag him under the water, and his instincts would have been
00:22:34
to fight hard to get away, obviously. From the beach, the crowd watched in disbelief as Charles struggled with the
00:22:40
shark to free himself, but his struggle only caused the animal to bite down harder.
00:22:44
>> Yeah. It had made the calculated decision to attack, and it wouldn't have done so if it wasn't fully intending on
00:22:51
keeping its prey. >> Yeah. Once it makes the decision, it's going to be hard for it to end.
00:22:56
Louise Van Zant, his sister, said, "Everyone was horrified to see my brother thrashing about in the water as
00:23:02
if he were struggling with some monster under the surface. Which must have been [ __ ] terrifying to watch. And you
00:23:08
can't What can you do? >> That's the thing. I was just sitting here thinking that that exact thought.
00:23:12
What do you do? This freaks me out even more. So, just as suddenly as it had started, the attack stopped.
00:23:19
As nearly a dozen men entered the surf shouting and making a large commotion, the shark released Charles from its
00:23:25
mouth, taking with it nearly all of his calf. Holy [ __ ] But, as the men got nearer to Charles and started pulling
00:23:32
him towards the shore, the shark didn't retreat entirely. Yeah. Instead, it was hovering nearby, watching as its prey
00:23:40
was pulled away as though it might attack again. Today, and this is [ __ ] crazy, this
00:23:46
behavior is understood as basically, it's one of the great whites, especially, more common tactics. It
00:23:52
inflicts a very serious bite. Like, it goes hard first, then it waits for the around the prey, and it waits for the
00:24:00
prey to slow or stop altogether, because that ensures that it it expends no more energy than necessary.
00:24:06
>> Wow. >> So, it'll inflict that insane bite, incapacitate the prey, watch as it
00:24:12
bleeds out, or just at least slows down where they don't have to fight with it, and then it will go back in because it's
00:24:18
like, I don't want to expend any more energy on this. Wow. >> sitting there watching them pull him
00:24:23
away being like, no, like, leave him there. I'm waiting for him to to stop. >> So, it's like confused.
00:24:28
>> Isn't that [ __ ] crazy? >> It is. It is. Now, at that time, the behavior was so
00:24:34
[ __ ] eerie to these people Everyone who saw this was like, it's just [ __ ] sitting there watching. Like, stalking.
00:24:40
>> Yeah. Like, just watching what it had set in motion here. Just seeing how it panned out, essentially, is what it
00:24:45
looked like. Now, by the time the first swimmer, Alexander Ott, reached Charles in the water, the shark had now vanished
00:24:52
from sight after he got there. >> Interesting. Okay. Although they didn't know it at the time, or at least hadn't
00:24:57
given much thought about it, the decision to enter the bloody water after an active shark attack was very
00:25:03
courageous and >> Oh, yeah. very dangerous to do. Ott had just grabbed Charles under his arm and
00:25:09
was pulling him to shore when he felt a hard tug pull it backwards. >> Oh, [ __ ] The shark had returned cuz he
00:25:15
was waiting. >> Uh-huh. And this time it had grabbed Charles tightly by the thigh and was
00:25:20
attempting to pull him under. >> Oh, [ __ ] Ott immediately found himself in a tug-of-war
00:25:26
as a line of men created a human chain into the water for Ott to grab onto. Wow. The men managed to get Charles to
00:25:33
the beach with the shark following the entire way. It appeared to many, they said, as
00:25:39
though the shark was going to come out of the water and onto the beach. >> just going to say, was the shark like
00:25:43
beach? >> literally were like, it looked like it was about to start walking onto the
00:25:47
beach. Like that's how closely it was following. One observer said the shark held on
00:25:53
until it scraped bottom. Wow. >> Then it let go and swam away. Wow. >> Yeah. I can't imagine watching this from
00:26:02
the beach. Like well, I obviously can't imagine to experience it experiencing that, but watching it
00:26:08
I would never ever get in a body of water ever again in my I don't think I'd ever go to the beach again.
00:26:12
>> No, honestly. >> like the beach anyways, but I definitely wouldn't like the beach that No, cuz it
00:26:16
would just be so traumatizing. >> Mhm. But you hear about people that literally have been attacked by sharks
00:26:21
and get right back in the water. Yeah, like that's >> insane. Like insane like good. Like
00:26:25
surfers, like that girl who got her [ __ ] arm >> Soul surfer got her arm bitten off and
00:26:30
is back to surfing. >> I was just talking to Drew about that movie. That's wild that you said that.
00:26:34
Every so often in the shower I'll just wash my hair with like one arm and like try to do things with one arm because I
00:26:41
remember that movie after she got attacked and just like the struggles that she had to overcome. You don't
00:26:47
think about how difficult it is to do something with just one arm. Yeah. >> Like it's bonkers.
00:26:53
>> to go back to I'm sorry I'm not that I'm not that brave. I'm not. >> with one arm. It's all about balance.
