Four Good Reasons to Stay Out of the Water

1. Piranah

Earlier this month, a fisherman in North Carolina pulled a one-pound, four-ounce piranah out of the Catawba Riber. Wanna bet he won't be going for a swim any time soon?

2. Giant, Leaping Fish

Imagine you're zipping across Florida's Suwannee River on your Jet Ski when an 8-foot, 200-pound sturgeon leaps out of the water and wallops you. Numerous people have been injured already this summer. No one knows whether the fish are homicidal, suicidal, or just having a laugh.

3. The "New Jersey Mystery Creature"



4. Monsters

It's not just Loch Ness that's rumored to have an unidentified beastie swiming through its waters. Countless lakes around the world are said to be home to a monster (or two). I couldn't possibly list them all, but here are a few of the most intriguing . . .

The Lake Van monster in eastern Turkey.
Champ, which makes its home in Lake Champlain.
The Altamaha-Ha, which is said to inhabit a river in southern Georgia.
Canada's Ogopogo
Selma, from Norway.
Argentina's own Nahuelito.

(Oddly enough, sturgeon and giant eels are often key suspects in lake monster sightings.)