Diver fights off shark - Australia

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Swimmer seriously injured after shark mauling in Australia | Metro News

I wonder what species? A Bull Shark, possibly? I just found this. Apparently, a young boy was also bit by a shark. Boy, 11, bitten by shark in waters off Heron Island in Central Queensland - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[chris kippax]

I worked on heron island and swam with the Sharks frequently. I was told by a friend that still works on heron island that it was a black tip reef shark that was harassed. The young boy was apparently kicking at it while standing on the harbour bund wall. It got his calf and took a good chunk out.

 

[infieldg]

Wonder if being sidemount is a good defence, I always hope I can quickly flip a bottle around in front of me and bop a shark on the nose if I'm attacked, only takes a second but that's probably not long enough. Failing that if I get bitten with a steel tank either side I won't come apart so that's nice.

 

[Ken Kurtis]

Here's the way the story should have been written:

"A shark - sensing a bloody, wounded fish in the middle of a school of mackerel - darted into the school in pursuit of the fish/meal, only to find that a larger predator had beaten the shark to the fish. A struggle for the dying fish ensued in the low visibility water and that that fight, the shark was repeatedly attacked on the snout by the other predator and struggled to fight back, biting the predator and inflicting wounds. Both predators eventually left the area. The condition of their intended meal was unknown."

This is newsworthy . . . why?????

Guy hunting fish in the middle of a school of baitfish attracts the attention of the shark, in low vis, and the shark hones in on the wounded fish, also biting the diver. I'm not seeing what's unusual about all of this. (Other than it's too bad the guy got bitten. Of course, if he'd given up his fish, it might have produced a different outcome.)

And if you're going to smack a shark (or any other animal), aim for the eyes. Very vulnerable body part.

- Ken

 

[Scared Silly]

Ken you nailed it. Spearfishing and a shark was attracted to the kill. Duh???

 

[mmmbelows]

I have serious doubts anyone would be able to defend themselves against an aggressive shark attack. It's one thing to see a shark lazily circling you or coming in close for a look at you or at your spear, that shark is moving relatively slowly compared to what it's capable of. Once it's targeting something, it's going to come at you so quickly there will probably be no time to react at all, by the time you figure out you're under attack you'll already be bitten.

 

[Doc Harry]

Almost all shark attacks on scuba divers were associated with spear fishing

I have serious doubts anyone would be able to defend themselves against an aggressive shark attack. It's one thing to see a shark lazily circling you or coming in close for a look at you or at your spear, that shark is moving relatively slowly compared to what it's capable of. Once it's targeting something, it's going to come at you so quickly there will probably be no time to react at all, by the time you figure out you're under attack you'll already be bitten.

Absolutely right! You have as much chance of reacting to shark attack as you would jumping out of the way of lightning.

 

[ZephyrNYC]

Wonder if being sidemount is a good defence, I always hope I can quickly flip a bottle around in front of me and bop a shark on the nose if I'm attacked, only takes a second but that's probably not long enough. Failing that if I get bitten with a steel tank either side I won't come apart so that's nice.

The tanks would probably break some teeth and send the shark to his orthodontist's office! lol

---------- Post added January 12th, 2016 at 03:48 PM ----------

What do folks think would be appropriate action if suspecting an attack? Besides attempting to reducing viz via the involuntary emergency bowel evacuation procedure...

LOL that's funny. To answer your questoin, this is what my instructor taught us in the mid-'90s regarding a shark encounter. As mentioned by other posters, this should be done BEFORE a shark attack. Because once a shark initiates its attack, the diver most likely won't see it coming and will have very little time to react, if any at all.

Actions to take during a shark encounter:

1. Immediately draw your dive knife or knives (or bring your spear gun to the ready position, if you haven't already done so).

2. Wait till one or more of your dive buddies swims close to you.

3. Be ready to immediately use your dive knife, knives, or spear.







4. STAB YOU NEAREST BUDDY ONCE OR TWICE AND IMMEDIATELY SWIM AWAY!

5. Once the shark senses the cloud of blood, it will immediately go for your buddy instead of you.

6. Ascend and tell your buddy's loved ones that you used your weapons during the shark attack, but to no avail



All kidding aside, this is what our instructor told us after we all got done laughing at his joke.


Actions to take during a shark encounter:

1. Ensure that there are no harvested (bloody) fish on your person, if you've been spear fishing. (At least keep it in a bag on a tether, away from your body, if you don't want to ditch your catch.)

2. While keeping an eye on the shark, slowly and calmly vertically descend below the shark's level.

3. Swim away horizontally at the same level, while checking your 6 and keeping an eye on the shark, until the shark is no longer in sight.

4. After this, you may continue your dive or ascend to complete the dive.

The rationale behind this is that if you are below the shark's level, it is less likely to mistake you for its prey, e.g. marine mammals such as seals.

