Aggressive shark

[triggerman365]

I'm diving along looking for things to photograph about one hour before sun down when I see a 5-6 foot White Tip Reef shark. Awesome, so I get one shot off and he keeps coming, so I smack him in the nose with my camera housing but he keeps coming back three more times. I kept on smacking him in the nose and he finally just circles without approaching. I was then able to slowing back away until he lost interest. My question is how many of you have had a similar experience with an aggressive White Tip? My first experience with having to fend off a shark. Its a good reminder that the ocean is their world.

 

[vladimir]

It sounds like that shark is accustomed to being fed by divers, or in proximity to divers. That would otherwise be unusual behavior for a whitetip reef shark.

 

[triggerman365]

It could be that he is conditioned to come at the spear fishermen. The area I was diving is a very popular spear fishing site, but I was not spearing and I did not see other out at the time.

 

[moosicman]

What was his body language like? Fins down? Quick movements or cruising speed? Etc...

 

[InTheDrink]

White tip reef shark or Oceanic White Tip? The behaviour you witnessed wouldn't be unusual for an OWT.

 

[rjk75]

Where are the pictures?

 

[DandyDon]

Where are the pictures?

You said you got the shot...?

Lucky you didn't lose the camera: Tiger shark steals camera equipment - YouTube

 

[triggerman365]

Not an OWT, just a plain old reef whitetip. I look up and saw him and he swam directly toward me. I thought, wow I'm going to get some great shots but I got off one and then instead of pics I was using my housing for a weapon, ugh. Here is the one pic I got. By the way, this is at Obyan Beach, Saipan. The shot is not the best, I had my strobe power turned down and my camera on manual setting, so this is all I got.

 

[InTheDrink]

Hmmm bizarre. Not that I'm any expert but surprising to hear of an aggressive white tip reef shark. Have heard of them nipping but that was in some of the feeding frenzy night dives at Cocos.<br><br>Perhaps indeed used to getting hand outs and you simply hadn't got the goods! Sounds like fun in any event

 

[moosicman]

I think this may have something to do with it...

[video=youtube;jkuYdSk7oX8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkuYdSk7oX8&amp;feature=fvwrel[/video]