00:27:00
>> Yeah. I can't imagine how hard that would be. >> Outrageous. Now on the beach everyone
00:27:04
stood around Charles in a complete state of shock. Pretty stunned by what they just witnessed. And they gathered around
00:27:10
him to try to provide aid or just to see what the [ __ ] was going on. When she got
00:27:14
close enough to see her brother, Louise Van Sant fainted. She said his leg was completely mangled, missing large chunks
00:27:21
of muscle and flesh. Like it's just gone. From the parlor of the resort, Dr. Eugene Van Sant rushed down the
00:27:27
boardwalk and onto the beach where he found his son crumpled on the sand with blood pouring out of massive wounds on
00:27:33
his leg. >> great time to be a doctor though. >> Yeah. But Dr. Van Sant dropped down
00:27:37
beside him and he's determined to save his son's life. He's a doctor. >> Yeah. But they were far from any
00:27:43
hospital or medical facility of any kind and he lacked even the most basic supplies that he needed here.
00:27:48
>> you're at the beach. You're on vacation. More than that, never in Dr. Van Sant's
00:27:52
career had he seen wounds like the ones Charles had sustained. And he said he didn't even know where to begin to stop
00:27:58
the bleeding. He didn't even know where to put anything. >> Well cuz like you said his his leg is
00:28:02
like mangled. Like it's like torn. That's the thing. It's not like it's just clean cut off.
00:28:06
>> Exactly. Alexander Ott began like women were tearing pieces of fabric from their dresses and giving them to
00:28:13
Alexander in order to tie off the limb and try to like staunch any the blood flow. And in the meantime Dr. Van Sant
00:28:20
had been joined by two other doctors who happened to be on the beach. >> Wow, what are the odds?
00:28:24
>> But like Van Sant himself, neither of them knew what they could do because again, they don't even know where to
00:28:29
stop the bleeding either. You're also on the [ __ ] beach. >> Yeah. Exactly. Sand and all that [ __ ]
00:28:34
too. So they carried Charles up to the hotel where at least they would have a clean
00:28:38
surface and soap and water to try to clean like he has like sand and [ __ ] in the wound.
00:28:43
They laid him on the desk in the manager's office but despite the makeshift tourniquets and had the heavy
00:28:48
bleeding was just continuing. And there, under the lamplight in the office, Dr. Van Sant just had to watch
00:28:55
helplessly as his son bled to death. >> Oh my god. Little did they know though, it would be just the first of such
00:29:02
deaths that were going to occur that July. Oh, no. Now, for as long as humans have been going
00:29:09
into the ocean, there have been shark attacks, even though they are very rare. Yeah, they still happen. But the attack
00:29:14
on Charles Van Zant was among the first, if not the first time such an attack had
00:29:19
been witnessed by such a large group of people on shore. Like, I think this might have been the first time. I wonder
00:29:25
like This is going to sound so ridiculous, but I wonder like when going to the beach became a thing. No, it's
00:29:31
true. >> what I mean? I'm going to Google it. Who looked at sand next to water and was
00:29:35
like, "That seems like it would be the most luxurious thing on earth." Like, I want to know who thought that. When did
00:29:41
going to the beach That's actually that's a very good >> what I mean? become popular? In the mid
00:29:48
to late 18th and 19th centuries. All right, so we're kind of early in the beach days.
00:29:53
>> Yeah. >> Yeah. We're still trying to figure out this beach thing here. It seems like for
00:29:57
leisure though, it actually was around the 1920s. So, this makes perfect sense. >> So, this is like really in the early
00:30:04
days. The '60s were the considered the golden age of beach culture. >> Cuz that's like where those beach party
00:30:10
movies are, you know, like Moon Doggie and all that. Yeah. Like that makes sense.
00:30:16
Um so, having no context or precedents for such an event, the experience of watching a
00:30:22
man being mauled by a shark was nothing short of traumatic and immediately attracted the attention of
00:30:28
the press, drawing reporters from New York and Philadelphia, as well as the Associated Press.
00:30:33
Michael Capuzzo wrote, "The number of people who witnessed the attack seemed to grow by the hour."
00:30:38
Uh because actual witnesses came in, but they were joined by countless others who
00:30:42
claimed to have seen it happen. >> That's so [ __ ] up. Why would you even do that?
00:30:46
>> Right. Why would you pretend like you saw that? >> Don't insert yourself into a tragedy.
00:30:49
Just don't. >> want to pretend like I saw that. To those who actually witnessed the attack,
00:30:53
there was no denying what had done it. They may not have known what kind of shark it was, but the shape of its body
00:30:58
and the sight of its mouth was no doubt a shark. Others though minimized the seriousness
00:31:04
of the incident, claiming it could have been a large tuna or even a great sea turtle. Y'all. When the [ __ ] have you
00:31:12
seen that happen? Never. Never. >> tuna? A great tuna. Guys. Guys, hello. >> A great big tuna. I don't know about
00:31:22
that. >> Now, despite the conflicting theories, the coroner joined the consensus and
00:31:26
listed Charles' death as which this was definitely it, hemorrhage from femoral artery.
