In the "Why is this even considered newsworthy?" story of the week, former Knight Rider, Baywatch, and YouTube video star, David Hasselhof, was reported to have a supposedly "close call" with a tiger shark while filming a shark-related television series for the Underwater Channel, according to the Houston Chronicle According to the article, Hasselhoff was given a scare when a 10′ (3m) female tiger shark began swimming toward him with her mouth open. According to Hasselhoff, he "held out the bait, hoping that would keep her happy." The shark took the bait and then "retreated."

If I didn’t know any better, based on Hasselfhoff’s account, it would seem as though the shark was reacting to the "bait" that he was holding rather than Hasselhoff, himself. The last time I checked, "bait" is used to lure and entice, so I’m not sure why it’s news that baiting a tiger shark would result in the tiger shark responding accordingly to the situation.