Fear of sharks

[ScubaSteve]

I couldn't wait to see my first shark. I have been certified a year and so far have only see one...and I can't wait to see more. I hope to be able to do one of the shark dives in the bahamas next year.

I am with Princess. I have seen a some, but only one was truly unexpected (and it was a baby about 18" or so long - got a picture of it and would love to snap others) so I would very much welcome more "swim around the reef and there are sharks strolling" moments.

 

[Spencermm]

Just finished watching a couple of shows on Discovery Channels Shark Week. The first program showed carefree divers swimming with dozens of sharks and the sharks barely give them a second look. It looks great! But the next show is about people getting attacked. They show pictures of their grusome wounds using words like, ripped, tore, shredded, etc. and suddenly a 50 degree lake with 30' viz does'nt seem so bad. Probably should just chalk it up to tv sensationalism and not give it a second thought.

I KNOW! I was noticing the same thing in watching the shows. One show seemed to hold the position that attacks are rare. Then the next show would be about attacks on humans. The notion of attacks being "rare" is diminished by the following notion- what if I were the kayaker whose kayak was attacked! She was dislodged from her kayak then it came after her and gave her a bite.
On the other hand, it seems that most people who get bit are on the surface. In my very limited time in being involved in scuba, the only divers that I've heard of having problems with sharks are hunters. (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong please.)
Spencer

 

[perdidochas]

Trust me - your concerns are shared by thousands of beginning divers all over the world. From experience I can tell you the exact moment when you will forget about your fear: The moment you actually encounter a shark in the ocean. When I saw my first shark, a 6-foot Oceanic Whitetip in the Red Sea, I remember thinking, "This is only my second day of my first scuba diving vacation in a tropical sea, but if I had to fly home this afternoon, it would have all been worth it." Rarely had I felt such a deep sense of happiness and privilege in my life. The sight of a shark is one of such beauty there is simply no room for fear.

The real reason for concern is not to NOT see sharks but to see ANY, as they are becoming more and more rare.

My local observations are that sharks, at least in the Florida Panhandle area, are becoming more common. I've seen more sharks in the surf in the last two years than in a typical decade.

 

[TMHeimer]

I keep my eyes open. Hope I never see one.

 

[DiverDurf]

I grew up surfing in FL and have seen my share of sharks. They scared me more while surfing than they would if encountered during a dive. Why you ask? As a surfer, you look like a sea turtle or a seal while paddling around on that surfboard, and they often mistakingly bite before realizing what you are (they usually let go after that although the damage is done- I've seen it). But as a diver, I am in the water with them and watching them if they appear, so I figure I've got more of an even hand by seeing what's going on. I've seen attacks but haven't been a victim yet.

Off-topic but a little ditty for you: friends and I were surfing on a long day (waves were few and far in between), so we decided everyone take their last wave ride into shore and call it a day. I was the last one out in the water waiting for that one last perfect wave while my buddies watched me from the beach. At last, the wave arrived and I looked to the beach to see if they were watching. They were a good ways away and I could see them jumping up and down cheering me on (it was a really good sized wave). I caught the wave and was shredding it up, and at one point I looked to them again to see if they were witnessing the event. Again, they were exceedingly excited and throwing their arms all over, and I thought to myself, "Cool! I'm the MAN!" I finished the wave and dropped to my chest on my board and road the white water into the shore. When I walked up for the round of high 5's, they told me there was a freakin' HUGE shark riding right behind my board the ENTIRE ride!! They said they first saw it coming for me as I began to paddle for the wave and they just knew I was bait and a goner.

I was weak in my knees for a few........

 

[htn123]

OK,
So you have heard enough about not seeing much of sharks, right?

Want a pretty sure way to see one?!!!! Get a speargun, go down and shoot a fish or two, I guaranteee you, the landlord will show up for his free lunch .
Yep, happened with me on quite a few spearfishing trips. The men in grey suit most of the time conditioned to the spearguns go off and will come over to get his meal for free.
Other than that, sharks an't much interested in the water tourist. Just a bunch of land lubber and an't much prety to look at. So if you see a shark, count your blessing and enjoy the moment.

 

[pidgiepoo]

I dive Coz at least twice a year and I can't remember the last tme I haven't seen some type of shark(mostly nurse or reef) on at least one or more of the dives during the week. I've had the best luck seeing them on El Cedral reef...especially when we go in December. Last August I had the pleasure of seeing a black tip for the first time. It was an awesome experience and one I hope I'll be lucky enough to repeat this year.
My 15 year old grandson had a big nurse shark swim right under him...luckily he had the camera and got some great video. He followed it until it stopped under a ledge and then he shot some great stills. I enjoy seeing a shark on my dives..but I don't know if I'd feel the same way if the waters were infested with bulls,white tips, or mako's.

 

[bmrwizard99]

I did my open water referral in Cozumel and saw my first shark during my 2nd dive! It was a 5 foot nurse shark and despite feeling my backside tighten up when the divemaster made the shark sign, it was exhilarating and my fears went away in about 1 millisecond.

After that, I researched sharks a tonne and now have no fear. You have a greater chance of having a diving accident (deco sickness or failed equipment) than you do being attacked by a shark. I have dove with several and like many others think they are amongst the best creatures to see. Like any wild animal, don't corner it in a cave and see how close you can get and you will be just fine!

 

[Belmont]

Just came back from San Salvador Island, Bahamas, and I saw 8 reef sharks and a school of at least 20 great hammerheads. All that in the course of one week/14 dives.

 

[farsidefan1]

To get over the fear do a shark dive. You should feel safe knowing that they do these every day and if they were losing an inordinate number of divers they would stop them - note: they haven't stopped them . I've now had 23 dives with sharks (not counting nurse sharks). 4 were paid "shark" dives. The unpaid ones were by far the most memorable. The best being with a huge school of hammerheads in Sept. at Jackson reef in the red sea. Couple of thoughts: 4 species make me very "uncomfortable", Tigers, Bulls, and 2 that up to now I've never encountered in the wild, Oceanic White Tips and of course Great Whites. A solution if your in a bad situation without a stick ( and hopefully you never have one of them) is to hold out your reg and purge some air at them. Of course the other divers will be pissed at you for scaring them off. You'll just have to deal with it lol. Try the paid dive and you will find yourself not even thinking of any danger. Then you can enjoy the natural sightings.