Australian coastal paradise Byron Bay is not only home to Australia's sexiest beach: It's also home to clever sharks that are trying to tow humans out into shark-infested ocean.

Okay, it's not quite like that, but this week a surfer really did get taken for a ride by a shark at Byron Bay. Surf shop owner John Morgan was out on the water when a shark came by and got tangled in his leg rope, towing him at speed for 170 feet before suddenly getting free of the rope and taking off.

It's a happy ending story since Morgan came back all in one piece, but that shark will probably blog about its experience and suddenly sharks across the world will be towing surfers away for dinner. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Related Stories:
· Shark Tows Surfer [Ananova]
· Killer Beaches 2008: Australia's Latest Shark Attack [Jaunted]
· My Beach is Sexier Than Yours [Jaunted]

[Photo: pberry]]]> amandak 2008-09-11T09:00:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/12/27/204050/44
What a tough job it must be if you're a journalist who gets the job of writing up the world's 25 sexiest beaches, like they just did over at Forbes Traveler. But even if you're happy, you can't please everyone else, and down in Australia they're a bit miffed that only one of their thousands of impressive beaches made the Top 25.

Super-chic Byron Bay, between Sydney and Brisbane, was the lucky beach that won the default title of sexiest beach in Australia. Its big attractions were "chalky-white sands, deliciously temperate weather and occasional visits from dolphins and migrating whales." Perhaps the nearby nudist beach also pushed it up the rankings.

The north-eastern state of Queensland--home to the Great Barrier Reef and hundreds upon hundreds of popular beaches--were not at all impressed to be left out. But as the Gold Coast coastal management CEO said:

You can feel sexy without having to be told you're sexy.