How much does shark sightings change your dive?

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As posted above it depends on the behaviour of the shark. I have never felt threatened by sharks. Bull sharks in Thailand were probably the biggest and potentially dangerous sharks I have seen however the behaviour was completely benign and it wasn't a concern.

I never saw Oceanics in Egypt when working there. From what I was told, and have gathered from reading, they are generally OK with divers but it is important to never get blindsided by them if there are multiple sharks. They know when you're attention is elsewhere and this is where they could come in for a bump/bite.
 
I never saw Oceanics in Egypt when working there. From what I was told, and have gathered from reading, they are generally OK with divers but it is important to never get blindsided by them if there are multiple sharks. They know when you're attention is elsewhere and this is where they could come in for a bump/bite.

Usually one would have to go south to places like Elphinstone to meet Oceanics, but by the time of attacks there were frequent sighting reports from sites near Sharm el Sheikh, which was rather unusual.

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Depends on the shark. Nurse sharks don't interest me that much, as they are a dime a dozen in the areas I do most of my tropical diving.

Reef sharks generally aren't very sociable, and just want to be anywhere I am not, so I don't worry about them.

I've had an encounter with (probably should just say "saw") a bull shark while diving the Oriskany last year. He was about 40' below me and all I saw was his silhouette prowling around. He was easily 10' long. I was more fascinated with him than anything, wanted to get a better look at him.

Now, barracudas, those are a completely different ball game. I don't like them on deep wrecks. I just don't. I've had them do some seriously wild **** on those dives, and then be completely timid on reef dives.

I've had one try to headbut my buddy while we were moving single file- he missed my friend's temple by about an inch when he charged- that barracuda was easily 6' long and thick as a log. I can only assume that he wanted to eat my buddy's A700 regulator, which are shiny as hell.

They've never tried anything against me though. Probably because every piece of gear on my kit is dark colored- including my D-rings.
 
First off, the sharks around here are almost entirely harmless, but aside from that, I kind of regard sharks the same way as I regard other large predators. Chances are they know you are there long before you are aware of them and 95% of the time they're not looking for a meal. If they are though it's best to stay far away. If you are a hiker or backpacker, chances are you're been around bears and cougars and have never even been aware of it and as a diver, you've probably been around sharks too without knowing it.

The one thing that gives me much more pause with sharks than with land predators is that in the water I am out of my natural element. My underwater senses are not even remotely akin to the senses of a shark and I am largely defenseless. That's not the case on land.
 
It changes my dive since I spend the rest of it following the shark about :D

Typically they don't mind, and I've only ever had a shark adopt an aggressive stance one (a large grey reef shark). I love sharks, and find how they move through the water so easily and gracefully just mesmerizing! Shark sighting always improve a dive!
 
It makes my dive complete!! I love seeing sharks, and even more love seeing multiple species of sharks on a dive. It does make me take more video, because I just love seeing them.
 
I am new to diving... What should I keep with me to fend them off if they get pushy??
Are there signs to watch for and what is bad about Oceanics??
The majority of my diving will be in the gulf at the rigs out of grand isle after my Florida trip.
Spearfishing to say the least.
 
To those new to diving, there are some things you should know about sharks and shark behavior when reading the opening post.

1. The diver is talking about collecting fish for an aquarium. When you net fish as he does, they send out distress signals. This attracts sharks. The people who are most involved with nosy and somewhat aggressive sharks are spearfishers and fish collectors for that reason.

2. The diver is talking about doing photography. It has been well documented that there seems to be something in photography, possibly the strobe action especially, that seems to attract sharks. Sharks have senses that may be picking up on the electronic actions of the camera equipment.

Divers who are doing neither rarely draw much interest from sharks.
 
Haven't seen one yet in 8 years, 350+ dives. If I ever see one it would scare the %^&# out of me. It would change my dive plans so as never to dive there again. But again, though not paranoid (???), I am in a tiny minority.
 
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