00:31:32
>> Yeah. Um Which was the result of being bitten by a shark while bathing. It was the first time in American
00:31:39
history that a shark bite appeared on a death certificate. >> Wow. Isn't that crazy?
00:31:44
>> It is. Dr. Vincent confirmed the coroner's report and the witness statements describing the animal that
00:31:49
killed his son as being {quote} 9 ft long and weighed probably 500 lbs. >> Damn. Now, the attack on Vincent had
00:31:56
been entirely unprovoked and should have warranted at least a warning of caution
00:32:00
to beachgoers, but what they got was pretty much the opposite. In an article published the following
00:32:06
day, New Jersey fish commissioner, which like pause. Imagine being Like that I know that's
00:32:13
like a real thing. >> Yeah. What a title to behold. >> commissioner? >> Jersey The New Jersey fish commissioner.
00:32:19
I would just call myself the fish commissioner. The fish I was just going to YOU LITERALLY WERE IN MY HEAD.
00:32:26
Holy [ __ ] I was going to look up the New Jersey fish commissioner. >> I'm the fish commissioner. Like, hello.
00:32:31
I'm the commission on fish. If you are currently the New Jersey fish commissioner
00:32:37
>> Only the New Jersey >> cannot call yourself the New Jersey Fish Commish. I don't
00:32:41
>> What are you doing? What are you doing? >> this reaches the New Jersey Fish Commish.
00:32:46
>> become the New Jersey Fish Commish. I'm obsessed. So this New Jersey Fish Commish, James Meehan, told a reporter,
00:32:52
"Despite the death of Charles Van Zant and the report that two sharks have been caught in the vicinity recently, I do
00:32:58
not believe there's any reason why people should hesitate to go in swimming at beaches for fear of man-eaters." Uh
00:33:05
what? >> them ate a man. So like I feel I think you should be a little worried about
00:33:09
that. Also how I'm just How could you not be? Is self-preservation not a thing? >> That's And also, you just listed all the
00:33:17
reasons why we should be a little hesitant. You said that there was an attack where someone died and then two
00:33:23
sharks were caught. Yeah, like Okay, like those are all very valid reasons not going there.
00:33:27
>> freaked out by that Fish Commish. >> Yeah. Now, it would have done little good for them to terrify
00:33:33
beachgoers, especially during the area's most profitable time of the year. >> Yeah, I was going to say July. But Fish
00:33:39
Commish Meehan went a step further, minimizing the attack and the repeated uh shark sightings from fishermen in the
00:33:45
area. He said, "In the first place, the information in regards to the sharks is indefinite. And from what I have read, I
00:33:52
should hardly believe that young Van Zant was attacked by a man-eater." What do you think he was attacked by?
00:33:58
>> and he was eaten. Correct. >> By something in the sea. >> And also like indefinite? No, he died.
00:34:04
>> died. >> Man, also how [ __ ] terrible to the family. >> that? To just be like, "I don't know.
00:34:10
Yeah, [ __ ] you." He went on to theorize that it was probably a small shark that
00:34:14
had become trapped in the surface and in passing it had quotes snapped at Van Zant. Snapped and bit his leg off
00:34:20
resulting in death? >> And further emphasized the message that there was no need to exercise any
00:34:27
additional risk. >> Wow. In fact, the commissioner assured readers that any sharks in the area were
00:34:33
wanderers and harmless, so there was no need to be concerned. He essentially said the sharks just chilling. And he
00:34:41
said, "XOXO, fish commish." Fish commish. Under most circumstances, he probably would have been right, obviously. Like,
00:34:49
yeah, they're rare. You don't need to be horribly fearful of sharks. You need to
00:34:54
be alert and you need to be knowledgeable and you need to be listening and aware of your
00:35:00
surroundings. >> Yes. And like look up what sharks think are fish and [ __ ] >> Right. I think it's also one of those
00:35:07
things like I'm I'm thinking like how do you not have self-preservation going in
00:35:10
the water after this happened? But I think it's one of those things where people say like, "Okay, well that just
00:35:15
happened. What are the odds that it's going to happen again?" >> out the odds are practically zero.
00:35:20
>> that they're going to happen again. Now, on the afternoon of July 6th, 27-year-old Charles Bruder, a manager
00:35:27
with the Essex and Sussex Hotel, was eager to show off his swimming skills for the bellhops who worked under him at
00:35:34
the hotel. Obsessed. He had gained a reputation as one of the strongest swimmers at the hotel and having the
00:35:40
morning off, he had hoped to demonstrate those skills publicly. Listen, I get it.
