VISITING SWIMMERS NEED SHARK REMINDERS

The news about shark attacks at Florida beaches has been widely reported this summer -- so much so that some Florida tourism officials wonder if the situation isn't being blown out of proportion.

Most of the news this summer has come from Florida's Volusia County, where 15 shark attacks have been reported so far this summer along a 50-mile stretch of beaches considered prime surfing territory. Last year there were 18 attacks all year, a record for Volusia County.

Regular surfers say there are always sharks in the area, but most swimmers know how to act around them. This year's attacks, they say, have been aggravated by a large influx of baitfish on which the sharks feed. Murky water caused by runoff from heavy rains also have contributed to the attacks, surfers say.

It is understandable that folks in beach areas of Florida which rely on tourists for their livelihoods would be concerned about all the shark publicity. But thousands of visitors arrive from landlocked areas of the country where sharks aren't a daily consideration. For them, any information about the attacks serves as a good warning to be mindful of the risks of swimming with sharks.