Silly Question

[Paladin]

Kern,

Not all sharks spit out human flesh. Tiger sharks have been caught with human remains in their digestive tracts. In 1916, a bull shark killed several people and was seen to be actively feeding on one of its victims.

Sharks are unpredictable. You can never be sure what they are going to do at any given time. They are wild predators that have changed little since the days when dinosaurs roamed the planet. When dealing with sharks, even those that are generally thought to be relatively non-aggressive toward humans, caution is advised.

The Earth is a violent place and the ocean is no exception. Life feeds upon life and we are trespassers in a world where we do not belong. It would behoove us to tread lightly. We might be at the top of the food chain on dry land but, in the underwater realm, other rules apply.

 

[boulderjohn]

OK, just for grins, let's assume that a female dives while menstruating, and le's assume some menstrual fluid escapes the wet suit in an area with enough current to carry the smell of blood to an interested shark that is close enough to get there before the dive is over. What happens then?

In general, only four sharks make the "I'll keep a careful eye out if I see it while diving" list. For the most part. the rest are really not interested in us at all. These four are the oceanic white tip, the bull, the great white, and the tiger. While they appear with different frequency in different parts of the world, most divers will go through their lives without seeing any of those four. If you check my profile, you will see that I have been to a fair number of diving locations, and the only one on that list that I have seen is the bull shark, and only rarely, and only at a distance. The sharks most commonly encountered by divers have no interest in us whatsoever.

Next, consider the fact that our hypothetical woman is a diver at depth. Check any source of statistics you can find to see how very rare it is for a shark attack to occur on a diver at depth. Almost all shark attacks happen on the surface in poor visibility, usually in the early morning or late afternoon/evening. Most shark attacks are cases of mistaken identity. The shark makes one bite with the intention of disabling the prey, realizes it was not what was expected, and then goes away. In the case of our diver, the approaching shark has the opportunity to see that she is not on the menu.

The rare cases of shark/diver interaction usually include the shark's primary food source: injured or otherwise stressed fish. Spear fisherman and ichthyologists collecting specimens can probably tell you some stories.

Other cases include issues related to territory. In most cases, the shark makes its concern clear, and the wary diver backs off carefully and slowly.

So, I retain my original statement: were I a menstruation female, I would not hesitate to dive.

 

[diverdoug1]

Dr Burgess who heads up the ISAF feels that menstration my play a factor in increasing the chance of shark attack. Anecdotaly (and in no way statisticaly significant), at my hospital, we had a young woman who was skinny dipping at night while menstrating and was bitten by a 6-8 foot Bull shark. Although I don't think that a menstrating woman should refrain from driving (because the risk of attack is so small), I think the postings that say there is no increase in risk may be incorrect. It is really hard to get strong statistical evidence either way, because the sample size is miniscule.

 

[Paladin]

Don't forget hammerheads. They are known man-eaters. Also, I remember a case back in the '60s in which a menstruating woman was attacked by a blue shark. Admittedly, she was not a diver and she was attacked in shallow water, close to the beach.

 

[Kellykins]

Hm..surely no female diver would go diver without a cup or tampon...??

Was just wondering whether you could wear tampons while diving. the answer is yes...so that's okay =}! Never ever trying the cup..man they look scary LOL

 

[Kern]

Kern,

Not all sharks spit out human flesh. Tiger sharks have been caught with human remains in their digestive tracts. In 1916, a bull shark killed several people and was seen to be actively feeding on one of its victims.

You're quite right of course. By spit them out, I didn't really mean that they got rid of the gobs of flesh & limbs they already had. Just that they often left it at a bit or 3.

Last year a navy clearance diver lost a hand & a section of thigh to a bull shark attack in Sydney Harbour (this happened at the surface). In the early 90's a diver was bitten in half at Julian Rock, Byron Bay saving his bride from a huge Great White (this happened at depth). They didn't give up what they'd taken, but they didn't come back for more. But as you say there are no guarantees they won't just rip the victim to pieces & devour them, as happened to a girl playing in the shallows at Nth. Stradbroke Is. year before last.

 

[Kellykins]

Tiger sharks are scavengers! They eat anything. It's a hunter. But mainly hunt a night though....so no diving at night when you're bleeding ! It's also classed quite dangerous to humans. the great white is number 2 compared to the tiger shark. My fave sharky =]

 

[Kellykins]

Luckily wont find them in the uk!