00:35:44
>> Well, and even more, two other hotel employees had beaten his record that afternoon, so he was like, "No, this
00:35:50
can't stand." >> No, it cannot. So by that time, the news of the attack on Charles Van Zant, and
00:35:55
it's weird that his name is Charles as well. I was also thinking that. >> It is the early 1900s, so I think
00:35:59
everyone was named Charles. Yeah. >> Uh this the news had reached Spring Lake, about 45 miles from Beach Haven.
00:36:06
Wow, 45 miles. >> Yeah. And just that morning, the staff had been discussing the story, but Charles
00:36:12
Bruder dismissed the concerns because he was like, "I've, you know, I've long gone swimming off the coast of
00:36:17
California in previous summers and I've seen much larger and more imposing sharks than the one described by the
00:36:23
press. So he's like, "It's fine. We have nothing to fear." In fact, he had worked for a resort in
00:36:29
Los Angeles the previous summer and he was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman. So, there was probably a lot of truth to
00:36:35
that. He probably had seen bigger sharks and probably even swam in water that had
00:36:39
bigger sharks in >> But also perhaps different kinds of sharks. Well, that's in just because
00:36:44
you've seen bigger ones and they didn't eat you doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise a little caution.
00:36:48
>> Yeah, that's just good luck, doll. Because but again, during this time period so little was known about sharks
00:36:55
feeding habits and like the ecological [ __ ] about it that like why they're here, why this one could be here, how
00:37:01
hungry it could be, how confused it could be. >> Right, that's important to highlight.
00:37:04
That afternoon Bruder headed down to the bathhouses on the beach and changed into
00:37:08
a swimwear. He was like, "I'm going to reclaim this [ __ ] title." >> That day he had hoped to go for a 4-mi
00:37:14
swim, which is insane. But he didn't have the time, so he decided to focus on speed rather than
00:37:20
distance. Along with two other bellhops, he entered the water in the Essex and Suffolk's Southend bathing pavilion and
00:37:27
began putting on a show for the small group of onlookers. >> but bathing pavilion is horrifying to
00:37:33
me. >> Right, doesn't it sound gross? It literally does. From the beach, the group watched as
00:37:38
Bruder swam straight out into the deeper waters, dipping below the safety ropes and popping up on the other side.
00:37:45
Now, just a few days earlier a major storm had swept through the area and it had churned up the water.
00:37:51
But on that day, everything was clear and sunny. According to Michael Caputo, and this is a quote, "As graceful as
00:37:57
Bruder appeared from the shore, his movements were sprawling, rough, almost obscenely graceless for a creature of
00:38:04
the sea." Dang. Which like he is not a creature of the sea. >> just going to say, he's a human.
00:38:08
>> Yeah, as he swam his limbs slapped the surface of the water causing small rippling waves out into the ocean.
00:38:15
It's unlikely that he knew it at the time, but his movements, much like Van Zandt's
00:38:20
when he was playing with the dog, were very similar to those of a fish or other marine life in distress.
00:38:26
Basically, exactly the type of commotion a shark would recognize from miles away
00:38:31
and come on down to investigate. From their position on the shore, the spectators wouldn't have been able to
00:38:38
see anything but the outline of Brudder as he swam. But Brudder himself, consumed with his performance cuz he's
00:38:44
trying to win his title back. >> He's a winner. He surely never saw the great white stalking him at all. Without
00:38:49
warning, the shark struck from behind with incredible violent force in what witnesses later described as {quote} a
00:38:57
massive spray of water rising out of the ocean. In that moment, a woman on the beach
00:39:03
alerted the lifeguards telling them the man in the red canoe is upset. But when they looked, they saw no canoe.
00:39:13
It was only later that it occurred to the lifeguards that the red canoe was in fact a massive spray of blood that had
00:39:20
rapidly spread across the surface of the water. Oh, [ __ ] >> She thought he was in a red canoe. Holy
00:39:27
[ __ ] >> Yeah. The two lifeguards, Captains George White and Chris Anderson, grabbed
00:39:32
their small rescue boat and charged into the water because lifeguards are badass.
00:39:36
>> They really are. By then, the shark had completely removed one of Brudder's legs.
00:39:41
And by the time they reached him in the water, the animal had managed to rip the
00:39:45
other leg from Brudder's body. >> Sending him {quote} pinwheeling above the surface of the sea with incredible
00:39:52
force. Pinwheeling. >> even really picture that. As they attempted to grab Brudder and pull him
00:39:58
into the boat, the shark charged again grabbing Charles at his abdomen and pulling him down under the water before
00:40:06
he emerged again. And to the surprise of the lifeguards, Charles Brudder managed to shout a shark
00:40:13
bit me. Holy [ __ ] So they managed to get a hold of him and lift him onto the boat.
