I think the film 'Jaws' has a lot to do with fears of a shark attack :D ... In the lagoons around Tahiti there is a tiny little multi-coloured fish called 'Ohiri'. First time I went to Tahiti, and first time in the water, M's younger brother pointed to it and told me that it bites I spent the entire month scared of this little fish and would avoid it whenever I was in the water, clinging to M for safety. The last time we went swimming I ended up getting bitten by one - I could hardly even feel it :D ...... but then I grew up 1000 km away from the ocean and had lots of irrational fears!