Natalie Wood's fear of water

When a person has an unfounded fear of something...such as "dark water" which was Natalie Wood's greatest lifelong fear, it's usually because they fear the unknown. Natalie didn't fear the "unknown" -- Natalie feared what any cautious person should respect: the forces of nature.

She knew about the dangers of ocean currents, she knew dangerous species lurk beneath the surface of the Pacific, and although she did know how to swim, she realized she was not a good swimmer, a strong swimmer against the strength of an ocean. That's why Natalie, although she appreciated the beauty of being ON the water, did not like the idea of being IN the water, or close to it (such as cruising in the dinghy).

She told about her fear to almost everyone she knew, and also admitted it in several interviews throughout the years. Her husband definitely knew about her fear. She was also a tad superstitious, esepcially because she knew about her mother's lifelong superstitious nature, and her mother had definitely shared the "deep dark water" premonition story, told to her by a gypsy before Natalie was born. The gypsy had also told Natalie's mother she would give brith to a "rising star."  

Are the Catalina Island waters shark infested? Yes, they are, and here's a link to an encounter with a Great White that happened in 2008. Sharks have always circulated Catalina Island. As difficult as it is to think about, imagine how that may have factored into Natalie's fear, while floating in the dark of the night, and cold of the ocean.

Shark attacks woman on kayak at Catalina. Poll: Are you scared of sharks...

Here's an excerpt from the 2008 article (above link):
Shark expert Ralph Collier this morning weighed in on what he thinks happened on the backside of Catalina this weekend, when a woman was knocked off her kayak by a great white shark, a bump that sent her flying into the water screaming while her family and other anglers watched helplessly from a boat.


Bettina Pereira survived the encounter with out a bite, and just sore muscles. When she flew into the air, Pereira actually stepped on the shark at one point, then pushed off in the opposite direction, her husband Andrew said in an interview Monday.

Collier, who runs the Shark Research Committee, contacted Andrew and confirmed it was a great white they encountered, based on the description and behavior of the shark.

“They’ve been at the island for millions of years,” Collier said. “So the fact that something has finally happened over there does not surprise me. I’m surprised it’s taken this long. ”

Collier said that it was an “investigation attack.”

“The shark was not interested at all in eating her, otherwise it would have stayed in the area and eaten her,” he said.

It was unusual behavior, however, for the shark to come back and ram the kayak, which knocked her into the air and flipped the kayak over.