I think the guys are being mischievous when they talk about being circled by a 5-metre shark though... there's only one shark in the Med that could be that big and if that was there, it certainly poses a risk to swimmers...
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Sharks ‘pose no risk to Cyprus swimmers’
By Leo Leonidou
THE senior fisheries officer at the Agriculture Ministry yesterday urged swimmers not to panic after three sharks were seen off the coast of Cyprus in as many days last week.
George Georgiou told the Cyprus Mail, “we call these sharks skillopsara or dogfish, which is the general term we use for this type of shark, which is considered to be harmless. In fact, since the police started keeping records, there have not been any reports of sharks attacking humans in the waters off the island.”
On Saturday, amateur fishermen found a shark in their nets off the coast of Akamas. The shark measured 2.5metres in length and weighed in at 260 kilos. Long-time fisherman Prodromos Malietsis said sharks were usually found at a depth of 100 to 200 metres. “This shark was caught in fishing nets aimed at catching big fish. It had three rows of teeth that looked like saws but doesn’t usually go near the coast.”
According to the Cyprus News Agency, the fishermen took the shark back to their village of Yiolou where it became the “attraction of the day”.
Three amateur fishermen killed a three-metre shark off the coast of Larnaca last Wednesday after the shark, along with a five-metre companion, began circling their dingy in a menacing fashion.
Georgiou said many species of shark lived in the Mediterranean, “with most of them found in deep waters. The eastern Med is actually part of their ecological environment. Many are caught by trawlers and by sports fishermen in the summer months.”
Dogfish are small sharks and have many shark-like features such as low-slung mouths, hydroplane-like pectoral fins and uncovered gill slits. Often seen snoozing on the seabed during the day, they feed at night. They are indiscriminate hunters and munch on crabs and whelks as well as eating bottom-living fish like gobies, dabs and gurnards. They will also hunt shoaling fish such as herring and pilchards.
Dogfish rely heavily on their sense of smell when hunting and have been observed slavishly following a scent trail – like a bloodhound – even when their prey has turned and swum right back past them. They are also able to detect faint electrical fields produced by the muscles of hidden prey.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
well kind of if he painted his nose red.
Ok, not moving to Cyprus now 