00:40:20
>> Wow. >> were surprised by how light he was, but of course once they got him in the boat,
00:40:25
they realized He doesn't have any legs. >> to come from the water because there was
00:40:28
very little of him to lift from the water. >> horrible. >> As they carefully laid him on the floor
00:40:33
of the boat, they realized he was missing both legs. Both were ripped off at the knees. And there was a huge chunk
00:40:39
missing from his stomach. >> Oh, [ __ ] >> Needing to stop the bleeding and get help immediately, one of the men rowed
00:40:45
frantically back to the shore while the other pulled off his shirt and started tearing strips to tie the wounds.
00:40:50
>> Also, how [ __ ] terrifying to be in that boat? I can't even fathom. >> That shark could just eat that whole
00:40:54
boat. >> Yeah, look what he just did. Unfortunately, the carnage was just too great and the wounds too severe to stop
00:41:00
with strips of fabric. >> a chunk missing from his stomach and two missing legs. Despite the massive This
00:41:06
is This blows my mind. And this is I For this man, I wish this was not true. Oh, god.
00:41:14
>> Because despite all of it, the massive damage he sustained and the copious amounts of blood just pouring from him,
00:41:20
he remained conscious throughout the entire ordeal. Oh. And even managed to describe the shark for lifeguards, and
00:41:27
wait, do you hear how he describes it? And and picture him in your head what he is going through.
00:41:34
He said he was a big gray fellow and rough as sandpaper. He cut me here in the side and his belly was so rough it
00:41:41
brought bruised my face and arms. He's a big fellow and awfully hungry. Oh. I don't know why that just like
00:41:48
breaks my heart. >> He's a big fellow and he's awfully hungry. Even he was like he's very
00:41:53
hungry. >> Oh. Like holy [ __ ] This is just devastating. >> And when he finished speaking, he closed
00:42:01
his eyes and finally lost consciousness. >> Oh. By the time the boat had reached the
00:42:05
shore, he was dead. Yeah. Now even to those familiar with the behavior of sharks, it seemed unlikely that one
00:42:11
would travel such a long distance in a relatively short amount of time just to find food when there was plenty of fish
00:42:18
in the Beach Haven area. Did it have anything to do with the storm? That could definitely be it. And it but in
00:42:23
the wake of Brudder's death, it was impossible for anyone, reporters and beach goers the same, to ignore that
00:42:29
there was a connection here between the Beach Haven attack and the attack on Charles Brudder. They're like, this
00:42:34
can't be two different sharks. Also, there was something about these attacks that seemed atypical.
00:42:41
Because in most cases of shark attacks, humans are bitten when they are mistaken
00:42:44
for the shark's natural food source or because they have provoked the attack. In these cases though, it seemed like
00:42:51
the animal was actively stalking human prey, striking again and again long after it would have realized it had
00:42:58
bitten into something other than a seal or food. Do you think it just didn't care at that point because it was so
00:43:03
hungry? Is that kind of what you're saying? >> it because that is very atypical for a
00:43:07
shark. It once it realizes you're a human, nine times out of 10, it's really not
00:43:12
going to want to continue. Interesting. >> Like it's Yeah, you did that's like I
00:43:15
mean like Soul Surfer like it was a car. >> that it's an that's what an exploratory
00:43:19
bite is. It's a bite to be like, oh [ __ ] this is yeah and then it's like, oh, you know what I mean? Like, oh,
00:43:23
that's not what I usually go for. And yeah, maybe in a small amount of the time it'll make the the decision to just
00:43:29
keep going, but nine times out of 10 it doesn't want to. I wonder if in this case, and it sounds like crazy, but I
00:43:35
wonder if in this case it was a out of desperation. Yeah, it was just so hungry.
00:43:39
>> Right. But like you said, there's fish Mhm. elsewhere, but maybe not But if it's seeking something big, you know.
00:43:46
>> Cuz they I mean, I think great whites attack seal populations. Yeah. And I'm sure these
00:43:51
people like from their point of view look like seals. >> Now, unlike the previous attack, the
00:43:56
attack on Charles Brudder inspired a panic. Not just to everyone in the water and on the beach that day, but those
00:44:02
staying at resorts and vacation spots all over Jersey Shore. Because you're you're literally going to enjoy the
00:44:07
show. >> Yeah. At Spring Lake where the attack occurred, armed lifeguards patrolled the
00:44:12
waters just beyond the safety ropes. And the village administration also approved
00:44:16
the use of heavy mesh wire netting, which was run all along the bathing area near the Essex and Sussex Hotel.
