What to do when shark approach?

[shark_tamer]

Disguise yourself as a ramora and stick yourself to it ... this way he can't bite you

:shocked2:

On the serious side ...

Shark attacks

In 2006 the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) undertook an investigation into 96 alleged shark attacks, confirming 62 of them as unprovoked attacks and 16 as provoked attacks. The average number of fatalities worldwide per year between 2001 and 2006 from unprovoked shark attacks is 4.3.

Contrary to popular belief, only a few sharks are dangerous to humans. Out of more than 360 species, only four have been involved in a significant number of fatal, unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, oceanic whitetip, tiger, and bull sharks. These sharks, being large, powerful predators, may sometimes attack and kill people, but all of these sharks have been filmed without the use of a protective cage.

The perception of sharks as dangerous animals has been popularized by publicity given to a few isolated unprovoked attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, and through popular fictional works about shark attacks, such as the Jaws film series. The author of Jaws, Peter Benchley, had in his later years attempted to dispel the image of sharks as man-eating monsters.


.... wanna learn more.

Shark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[ChimChim75]

Someone that dives often with sharks once told me that if you can usually spook sharks away by going towards them if they look curious. Most food will flee and they will veer off in that case. Never had to try it myself of course.

 

[cdarroch]

Someone that dives often with sharks once told me that if you can usually spook sharks away by going towards them if they look curious. Most food will flee and they will veer off in that case. Never had to try it myself of course.

I have found this to be the case with blacktips and SMALL bulls.

 

[jupitermermaid]

Sharks usually run off before I get close enough to them to satisfy my curiosity. I have never felt threatened by one, but was told that the best thing to do if confronted with an aggressive shark is to go vertical and look him straight in the eye (don't back down). I don't know if sharks smell fear, so you would want to remain as calm as possible under the circumstances. If he gets too close a thump on the nose will usually deter him (so I've been told....never had the opportunity to get that close). Another unproven theory is to take the reg out of your mouth and purge it away from you. The shark may think it's food and pursue the bubbles and lose interest in you.

 

[deco_martini]

I would release the seal blubber packs I keep strapped to my BC for emergencies.

 

[Silverback784]

ROFLMAO this is better than the Cartoons WE have some major comedians here LOL You made my day LOL

 

[bbdqsony]

Thanks guys for making my days... some answers made me laugh to death! Others had good theories.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

...Incidentally ... I ran across that big tiger at Ho'okena again.

Holy Cow, errr I mean Holy Tiger!

And I had just read (Tribune Herald I think) that current research seemed to show that Tigers were not territorial.

Note to Self: Avoid diving at Ho'okena. Just kidding... well, sort of....

Growing up here I'd been told by local fishermen and divers that Tigers were territorial. Be interesting to know who has it right, the scientists or the Hawaiians...

I could just see the researchers of a Tiger shark tagging program drawing straws; short straw had to do the Tiger-tagging that day (My understading is that the Tigers are caught on hook & line from a boat and the transmitter is put on the shark in "relative" safety for both the humans and shark).

Best wishes.

 

[Thalassamania]

No ... he's one of the most beautiful animals I've ever seen. I've seen him three times now (I think it's the same tiger, if not, there's more 10 to 12 foot tigers there than I want to think about). He's not aggressive, just cruises on by.

 

[Divenomad]

Every time I've seen a shark, I've involuntarily gawped in wonder. That being said, I've never encountered a shark that is "considered a danger". Beautiful animals, sharks.

Nomad