James has a few things to say about sharks. He also has a few things to say about our often irrational fear of them.

“The honest truth is… the sharks are always going to be there. Why do you think there are always shark sightings in the summer? There are more people… more people looking for the sharks. But they’re not going to hurt you. I spearfish off this point every week. The truth of the matter is… the sharks are always there. Just because we see one shark doesn’t mean someone is going to get bit or attacked… or that we have to shut down the beach. I think it’s just paranoia from the media and from what we see on TV every day, to be honest. Sharks are no danger… nothing to be afraid of. We have guys out here surfing, there’s nothing that’s going to happen. If something does… it’s just a random chance.”

Now I’m not sure if it was the accent, James’ sweat fueled glow, or the “screw the man” rant about fear mongering, but KTLA reporter Wendy Burch was swooned nonetheless. So she drops the mic and chases James up the hill. As a former sports broadcaster and news producer I can vouch for how easy it is to get coaxed into doing something incredibly corny, and often flat out stupid. But sometimes true love doesn’t walk straight into your live morning broadcast twice.


Also, physically dropping microphones is really fun.