00:44:23
>> like so inhumane. I know. In other places, bathers and swimmers became hyper-vigilant, with some choosing to
00:44:28
stay out of the water altogether, which like yeah. In Asbury Park, a lifeguard in a
00:44:33
surfboard told reporters he encouraged a large shark about 12 ft long Wow. >> while patrolling the bathing area of the
00:44:40
beach, which he drove off by hitting it on the snout with his oar. >> Mean. I know. The scene was witnessed by
00:44:46
several people on the shore who saw the lifeguard slapping at the water with his
00:44:50
oars right before he returned to the beach to warn the the bathers. >> I mean, at least he was like trying to
00:44:55
deter him. >> trying to get him away. >> You know. Despite the precautions put in
00:44:59
place by state and local authorities, many swimmers remained wary of going too far out in the water. One local
00:45:05
journalist wrote, "Expert opinion has been freely offered, and much of it has been contradictory and largely related
00:45:11
to fiction. And there has been considerable speculation here today as to whether it was really a shark that
00:45:16
attacked Charles Bruder at Spring Lake." Guys. Like guys. It was a shark. Both times.
00:45:21
>> In fact, just like the Van Sant attack, many people found it hard to believe that a shark, something that existed
00:45:27
more at especially at this point in time Cuz you have to remind yourself of the time period, for sure.
00:45:31
>> 1916. Sharks existed more in the imagination of people than in real life. Like people weren't just like running
00:45:38
around seeing sharks. They couldn't believe that it had done something so horrific that that's the
00:45:43
outcome. They chose instead to believe, which I don't really understand this part
00:45:47
they had chose to believe that the attack was something more common and familiar, like a [ __ ] tuna
00:45:53
or a big turtle. Yeah, I don't know about that. >> Neither of which was known to rip people
00:45:58
limb from limb without provocation. >> Right. So, I don't know why that felt more comfortable for everybody.
00:46:04
It doesn't feel more comfortable for me to lay my head at night thinking a turtle No, definitely not. I love
00:46:09
turtles. >> tuna. Which is what I think is almost scarier. Yeah. I just think of The
00:46:15
Office too because Andy calls Jim big tuna. And then he'll and then and at one point
00:46:21
he wants to get his attention he just goes large tuna. And then I just think of it every time I hear this I'm just
00:46:28
like I'm now just thinking of you like Jim Halpert out in the sea biting people.
00:46:33
>> Just nom nomming. Yeah. Now, like a scene pulled straight from Jaws many decades later, the panic and
00:46:39
fear inspired by the shark attacks grew quickly from a whisper to a full [ __ ] fever pitch to the point that it became
00:46:46
an actual material threat to the resorts and local businesses. >> yeah, that makes sense. They were
00:46:52
fearing that reservations were going to be canceled. >> Right. And to their credit, many within
00:46:56
the local press did do their best to report the facts in like a calm and rational tone.
00:47:01
>> Yeah. Reminding visitors that the appearance of sharks near the shore was very rare.
00:47:05
The Asbury Park Press reminded readers, "Never in the history of local bathing have sharks been known to frequent the
00:47:11
bathing waters, but every precaution to ensure safety of the bathers will be taken."
00:47:16
Now, despite the reasonable attempts to protect the bathers and the relatively even tone on the matter from the press,
00:47:23
the public's fear of sharks was only growing, especially following the Bruter attack. A writer for the New York Times
00:47:30
wrote, "The death of Bruter renewed the controversy that is waged for years as to whether a shark will attack a man."
00:47:36
By that point, whether they would or wouldn't attack a human seemed like a settled matter. So, several news outlets
00:47:42
shifted their attention to how swimmers could protect themselves. >> Okay. The Times quoted one sailor as
00:47:47
saying, "It's no use trying to dodge a shark when you're in the water. The best thing you can do when a shark comes
00:47:52
along, if you can't get out of the water in time, is to shout as loud as you can
00:47:56
and to splash the water with your hands and feet. >> No. Apparently, it never occurred to the
00:48:01
sailor that it was precisely that behavior that had drawn the shark to Van Zant and Bruder in the first place.
00:48:07
Which again >> we didn't know anything. >> Right. So, I think they're probably thinking of it like a [ __ ] bear.
00:48:12
Yeah. If you just like no, bang bang, clang clang, no, shout like if you do that to a
00:48:19
>> Not all bears react that way. >> just going to say that. >> bears, I think, cuz black bears are
00:48:24
pretty [ __ ] >> actually scared of you. >> do that to a grizzly bear, it'll A grizzly bear will
00:48:28
[ __ ] you up no matter what you do. You stand still, it kills you. >> across a grizzly bear, rest in peace, my
00:48:34
friend. I don't know what any advice to tell you. >> know what? I picked the grizzly bear.
00:48:39
Oh, yeah. In that whole scenario, I picked the grizzly bear. But a black bear, we have black bears all over the
00:48:44
place. >> I actually saw one last summer. They're so [ __ ] cute. Luckily, I was in the
00:48:48
comfort of my car and passing by. You don't ever want to go near one. No, leave them alone.
