Shark feeder loses parts of two fingers.

[Wookie]

Randy does NOT feed Cobia to sharks.
It was a Cobia that he had popped when Mr. Bull Shark showed up, and the mono on gun looped around and then popped his finger tips off.

Chug
Not into feeding sharks, and wishing Randy a speedy recovery, while thinking up a Sooper-Kool nickname.

Look. I don't have anything against Randy's operation. I like the guy, and he's doing well in an industry that typically doesn't do well. I feed sharks myself, or, I have crew that does. I have no moral qualms against feeding sharks.

But let's call a spade a spade here. Randy started out feeding fishies to sharks at the tip of a spear. I can come up with countless photos by Alan Egan, Chuck and Angie, any number of others where a shark is taking a fishie from Randy's spear. Now, Randy isn't whining that a shark took his fingertips, but when the thread has a title of "Sharkfeeder (which he is) loses parts of 2 fingers" and everyone jumps down the OPs throat because the Sharkfeeder didn't happen to be feeding sharks that particular dive? Did anyone tell the bull that the dinner bell wasn't rung?

Know why US liveaboards go to Tiger Beach? Why, because we feed sharks there, and the sharks know it. Don't try to slip any "we aren't altering their behavior" past, otherwise we'd go to a lot closer to home and feed sharks there. Sharks go to the ledges because a couple of boats feed them there. Bears go to dumps in search of free meals. Coyotes and fisher cats eat housecats because they are easy pickings. That bull shark probably couldn't tell that it was a small cobia on the tip of the spear instead of a hunk of something else. I'm sure if it knew that it was destined for Randy's grill instead of for the pleasure of the divers it would have left well enough alone.

If it could think and reason.

 

[dfx]

Look. I don't have anything against Randy's operation. I like the guy, and he's doing well in an industry that typically doesn't do well. I feed sharks myself, or, I have crew that does. I have no moral qualms against feeding sharks.

But let's call a spade a spade here. Randy started out feeding fishies to sharks at the tip of a spear. I can come up with countless photos by Alan Egan, Chuck and Angie, any number of others where a shark is taking a fishie from Randy's spear. Now, Randy isn't whining that a shark took his fingertips, but when the thread has a title of "Sharkfeeder (which he is) loses parts of 2 fingers" and everyone jumps down the OPs throat because the Sharkfeeder didn't happen to be feeding sharks that particular dive? Did anyone tell the bull that the dinner bell wasn't rung?

Know why US liveaboards go to Tiger Beach? Why, because we feed sharks there, and the sharks know it. Don't try to slip any "we aren't altering their behavior" past, otherwise we'd go to a lot closer to home and feed sharks there. Sharks go to the ledges because a couple of boats feed them there. Bears go to dumps in search of free meals. Coyotes and fisher cats eat housecats because they are easy pickings. That bull shark probably couldn't tell that it was a small cobia on the tip of the spear instead of a hunk of something else. I'm sure if it knew that it was destined for Randy's grill instead of for the pleasure of the divers it would have left well enough alone.

If it could think and reason.

And you think that this particular shark recognized him, remembered that he was feeding them in the past, and then decided to go for the grab? Because he's a shark feeder?

Or could it be that the mere activity of spearfishing was the trigger, and that the fact that the victim was feeding sharks at other times was completely irrelevant?

 

[g1138]

Feeding or not, if someone is ever feeding at a site consistently, it changes sharks behaviors.
I have no doubt sharks can recognize reef sites in the ocean.

If you always pop a fish, make a distinct noise, then feed a shark, your sharks who frequent the site are going to assume it's feeding time anytime you make that distinct noise. It's Pavlov at it's finest.
It's not the feeders who are endangering themselves, they're endangering the other divers who don't expect a shark looking for a handout.

 

[Wookie]

And you think that this particular shark recognized him, remembered that he was feeding them in the past, and then decided to go for the grab? Because he's a shark feeder?