Were you taught otherwise in the 21st century? Have any of you heard the same?


P.S. True story: Once after I ascended from a dive because I was low on air, my other dive buddies came across a disabled nurse shark trapped in a net. I wish I had seen it in the water before I surfaced. My two instructors attempted to free and revive it by grabbing its lateral fins and swimming with it in order to move more oxygenated water into its gills. Unfortunately, their efforts failed and we ended up having nurse shark for lunch that day. The chef didn't prepare it very well and the meat was very rubbery in texture though.

---------- Post added January 12th, 2016 at 03:59 PM ----------

I have serious doubts anyone would be able to defend themselves against an aggressive shark attack. It's one thing to see a shark lazily circling you or coming in close for a look at you or at your spear, that shark is moving relatively slowly compared to what it's capable of. Once it's targeting something, it's going to come at you so quickly there will probably be no time to react at all, by the time you figure out you're under attack you'll already be bitten.

Still though, I'd rather have one or more dive knives and/or a speargun on me. Having a slight fighting chance is much better than being unarmed and having zero fighting chance at all.

"It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

A prepared diver could always wear one of these shark armor suits. They must be expensive. I wonder how much they cost:

Home | SharkArmor Sharksuits

http://www.sharksuits.com/images/jeremiahsullivan-sharkbite.jpg

Neptunic | Sharksuits .

 

[mmmbelows]

2. While keeping an eye on the shark, slowly and calmly vertically descend below the shark's level.

I'd say that would be effective if you can descend to the reef and get as close to is as possible, other than that I don't think it matters if you're above or below a shark that is intent to attack you, it's going to happen so fast you will have no time to react.

I think people think sharks attack you by first showing up very slow and methodically swimming around you and make some sort of announcement to you that they are going to attack you. In reality when sharks attack they come at you fast, sharks don't leisurely swim close to you and then slowly reach over and slowly open their mouths and slowly bite you, they come flying in so quick unless you can recognize instantly that that shark is coming in to bite you, by the time you watch the shark getting closer and closer he's on you by the time you finally realize what is happening you're at his mercy.

I haven't been bitten by a shark but I've had two different aggressive shark encounters, one for instance was in Jupiter Florida, a spear-o shot a fish 50 feet from us and he immediately started ascending to exit the water as he knew what was coming. Within less than a minute two large reef sharks appeared out of no where and aggressively check each diver out, they came in fast and furiously and within a split second they were within inches of a diver sniffing and looking him over and way inside the dives comfort zone, as quickly as they check the diver they went on to the next one to repeat the process then they took off in the direction of the spear diver, this all took place in under 5 seconds. By the time that shark was onto me and closed the distance he was within inches of me, no way would I have put up any resistance to stop a bite they move way too fast.

I've seen videos of sharks and spear divers with the shark that is getting too close and the spear diver pokes the shark, the difference is that's a curious shark, he's not committed to anything, he's still in the check out mode. Watch another version of that video when the shark is in aggressive attack mode and is coming after the fish on the spear gun, watch the speed that shark uses coming in and hitting that fish, now imagine that fish is you.

Watch this video, fast forward to 2:10 and watch the sharks as they come at the camera, this still isn't at full speed, but watch them from the time you realize they are coming at the camera to the time they get in close and observe how fast that is, and like I said that's not full speed, fast forward to 2:29 watch that one shark that makes a break and a speed run along side the other shark, observe that speed, now apply that to the sharks from 2:10 and imagine your reaction time. Watch again at 2:31 with the one shark that comes out of no where and is in the camera face in a split second.... keep in mind those are bulls, which aren't even fast sharks, bulls are relatively slow. All I can say if when you in real life witness a shark at speed you will quickly realize how powerful and fast they are when they want to be and how powerless you are.

 

[CuzzA]

Ultimately, from my talks with those who have encountered aggressive sharks is if you see them and you have a weapon like a speargun, you'll be fine (assuming you're not outnumbered). You can reach out and kill it, whereas it has to get close to you in order to do damage. It would be the shark you don't see coming that is of concern.

I recently had a fellow spearo share a story with me where he was finishing up his deco when out of the blue a Oceanic White Tip came flying up from below, knowing he was going to be siting there for a while to clear his deco he went ahead and loaded his powerhead prior to the incident. At the last second he was able to put the speargun between him and the shark and the shark bit the end of the gun. Remembering he had the powerhead attached he pulled the trigger and is still alive to tell the story. If I recall, he didn't have any fish on him as he sent it to the surface either with a bag or using the fish's now inflated swim bladder. The shark was, IMO, going to attack him and given the species, probably eat him.

I disagree with your instructor that you should keep your catch away from your body. The shark wants the fish, but it doesn't want to get injured. If it sees an opportunity to separate you from the fish then it will take it and now it's in full blown unpredictable frenzy. Best to protect your catch and leave.