00:48:51
>> You want to get the [ __ ] out of there. You don't want to You don't want to do
00:48:54
anything with you either. No. I It was actually a baby that I saw. >> Oh, my Oh, yeah, you want to stay the
00:48:58
[ __ ] away from that. >> I sure did. I was in my car and we kept driving, but I was like, "Oh my god."
00:49:02
>> Oh, my god. The girls will never in our lives forgive John's like ignorance to
00:49:08
that fact. >> So funny. We were driving down We were in the Berkshires, actually, visiting
00:49:12
the Berkshires. And we saw a baby bear, black bear, out the like in the woods right next to our car when we were like
00:49:18
parked somewhere. Yeah. And John John loves a furry creature. He got out of the car. And was like, "Oh my god, look
00:49:26
at this cute little guy." >> Meanwhile, you're like, "Get in the car. GET IN THE CAR." All three of the girls
00:49:29
were like, "DA DA." AND I WAS LIKE, "GET BACK IN THE CAR." AND HE'S LIKE, "IT'S A BABY." AND I WAS
00:49:33
LIKE, EXACTLY. >> even have to say it. All three of my kids were like, "Mama's around. Get in
00:49:38
the ba- Like they were like, "Get in the [ __ ] car." It's like a Bluey episode.
00:49:42
Yeah, to this day, they're like, "Remember when Dad got out of the car and wanted to say hi to a baby bear when
00:49:47
you know the mom was around and would have eaten him." I was like, >> Or when the dogs went like after
00:49:51
something and John went after them like into a creek by himself. >> a creek. Just out there. Like a casual
00:49:58
creek. And I'm trying to call him. I'm like he's going to die in a creek somewhere. And the girls are like he
00:50:03
didn't even bring his phone. >> We're all just like Jesus. The girl one thing about the girls is they will read
00:50:08
John to filth. Poor John. It's the best. >> John is both the luckiest >> Girl dad. and unluckiest
00:50:16
because he lives in a house It is the It is my three daughters. >> Yep. Me and the two girl dogs.
00:50:23
>> and my mother-in-law. He has not one and he loves it. >> going to say that's why he's such a good
00:50:29
guy though. >> Yeah, he would have it no other way but damn can we all gang up on him? You know
00:50:33
what though? Shout out Shout out to all dads but shout out to the girl dads. >> Yeah, shout out to all dads and shout
00:50:38
out to the girl dads because they're you're a a special breed you know. >> true.
00:50:44
>> give him so much [ __ ] and he takes it so shout out to John. >> And sometimes he even gets me giving him
00:50:49
[ __ ] >> I know. The girl the other day they were like "John, what does TT call you?" And
00:50:54
he goes "Mostly like Broncle or Jonathus and oh dad when she needs help." >> Yeah, dad when she needs help. I always
00:51:01
call John dad when I need help. Cuz he'll always go "Ashleena." Ashleena. And I'm like okay dad. Sorry.
00:51:09
>> Like dad, I don't know what to do. I saw this wait just one more [ __ ] side tangent before we get there. I saw this
00:51:15
Tik Tok the other day that was like me since I've known my brother-in-law since I was 9 years old and I was like that's
00:51:19
so literally me. And it's like fighting with your brother-in-law and you're like
00:51:23
whatever. That's so true. Like he's my longest standing family. Yes. Literally. >> I love it.
00:51:30
>> I love that a lot. Anyway. >> Well, elsewhere New Jersey and New York others were taking more extreme measures
00:51:36
to solve the problem. This upsets me. >> Oh, tell me they didn't shoot them. Fishermen set out in droves to hunt and
00:51:43
kill anything that even resembled a shark. Oh. Uh one reporter wrote, "The bathers were quite satisfied to have men
00:51:50
in motorboats guarding the waters, and they didn't care whether the game was bagged or not, so long as no sharks
00:51:55
appeared near shore." >> Here's the thing, the ocean isn't ours. >> ours. >> The ocean isn't ours.
00:52:01
>> they let us the [ __ ] in there in the first place. >> in a lake. Truly. >> Go jump in a puddle. I know.
00:52:07
>> your bathtub. >> Me? I know my place. >> not mine. >> The ocean is not my place.
00:52:12
>> I also recently heard that there's black holes in the ocean. That's the [ __ ] weirdest and scariest
00:52:18
thing I've ever heard in my life. >> if it's fact, cuz I did hear it on TikTok. >> Probably not, but but honestly, Let me
00:52:23
confirm. the fact that I have to sit there and say, "Could be true." >> Because I don't think anything is
00:52:30
impossible in the ocean. No, we don't we don't know enough about the ocean. >> I think the ocean is
00:52:35
so much scarier than space. Okay, so there are no And this is from Google. There are no literal
00:52:41
astronomical black holes in the ocean. >> like But, scientists have discovered massive ocean eddies that act very
00:52:48
similar to them. >> Which makes sense. >> These powerful swirling whirlpools, particularly found in the Southern Ocean
00:52:55
and the Gulf of Mexico, create coherent boundaries that trap water and debris, preventing anything from escape.