Or could it be that the mere activity of spearfishing was the trigger, and that the fact that the victim was feeding sharks at other times was completely irrelevant?

No, I think that the act of feeding sharks in a particular location is the trigger. I think that the presence of struggling fish in the same spot over and over again is the trigger. I think that the few shark feeding boats in South Florida are teaching sharks that there are easy meals to be had on the Jupiter Ledges.

I spear around Key West. I spear blacks, hogfish, and lionfish. I have yet to see a shark spearing. I can pull the trigger a hundred times and feel pretty good that a shark isn't going to come around sniffing over what I got. Is that because we don't have sharks in Key West? Not if you listen to the charter boat fleet. They say we're overrun.

In my opinion (which is nothing more than that) it's because a shark is as likely to be powerheaded by a spearo here as they come in close. When we do mutton snapper research in the Dry Tortugas, we have plenty of company from lemons. They are pretty likely to get bonked with a stick or poked with a pole if they come too close. What they won't get is a meal.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Wookie, are you suggesting sharks "know" when a diver is keeping fish? I can buy a shark seeing when a diver is defending a catch and exercising caution, but mind reading? Quite literally, bull. If the shark thinks he can get away with it he'll go for the fish, period. As far as why they're at the deep ledge, it's where the food is - not the handouts, but the fish. The sharks and spearos have always had to share that spot; Randy started doing feeds there because the photographers were coming along on the spearing trips. Bulls have always been taking fish off divers there; I'm dumbfounded that people think that's not normal behavior.

As far as jumping down the OP's throat, I consider Randy a friend. If you've taken a look at Spearboard's take on this, you may have an inkling why I have a bit of a hair trigger.

 

[Johnoly]

Purposely Mis-Leading Tabloid type Title


Shame on you.

 

[Wookie]

Wookie, are you suggesting sharks "know" when a diver is keeping fish? I can buy a shark seeing when a diver is defending a catch and exercising caution, but mind reading? Quite literally, bull. If the shark thinks he can get away with it he'll go for the fish, period. As far as why they're at the deep ledge, it's where the food is - not the handouts, but the fish. The sharks and spearos have always had to share that spot; Randy started doing feeds there because the photographers were coming along on the spearing trips. Bulls have always been taking fish off divers there; I'm dumbfounded that people think that's not normal behavior.

As far as jumping down the OP's throat, I consider Randy a friend. If you've taken a look at Spearboard's take on this, you may have an inkling why I have a bit of a hair trigger.

Sorry, should have been a [sarcasm] font [/sarcasm] in there somewhere. I don't go to spearboard because the majority of folks there are screamers and Helldivers, and I don't have time for either. I believe I prefaced my statement with I don't have a problem with feeding sharks. I do it myself. Which brings to mind, what are you doing the first 2 weeks in February? Anyway, my belief is that if you are going to go hunting in the same place you go feeding, you are likely to run into a shark who associates the twang of a band releasing with a free meal. There is nothing you can do about it, you don't want to chase the shark off if it's your meal ticket the other 6 days of the week. As I stated in the first thread about Randy's arrest, if you're going to pck a shark feeding spot, go for it. I have no issues with that. Pick the spot, tell everyone else so everyone can use it, and expect that if you pull a trigger there, a grey suit or two will show up to see what's going on. In other places, vigorously defend your catch.

Just like Tiger Beach.

 

[Chugwhump]

Look. I don't have anything against Randy's operation. I like the guy, and he's doing well in an industry that typically doesn't do well. I feed sharks myself, or, I have crew that does. I have no moral qualms against feeding sharks.

blah...
blah, blah, blah, blah....
blah, blah.

That bull shark probably couldn't tell that it was a small cobia on the tip of the spear instead of a hunk of something else. I'm sure if it knew that it was destined for Randy's grill instead of for the pleasure of the divers it would have left well enough alone.

If it could think and reason.

