You're at 84 ft and you see a school of bullsharks. Now what?
- Thread starter pilot fish
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
- Status
Wijbrandus
Contributor
From what I've read about GWs, the circling isn't what you should be scared of.
It's when they descend below you into the murk you should be nervous. They are ambush hunters, and I haven't read of them charging in. Usually they'll hit surfers and swimmers from below when they aren't looking. This is how they catch seals anyway.
I remember a post on here by some divers doing their deco and had a GW circle them for a bit. Quite an interesting time, but they finished the deco, and all Whitey did was check them out. I still think he was thinking, "Now there's something you don't see every day. People caught on a fishing line."
If it were me though, and I saw one of the big bad boys of the ocean, I'd be wanting back on the boat rather badly.
It's when they descend below you into the murk you should be nervous. They are ambush hunters, and I haven't read of them charging in. Usually they'll hit surfers and swimmers from below when they aren't looking. This is how they catch seals anyway.
I remember a post on here by some divers doing their deco and had a GW circle them for a bit. Quite an interesting time, but they finished the deco, and all Whitey did was check them out. I still think he was thinking, "Now there's something you don't see every day. People caught on a fishing line."
If it were me though, and I saw one of the big bad boys of the ocean, I'd be wanting back on the boat rather badly.
oceancrest67:
Once again more of a surfer, swimmer type of thing. Scuba divers are pretty safe in this regard, you are in their territory but you are aware of them, they are mostly ambush predators and they won't attack (or mostly won't anyway :11: ) when they know you are aware of them
Have a look at www.digitaldiver.net or www.wetpixel.com lots of galleries and stuff on there from a liveaboard out of Florida (the Shearwater) that does trips to the Bahamas specifically for Tiger shark encounters. Awesome photos and amazing experiences..its number one on my list
M
Ask and ye shall recieve... these are just a quick search on Spearboard...Mike Veitch:
http://www.spearboard.com/showpost.php?p=27770&postcount=4
http://www.spearboard.com/showpost.php?p=27904&postcount=3
http://www.spearboard.com/showpost.php?p=16538&postcount=1
---
There are sharks, and then there are Bull sharks.
I characterize Bull sharks as "untrustworthy," "erratic," "unpredictable."
They aren't particularly scared of bubbles - or anything else, for that matter, except maybe porpoises/dolphins.
They are as liable to come check you out as they are to ignore you. If you move towards one he may flee... or he may make a brief charge, or he may not respond at all.
While they tend to hug the bottom, they will come up to "see" you - and there's no timidity in 'em when they do.
The "typical" Bull shark encounter, if there is one, is a sudden unexpected dash straight at you, veering off at an uncomfortably close range, followed by a brief period of hanging out at the edge of visibility, appearing and disappearing in such a way you may swear there are three or four sharks when there's only one. Probably not dangerous but it can be very scary.
---
In answer to PF's hypothetical... first, in over 30 years diving in the Bull's back yard (the northern Gulf), the most I've ever seen together is four, and they were actively hunting a big school of redfish & jack, so I think the chance of encountering a "school" of Bulls is pretty remote.
If I did, however, I would commence a slow non-threatening ascent and a below the surface swim back to the boat.
Rick
OP
pilot fish
Guest
- Messages
- 11,538
- Reaction score
- 4
- # of dives
- 200 - 499
Interesting responses. I see a lot of divers saying they'd reach for their cameras when they saw a school of large sharks. My guess is a lot of those divers would need to reach for some toilet tissue and change into a fresh suit for the next dive. 
Are you better off staying at depth, or head to shallower water and make an orderly retreat to the safety of the boat? Is that the wrong thing to do? What do you do if you are attached? Is it beter to be in a group, or are you better off separating?
Are you better off staying at depth, or head to shallower water and make an orderly retreat to the safety of the boat? Is that the wrong thing to do? What do you do if you are attached? Is it beter to be in a group, or are you better off separating?
Rick, i have a slow internet connection so will check your links in the morning, (its 11:45 pm here, i need to go home, diving at 8am) but one thing stands out for me, Spearboard. Just assuming by the name that this will be accounts by spearfishermen? I should have said something about that (i think i did) but when i think of diving i usually don't think of spearing and scuba in the same thought as that is illegal out this way.
