Persistent fear of sharks?

[TMHeimer]

maat1976, Yeah, 4 decades ago I visited those places where Jaws I (& II, I think) were filmed. One of the locals said others were laughing at some of the stuff Jaws did, such as eating boats and docks that have steak on a rope as bait. Apparently the movies spurned a lot of hatred for sharks and the creator later was sorry for that. But I can see some of those things happening, like swimmers being attacked. I don't think the movies changed my perception of sharks. I think I knew before that that they were nothing to mess with.

Rough spot for Ted Kennedy too.

 

[RJP]

I know it's only been two days, but I noticed the OP has not been back since joining SB and posting this. I guess she didn't need help THAT badly. Or maybe she was eaten by a shark.

Or maybe she has a life outside SB.

Don't laugh... it could happen.



Or perhaps she's waiting for the thread to get through split-fins, spare-air, and agency-bashing before coming back for a more comprehensive take on the topic.

 

[industrious95]

I was in Riviera Maya this past winter and paid extra to go on a "Bull Shark Dive" because I wanted to see them.

True story - my first diving after getting certified, we were in the Florida keys, doing our SI and one of the crew yelled "Shark" from the back of the boat. The rest of the crew and some of the divers (not me) grabbed masks and jumped into the water.

I wager that as you get more and more experience, you will learn respect and admiration and fear will go away.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Or maybe she has a life outside SB.

Don't laugh... it could happen.

SEE--not obsessively reading SB leaves one with too much time to worry about things like sharks.

 

[Shasta_man]

If you have a fear of sharks, then you picked the perfect hobby to understand and get over it. You'll find that the reality of sharks is that they are relatively rare in most places and actually a bonus to get to see. I agree with most of the other responses about them being uninterested in you most of the time.

 

[AfterDark]

maat1976, Yeah, 4 decades ago I visited those places where Jaws I (& II, I think) were filmed. One of the locals said others were laughing at some of the stuff Jaws did, such as eating boats and docks that have steak on a rope as bait. Apparently the movies spurned a lot of hatred for sharks and the creator later was sorry for that. But I can see some of those things happening, like swimmers being attacked. I don't think the movies changed my perception of sharks. I think I knew before that that they were nothing to mess with.

Rough spot for Ted Kennedy too.

I watched Jaws in the theater during a Sat. matinee, then went night diving Sat night. Jaws didn't change my perception of sharks either.

 

[fairdiver]

You are not prey under the water. We are almost as big, and swim calmly, so they see is as equals.

 

[Nemrod]

I watched Jaws in the theater during a Sat. matinee, then went night diving Sat night. Jaws didn't change my perception of sharks either.

Well, I have to say, I was terrified by that opening scene, I will not watch it even now. I did not alter my diving or basic behavior but I used to love to swim at night in the ocean, just saying, used to.

I was in an open water swimming race, the viz was pretty poor as in around zero, Texas coast. I was in the water with a bunch of people so getting bumped by other swimmers is not unusual. I got bumped and was kinda getting tired of being bumped when I looked around to ascertain who was bumping me and I was not in the group. There was another swimmer about 20 feet away. Maybe he bumped me, doooo, dooop, do, doop, dooooo, doooop. I do not know but--------. Let me just say I think I swam my fastest pace ever!

Some of us who have been diving a long time and have purposely placed ourselves in shark prone places may have our stories, but OP, do not worry yourself over sharks, just go diving and have fun.

N

 

[NAM001]

for what it is worth without checking the actual numbers but there are about 250 different sharks and only about 5 one could call opertunistic people predator's. And then they are attacking a shape. surface sea life , snorkel swimmers , swimmers surfers ect.

 

[Texanguy]

I was certified in freshwater so i didn't really think about sharks until my first ocean dive. Then on my first ocean dive (that was in Florida during peak jellyfish season) I got stung so many times (nothing serious just painful) that i realized that sharks aren't that bad. The one shark i did see (4 foot hammerhead) just ran.