Karen: What's the most misunderstood sea life?
Dr. Ayana Johnson: Dolphins. Everyone loves dolphins. Dolphins are jerks ... They're mean.
Karen: The scariest?
Dr. AJ: One of the scariest things to me are jellyfish. But not the ones in the Caribbean. If they sting you, you'll be fine. There are some really fierce jellyfish that can kill you in the Pacific. If you're in remote-specific islands, definitely keep your eyes out for jellyfish.
Karen: How do you avoid piranhas, barracudas, and sharks?
Dr. AJ: Piranhas are freshwater, so I don't know anything about freshwater. The issue with these other things is that, they get confused. You're not their food. They're not like, 'where is the next human that I'm going to eat?' but they get confused. Surfers that are sitting on a surfboard wearing a wetsuit, from the bottom, it looks just like a seal. So, you're confusing them and you're in their house. Don't confuse them, especially if the water is rough and they can't see.
Dr. AJ: The only time you'll ever get bit by a barracuda is if you're wearing a bunch of shiny jewelry and it's really murky water and they think you might be a little silverfish. Otherwise, they're just weird looking fish with a big underbite, that swim super slowly and want nothing to do with you.
Dr. AJ: Sharks are not going to attack people unless there is some weird situation were they get confused. They bite us and then spit us out. Sharks do not eat whole people, ever.
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