WHEN surfer Frank Rose was sittingon his board out on the water on thenorthern Pacific coast last month, somethingstruck him hard and fast, and it certainlywasn’t a good wave.Rose, who was surfing near his homesouth of Tamarindo in the northwesternprovince of Guanacaste, was stunnedwhen he realized a two-and-a-half-footfish had soared out of the water andstruck him in the head.He was even more surprised when herealized the ballyhoo fish had hit him sohard it died instantly, leaving half its jawand swordfish-like bill embedded in hisneck.“I think it was probably running froma shark. But I was too shocked by whathad happened to notice if there was anythingin the water. There was my blood.There was the fish’s blood. And Ithought, this shark is obviously hungry,”said Rose, who has lived in Costa Ricafor three years and previously lived andsurfed in southern California.Rose said he hurried out of the waterand headed to the doctor’s office.While the doctor didn’t flinch at thefish parts hanging from Rose’s neck,Rose said the nurse wasn’t quite as comfortablewith the injury.“I was just lucky I didn’t get hurtseriously,” he said. “The thing healed uplike new, without stitches.”