It may be on scuba but definitely not in the context of recreational scuba. Blood and writhing fish are not usually attached to the typical scuba diver...
Thanks for the links though, i will check em out. And yes i agree with you that Bulls are definitely one of the most unpredictable sharks and should be treated with caution
M
It may be on scuba but definitely not in the context of recreational scuba. Blood and writhing fish are not usually attached to the typical scuba diver...
Thanks for the links though, i will check em out. And yes i agree with you that Bulls are definitely one of the most unpredictable sharks and should be treated with caution
M
JimJam
Contributor
Captain Obvious to the Rescue:
I think with all the press coverage lately, sharks have gotten a bad rap. Howard Stern even made a comment yesterday that all sharks should be eradicated. My interpretation was that he was being sarcastic in trying to make the point that, hey, the water belongs to them, we're the ones who take a risk everytime we step into their dining room.
Sharks are magnificent creatures. They've been here much longer than humans, and will probably be here long after we're gone. Unfortunately, they can be hazardous to be around sometimes. Humans need to understand and respect this. The media needs to point this out rather than talk about how they're attacking us. The whole notion of a shark "attack" is yet another example of the media's overboard attempt to scare people. And here we have a DIVER (who should know better) who wants to know what to do when, hypothetically, they might be in the water with a school of them. I agree wholeheartedly with Mike's comment...grab your camera and click away! Lil38 also has some good suggestions.
I think with all the press coverage lately, sharks have gotten a bad rap. Howard Stern even made a comment yesterday that all sharks should be eradicated. My interpretation was that he was being sarcastic in trying to make the point that, hey, the water belongs to them, we're the ones who take a risk everytime we step into their dining room.
Sharks are magnificent creatures. They've been here much longer than humans, and will probably be here long after we're gone. Unfortunately, they can be hazardous to be around sometimes. Humans need to understand and respect this. The media needs to point this out rather than talk about how they're attacking us. The whole notion of a shark "attack" is yet another example of the media's overboard attempt to scare people. And here we have a DIVER (who should know better) who wants to know what to do when, hypothetically, they might be in the water with a school of them. I agree wholeheartedly with Mike's comment...grab your camera and click away! Lil38 also has some good suggestions.
OP
pilot fish
Guest
- Messages
- 11,538
- Reaction score
- 4
- # of dives
- 200 - 499
Rick Murchison:
This answers a vital question, orderly swim back to boat. What little I know of Bullsharks is that they have no pattern. I view them as a brainless, eating machine behind sharp teeth. What worked on one encounter does not insure success on the next encounter. Scary stuff.
Wijbrandus
Contributor
Rick,
Those threads are two years old. Are spearos still so virulently anti-shark? I don't spearfish, and I'm not familiar with the culture, so I'm curious.
Kind of sounds like spearos have to deal with bulls like many hunters here in the Rockies have to deal with bears trying to take their kills. Though you can kind of "reason" with a bear...
Those threads are two years old. Are spearos still so virulently anti-shark? I don't spearfish, and I'm not familiar with the culture, so I'm curious.
Kind of sounds like spearos have to deal with bulls like many hunters here in the Rockies have to deal with bears trying to take their kills. Though you can kind of "reason" with a bear...
Wayward Son
Contributor
Dunno about bulls being afraid of bubbles. I've had them cruie past me at a range of about 6 feet while I was hunting on the bottom. As I didn't have any fish yet, they didn't bother me any more.
Once fish are on the stringer all bets are off. If they're around, they want the fish if they can get them. Some are a lot pushier about it than others.
If you're scuba diving, and are not spearing or even if you are but do not have fish, odds greatly favor them doing nothing more than cruising past for a look. If you are spearing and actually see bulls, then comes the hard decision on whether you try shooting anything or calling that site & moving on to another.
Once fish are on the stringer all bets are off. If they're around, they want the fish if they can get them. Some are a lot pushier about it than others.
If you're scuba diving, and are not spearing or even if you are but do not have fish, odds greatly favor them doing nothing more than cruising past for a look. If you are spearing and actually see bulls, then comes the hard decision on whether you try shooting anything or calling that site & moving on to another.
- Status
Similar threads
