Any diver out there been attacked by a big shark?!

[martincohn]

Great response...
Btw do sharks attack only a lone person? What if i stay closer to the group... they might get intimidated by the group right?

You mean like a bait ball?...lol

 

[bshort4]

Just finished a liveaboard trip to the Red Sea this past week. Went to Elphinstone Reef to look for White Tip sharks. First dive we went deep looking for them but only caught a glimpse of some Hammerheads way below us. Our second dive we decided to hang out below the boats in 20 feet of water and here they came. Six or seven very curious white tips cruising around almost every diver. You needed to keep your head on a swivel because they'd come at you from everywhere. Four divers were hanging off a rib and one came up from below them and started nibbling on one divers fins--- I 've never seen people get into a rib so fast. we must have interacted with five or six of them for over 40 minutes until they slowly drifted away. Amazing experience!

 

[dirtfarmer]

Great hammerheads in my experience are practically stealth sharks; I've had it happen to me and seen it happen to others where one zips by close behind and disappears by the time somebody turns around. I've seen footage of them getting very pushy with spearfishers and had a big female (Scylla, a.k.a. Patches) in the Bahamas that was a lot bolder than I was used to, but in the latter case I still had to wait for her to come to me for closeups. Another photographer ignored the briefing and chased after her, which she wanted no part of.

Mostly I think of tigers as going by "rope-a-dope" - they don't move particularly fast, but that camo pattern is surprisingly effective and they have an unnerving ability to get close enough to take advantage of a lapse in attention. If one is around, you forget about the pack of lemon sharks practically cuddling in your lap and watch the stripey fish. Then again, I'm mostly used to Florida and the Bahamas - in Tahiti we had a few "hot" passes that left me thinking the tigers I usually see must be munching some pot bales.

I've only observed great whites from inside a cage at Guadalupe Island, but it's spooky how with 100-ft or more of viz they can still get behind you unobserved - and they can move a lot faster than a tiger. Much as I was irritated by being stuck inside a metal box with 40 lbs of lead harnessed to me, I felt the "hands and feet inside the ride at all times" rule was there for a reason.

All that said, overall the take-home message is that it's their ocean and their rules; divers are guests. Attacks on divers do happen, but they're pretty rare; far more often all parties leave unscathed and the humans at least are impressed. The best tip is to stay aware; surprise is the biggest edge a shark has and they know it.

I've dove with Patches she's a sweetheart but can get fiesty. With her if they fed her or lowered the bait box really low to the sand she wanted more and upped her game staying in sight and making more aggressive runs. Key is always keep an eye on them, which is easy when it's just one Hammer but when there was a Tiger coming in also it made for some high voltage diving. A couple of hammers and a tiger or two at the same time would be epic!

At Guadeloupe there was a big female GWS that would come from behind the cages and swoop in very close... maybe hoping for some arm or head snacks from someone poking their stuff out of the cage? She did that about 3 times with me in the cage.

 

[Dan]

I've dove with Patches she's a sweetheart but can get fiesty. With her if they fed her or lowered the bait box really low to the sand she wanted more and upped her game staying in sight and making more aggressive runs. Key is always keep an eye on them, which is easy when it's just one Hammer but when there was a Tiger coming in also it made for some high voltage diving. A couple of hammers and a tiger or two at the same time would be epic!

At Guadeloupe there was a big female GWS that would come from behind the cages and swoop in very close... maybe hoping for some arm or head snacks from someone poking their stuff out of the cage? She did that about 3 times with me in the cage.

I have never seen tiger shark & great hammerhead. You tickled my interest in doing such shark diving. So, I'm chartering Dolphin Dream: Tiger Shark Expedition 31 Oct - 6 Nov, 2020

Also GWS, some of us plan to book a couple cabins here: Nautilus Liveaboards - 21 Jul 2020 on Nautilus Belle Amie

They still have plenty of open spots in Dolphin Dream and Belle Amie, so come and join us!

 

[dirtfarmer]

I have never seen tiger shark & great hammerhead. You tickled my interest in doing such shark diving. So, I'm chartering Dolphin Dream: Tiger Shark Expedition 31 Oct - 6 Nov, 2020

Also GWS, some of us plan to book a couple cabins here: Nautilus Liveaboards - 21 Jul 2020 on Nautilus Belle Amie

They still have plenty of open spots in Dolphin Dream and Belle Amie, so come and join us!

Both are epic trips, did GWS on the Belle Amie last November, amazing sharks and great boat, you've chosen well.
Tiger Beach I did this last January, on the Shearwater, amazing trip, we had some really epic dives. I almost booked it again for this January but am going to Socorro instead.
I'd consider both trips but I'm still tied up on the farm then.

 

[Dan]

Both are epic trips, did GWS on the Belle Amie last November, amazing sharks and great boat, you've chosen well.
Tiger Beach I did this last January, on the Shearwater, amazing trip, we had some really epic dives. I almost booked it again for this January but am going to Socorro instead.
I'd consider both trips but I'm still tied up on the farm then.

Yes, Socorro has plenty of sharks. I have seen many kinds of sharks there (Galápagos, Silky, Silvertip, Whitetip Reef, schooling Scalloped Hammerheads) when I was there last year, Socorro 22-30 December, 2018 Trip Report

I like the trip so much, 8 of us booked another trip for May 11-19, 2021: Nautilus Belle Amie

 

[Dan]

Tiger Beach I did this last January, on the Shearwater, amazing trip, we had some really epic dives. I almost booked it again for this January but am going to Socorro instead.

The Dolphin Dream liveaboard booking individually would cost about $2995, as shown here:
Book a Shark Diving live-aboard trip with the Dolphin Dream Team

I try to save everyone $895 by chartering the whole boat for 12 of us.

 

[Satrekker]

Come on & join me. Still have a few spots open.

Gathering a group for Cocos with Argo on 10-20 September 2020

I'd love to, but I've got a new 9 month old, so it'll be next year at the earliest before my wife will let me get away for something that long. :-D

 

[Dan]

I'd love to, but I've got a new 9 month old, so it'll be next year at the earliest before my wife will let me get away for something that long. :-D

Ya, family first. Let me know when you get green light. I’m putting together a cool trip in mid 2021 for 1/3 the price of Argo’s

 

[Satrekker]

Ya, family first. Let me know when you get green light. I’m putting together a cool trip in mid 2021 for 1/3 the price of Argo’s

Dan, I'd be interested. I would like late August, very early September. Last time I went was last week of August and temps couldn't have been better. I was on Okeanos Agressor II<?>

If I don't do Cocos, I'm shooting for either Raja Ampat or Komodo.