I am always struck by the difference in attitude towards sharks between divers and non-divers. When I am about to leave for a dive trip, non-diving friends say "I hope you don't run into any sharks" and my answer is invariably "I hope I do." They are incredibly beautiful animals and always amazing to see. I have never ever felt even the remotest hint of a threat from sharks (or any other animal underwater). That being said, I don't go diving in places where there are opportunities for "confusion", like diving in turbid water where there are seals that are hunted by great whites. Great white sharks do not want to eat people (our fat content is too low), but by the time they spit someone out, it might already be too late. But sharks are no different from any other predator: I wouldn't go walking in Africa between a pride of lions and the herd of wildebeests they are hunting.... And there are definitely some parts of some cities I wouldn't go walking in, either.