Since the string of shark attacks along the coastline, there has been a great deal of anxiety about being eaten while on vacation.

Everyone deals with this in a different way. We are at Holden Beach with our extended family, and here’s how we’re addressing the problem.

We have a good pair of binoculars, and whoever has water duty uses them religiously, scanning the water from left to right while the second person is in the water with the children, making certain they do not go out too far.

One of our number says we shouldn’t worry, as sharks don’t really like the way we taste. Not enough fat with the meat. That’s why, so he says, no one has been completely consumed. The shark may sample a human, possibly snipping off an arm or a leg, but once human flavor has been detected, the rest of the human is spit out.

Now in theory this is supposed to keep us from worrying about a shark attack. However, I do not find this comforting.

So far, so good. We have become highly alert and have been able to detect many dangerous objects in the water.

Yesterday, I saw something way out beyond the breakers. It was dark, and could have been a fin. But before I could alarm the rest of our group, I recognized the object as a brown pelican.

The next dangerous object we saw looked very threatening from a distance, but as it came closer we were able to determine the object was’t a shark, but a piece of driftwood.

All in all, the danger hasn’t come from the ocean but from our overactive imaginations.

Still, we are not relaxing our vigilance and will continue to scan for sharks. We are still having a great time despite shark duty.