shark questions

[rickdean]

The sharks in the Jupiter/WPB area have gotten pretty "smart" over the last few years, with all the Spearos around. . .maybe it's gotten around amongst them that your screen name is "Shark Bait", so they figure. . .well. . . here's an EASY one!

Seriously, it sounds like something about your gray wetsuit or something different you have been doing. . . plus, there are a LOT of sharks active, now.

 

[sjmueller61990]

i cant even be considered a new diver yet so my opinion towards being in the water with sharks has a negative amount of importance, but i do know sharksare attracted to shinier things so maybe did you wear a new dive watch or a new maybe silver spear gun, or dive knife? also darker color wetsuit are usually considered a target for a shark. (althought it wouldnt make sense since your gray suit tended to make them act more aggressive) this is more so the fact that sharks tend to attack from the bottom, so everything above them looks black, so if your swimming around and have a darker color suit you make look like a silhouette of a target. but anyways i just thought maybe i could help give you some ideas towards their behavior so threw my 2 cents in.

 

[FL Dive]

I like the competition idea. I have dropped a nice snapper when a second bull showed up. The first shark was completely disinterested but once the second bull came in and started harassing me, the first smaller less interested shark started getting aggressive. It seemed to me at the time that the little one got fired up because of competition. I saw the first one for 20 mins or more off and on with fish on and no sign of interest.

Of course this is in Jacksonville and was a few years ago (before snapper became magically ENDANGERED). I think there is more competition for food here, not sure.

I wonder if more info might be found researching shark dives with grey chain mail suits v. no chain suit?

 

[zoomzx11]

I am not a fan of longlines as a fishing method, however, the Longline fishing fleet did some good for the safety of reef spearfishing in S. Florida. I dove all over Keys and S. Florida during the years that the long line boats were making a fortune running out of Pompano Beach. Those boats fished all up and down the coast and the sharks disappeared. Even the close to shore species like the bulls disappeared. That fishery has been made illegal and the sharks have come roaring back and they are bigger and more aggressive than ever. And they are very used to divers. I would not swim with speared fish anywhere near me. Send em up and take the losses. If you have a good boat operator he should be quick to pick up the fish. As far as the Goliaths I never believed they were a threatened species. A few commercial divers who made money power heading the wrecks around Key West went to the councils and whined the jewfish were gone. The councils loved it and a ban went right into place. These fish were plentiful on the far and deep wrecks of the gulf where the powerheaders did not go. Now they are all over the place and we call them politically correct goliath groupers. At least you see the goliaths hanging around and they dont sneak up behind you like a bull shark.

 

[REEF DIVE SHOP]

If you could See Like a shark "sees" you would not see the suit at all..but Feel it. There oblivious to that stuff but keenly ick up on Smell and electrical impulses.

 

[Adventure-Ocean]

There are still quite a few things we don't know about shark behavior. It certainly looks like the grey and black suite could represent an animal that is either threatening to them or delicious to eat. You might find the manufacturers of the suit might pay you to conduct a test or two with the two suits. They'd certainly would want to know if your observation is true.

 

[wedivebc]

I would be more worried about aggression from fellow divers if you go around spearing nurse sharks!!!!