Point taken Wookie.
And I think it is VERY valid and a fair consideration for the conversation.
In my not having been there,
and not actually diving up there more than a few times a year,
perhaps grossly ignorant opinion,
it could just have easily have been a Barracuda or AJ that was the fish in question.
And that fish might have been destined to be chopped up for the purposes of feeding Mr Sharkie for fun and profit.

Chug
Very much misses seeing clouds of 'Cudas, Aj's, Southern Sennet, and Grunts like It was just a few years ago.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Sorry, should have been a [sarcasm] font [/sarcasm] in there somewhere. I don't go to spearboard because the majority of folks there are screamers and Helldivers, and I don't have time for either. I believe I prefaced my statement with I don't have a problem with feeding sharks. I do it myself. Which brings to mind, what are you doing the first 2 weeks in February? Anyway, my belief is that if you are going to go hunting in the same place you go feeding, you are likely to run into a shark who associates the twang of a band releasing with a free meal. There is nothing you can do about it, you don't want to chase the shark off if it's your meal ticket the other 6 days of the week. As I stated in the first thread about Randy's arrest, if you're going to pck a shark feeding spot, go for it. I have no issues with that. Pick the spot, tell everyone else so everyone can use it, and expect that if you pull a trigger there, a grey suit or two will show up to see what's going on. In other places, vigorously defend your catch.

Just like Tiger Beach.

I always assume that if there are sharks in the area, I'm going to have to fight for my fish - feeding spot or no feeding spot. It's a bleeding, struggling animal and that's what sharks go for. I was thinking of getting a speargun and taking up cobia shooting this year, but after seeing what happened to Randy I think I'll need to start with baby steps. The last shooting I did was with kelp bass and California sheephead out west, which is a much tamer ballgame than trying to reel in a big, PO'd cobia while the bull you just shot it off of is circling around for a look.

Funnily enough, New Year's Day at a lemon shark site I plugged five lionfish right out of the hole we were doing the feed in. The first one was small and I didn't feel like having bait on me (the sharks hadn't shown yet), so I crushed his head on a rock and sent him off with the current. The second was a big boy; I skewered him out as we were lifting off with at least three lemons in the immediate area and did the remainder of the dive (we did a long ascent up from 100 ft) with his de-spined arse on the end of my short spear. Got him back in the boat with no trouble; not even a close inspection from the sharks. The lemons got the remaining three on the second and third dives, but I wasn't really trying to defend my kills and it was more of an "eh, what the hell" attempt on the sharks' part. One I skewered at the start of the second dive; didn't feel like having him on me when the lemons came in so I stuck the fish and the spear under the ledge. Within a minute after I swam away a lemon grabbed it and ran (got the spear back). One actually came off my spear during the ascent and was hanging in midwater (swim bladder had expanded); a couple lemons swam by but none made a grab until after I'd skewered it again and put it right in front of a lemon. In hindsight, I probably could have kept all four of my worthwhile-size lions if I'd really bothered.

First two weeks of February on the Spree would be nice, but I'm not at a point in my career where I can take two weeks off and pony up four figures for a liveaboard trip. That's why I go with the Emerald on the weekends - between the charter cost, the tank rentals, and driving up from Miami I'm still under $200 and not missing work.

 

[scubadada]

I'm sorry to hear that Randy lost the tips of two fingers. Regardless of the purpose of the hunting, it appears this was a very unfortunate equipment problem resulting in the degloving of his fingers due to line entanglement. This could have happened to any spearfisher.

The question of whether the shark's behavior had been altered by previous experience is a separate question. It is possible, though unproven, that the shark had associated the sound of the speargun with a possible or probable meal. It may be just as likely that the shark sensed or smelled the injured fish and went in for an easy feast.

I'm not a shark-feeding advocate, regardless, this was a very unfortunate outcome I would wish on no one. I was hit by a boat off Delray in a summer squall on Aug 3, 2013, luckily, I'm alive to talk about it and hope nothing similar happens to any of you.

Good diving, Craig