00:53:01
Yeah, no. So, that's it's like an ocean black hole. That really is. Ocean black holes, whirlpools, trenches,
00:53:08
>> Yeah, no. No, it's not for me. >> It's not. >> I know that. I respect >> barely drive on the road anymore without
00:53:14
there being >> sinkholes. I respect it. I really do. >> Something's up. Now, by July 11th, the waters around the
00:53:21
Jersey Shore were teeming with boats, either filled with lifeguards or fishermen, all keeping their eyes firmly
00:53:26
on the surface of the water. >> That's not nice. The nets and patrols gave the illusion of safety, while the
00:53:32
boats and fishermen suggested the waters were safe for everyone, and there was nothing to fear.
00:53:37
The truth, though, was that despite the massive crowds of fishermen on the water, not a single one caught anything
00:53:43
during this period. >> Wow. >> In fact, as they would come to learn, sometimes the illusion of safety isn't
00:53:49
good enough. And what they really should have done was advise everyone to get the
00:53:53
[ __ ] out of the water until the problem was solved. >> Close the water. And that's where we're going to leave
00:53:59
you for part one, because part two we have a whole other series of attacks called the Matawan Creek attacks. Oh,
00:54:08
not a creek. We're just talking about a creek. We're talking about a creek and now we're going to be in a creek.
00:54:11
>> See our side quest worked out. >> And we have more attacks coming. >> was really, really sad in every possible
00:54:18
way that it could be. >> And fascinating. >> Fascinating, though. >> Like truly fascinating. That bit about
00:54:23
the heartbeat, I never knew that before. That shook me to my core. Heartbeat and
00:54:28
I've never I just said shark week, I think. I watched a [ __ ] ton of shark week.
00:54:36
I swear I think that's what I think you did. And it took me a minute, too. I think
00:54:43
you did say shark week. I said shark week. Not shark week. >> It's like Greek hazing a shark week.
00:54:53
Okay, okay. >> Holy [ __ ] Shark Oh, man. >> I watched a [ __ ] ton of shark week.
00:55:00
>> I love shark week. >> don't think I've ever heard that fact that they hear your heartbeat and
00:55:03
they're like, "Game on." Like, "Game on. I'm here." Yeah, it really is That kind
00:55:08
of stuff is always the most fascinating to me where it's like when like when it's just like something
00:55:14
so biological and like evolutionary that just like you can't even conceive of that they can just like hear your
00:55:19
heartbeat underwater. Like going underwater, you can't hear someone's heartbeat, but those [ __ ]
00:55:24
can. >> Yeah, they can. >> And to know that's something, I think it's like so scary
00:55:30
when it's so innocuous. >> else has something over you evolution- evolution-wise, you know what I mean?
00:55:37
Like like that fact is like oh, we no respect. Like I'm just like that's when I go I don't belong in here. I don't
00:55:45
belong in this water. >> I firmly believe the ocean's not for us. >> It's not. It's certainly not for me. I
00:55:50
love to look at it. Oh yeah, you can less you think look at it. >> Yeah, I will look at it.
00:55:55
I will wave to it. >> Respect. If you want to go in the ocean by all means go in the ocean, but
00:55:59
respect it cuz it's not for you. >> Yeah, just make sure you're respecting it. Because [ __ ] the ocean is the
00:56:05
ocean. The ocean is the ocean. And we're you know, part two it's going to get it's going to get crazy.
00:56:11
>> It is going to get crazy. >> a resolution. Do you have a fun fact? Like you texted us one about bananas.
00:56:17
>> Mikey found an iconic I'm obsessed with this fact. I hope you guys don't know it. So humans share
00:56:24
about 60% of their DNA with bananas. Does that make you feel kind of weird about eating bananas? A
00:56:31
little bit. >> You know what I'm saying? Also there's an episode of Kiff that is one of the
00:56:36
funniest episodes of anything I've ever seen. Which one is it? I think it's called the rotten banana.
00:56:42
>> I haven't seen that. >> about a sentient banana Stop. >> tries to take Kiff over and like
00:56:48
it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. >> If you're kids, honestly if you're not watching Kiff.
00:56:54
>> Yeah, we've said I think we've talked about it once before, but I'm telling you go watch the rotten banana. We had a
00:56:59
whole sleepover at my house for the girls recently and it was all Kiff themed and it was one of the best
00:57:03
sleepovers we've ever had. >> Hell yeah, it was. >> Yeah, it was like a lot of fun.
00:57:07
>> Um so yeah, we hope you keep listening. And we hope you >> keep it weird. >> so weird that you morph into a banana
00:57:15
because you're already pretty [ __ ] close. >> You're real close. >> Careful. >> the ocean.
00:57:18
>> Respect the ocean. And sharks. And shark week. >> Mhm.