Florida Diver Attacked

[johndiver999]

He was lucky and a bad ass.

The video clearly shows how sharks can be excited by a speared fish and then become fixated on the diver rather than the fish. If the sharks had focused their efforts entirely on the tuna, they could have easily torn off big chunks of meat and avoided a very close approach to the diver.

They didn't do that? Why?

Perhaps they are somewhat confused, perhaps they are drawn to the motion of the diver, perhaps they are focused on challenging the diver more than actual feeding? I don't have any good explanation, but it seems to refute the often heard refrains that "sharks aren't interested in people, they don't target people, they only want the fish, they only go after people in dirty water and bad visibility".

It is not clear to me that in that situation that the sharks would have immediately left the diver alone if he had dropped the pole spear with the fish attached.

 

[chillyinCanada]

@johndiver999, that's the way that I saw it too. That first shark bee lined straight for the spearo and right past the tuna. Then the second shark appeared to do the same. It looked as if he was tangling himself in his line which could have made him into a shark lollypop.
I hope that guy learned something good from his bad experience.

 

[nippurmagnum]

Just to weigh in on that clip, it's a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking but that seems like the result of really poor decision making. It looks like the shark is already making a run up at the spearfisher (or the chum) before the shot is fired; the whole thing just looks like a Charlie-Foxtrot - no backup, boat's off in the distance, fish is running around on a huge tangle of line (risk of a line wrap around an ankle if nothing else, really bad for a freediver), and a couple fired-up sharks. He's lucky, not badass. The smart thing to do would be to have another diver in the water to run interference, have the boat a lot closer to get the fish out ASAP, and know when to take a shot - e.g., not right in front of an oncoming shark.

Up where I usually dive in Jupiter, a common practice is to put out chum and a line of flashers to bring in bull sharks with cobia on them, then pop the cobia off the sharks' tails. It seems one or two folks get hit doing that every year (lower rate than one would expect); one such incident was an acquaintance of mine who thought he was in the clear, shot a lone cobia, and then was pulling the line in with his hands when a bull he didn't see coming zipped in and grabbed the fish. The line wrap around his fingers pulled the glove off his hand; when he went to retrieve the glove he noticed green stuff leaking out and then realized two of his fingertips went with it.

After that incident I figured I should stick to photography and popping lionfish; I've had a couple brushes with sharks on the latter but no them-or-me situations. I'd like to keep it that way.

He really was. People who want him to "lose" his fish while he's under assault, how do you propose that? Getting that fish off of the spear is a lot more complicated than getting it on in the first place.

If you can't release the fish, then release the spear. Unless you want to see your name in the paper as the latest victim of a shark "assault" involving spearfishing.

The International Shark Attack File classifies attacks on spearfishermen as "provoked" attacks. It also provides this advice:

"If you have been spearfishing or abalone gathering and are holding your catch, release the catch and quietly exit the area. It is likely that the shark has been attracted to the sound and smells associated with your activity and it is aroused and interested in consuming your catch. Let it have it – no catch is worth the risk of personal injury."

 

[The Chairman]

If you can't release the fish, then release the spear. Unless you want to see your name in the paper as the latest victim of a shark "assault" involving spearfishing.

Yet, his name never made it into the papers. What's right for you, may not be right for me... and it's probably not. That spear is connected to a line which may or may not be easily detached.

If you're not a spearo, you're probably not thinking like one. Your instincts out of the water are probably not appropriate for them as they hunt under the water. That's OK. You're not a spearo and don't want to be one. As a spearo, though it's been years (nothing to shoot in a cave), I found his actions to be appropriate. That he made it into the boat with all his body bits and his fish, proves his actions to be effective. Most of us feel that feeding sharks teaches them to seek divers out for more food. Shark feeders rely on this and often attract the same sharks over and over. Ergo, we keep our catch away from them. However, once Mr Sharky gets his teeth on a fish, even if I shot it, it's his. Other spearos may see it differently and that's their right.

It looks like the shark is already making a run up at the spearfisher (or the chum) before the shot is fired;

Situational awareness is key, and especially so when hunting. It's not just sharks you have to worry about, but any large predator like Jewfish.

 

[johndiver999]

T

If you can't release the fish, then release the spear. Unless you want to see your name in the paper as the latest victim of a shark "assault" involving spearfishing.

The International Shark Attack File classifies attacks on spearfishermen as "provoked" attacks. It also provides this advice:

"If you have been spearfishing or abalone gathering and are holding your catch, release the catch and quietly exit the area. It is likely that the shark has been attracted to the sound and smells associated with your activity and it is aroused and interested in consuming your catch. Let it have it – no catch is worth the risk of personal injury."

you only quoted a small portion of the advice for divers from that site. They also recommend using a spear or whatever to fend off an aggressive shark.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

He was lucky and a bad ass.

The video clearly shows how sharks can be excited by a speared fish and then become fixated on the diver rather than the fish. If the sharks had focused their efforts entirely on the tuna, they could have easily torn off big chunks of meat and avoided a very close approach to the diver.

They didn't do that? Why?

Perhaps they are somewhat confused, perhaps they are drawn to the motion of the diver, perhaps they are focused on challenging the diver more than actual feeding? I don't have any good explanation, but it seems to refute the often heard refrains that "sharks aren't interested in people, they don't target people, they only want the fish, they only go after people in dirty water and bad visibility".

It is not clear to me that in that situation that the sharks would have immediately left the diver alone if he had dropped the pole spear with the fish attached.

Extremely hard to say what those sharks were aiming for when the tuna and diver are pirouetting around each other at high speed within arm's reach. For the most part, it looked like they were going for the fish or at least trying to intimidate the diver into dropping it - I've seen at least one video where a midsized great hammerhead played a game of fast-paced chicken with a diver until he finally dropped the barracuda, at which point the hammer immediately broke off and pounced on the fish. If the sharks had been looking to take a chunk out of him, he would have had pieces missing.

Personally I feel that if you get to the point where you're holding a bleeding fish in one hand and jabbing at sharks with a spear or knife in the other, either the sharks have gotten the drop on you (which happens, although one should be watching for them at all times) or you've done something stupid, which the guy in the clip did. Shooting a fish right in front of an oncoming shark is just plain reckless buck fever, which is something diving in general doesn't treat kindly.

I brought this up elsewhere, but one thing to consider on the U.S. East Coast at least is that shark populations are generally on the upswing, although from the 1980s up through the mid-1990s we clobbered them badly and some species are recovering more slowly than others. A lot of that gain has only been in the last decade or so, which means a whole generation or two of spearos got complacent; they just aren't used to having competition. Poky sticks and the like should be a last-ditch option; better to have a plan to shoot the fish when the shark isn't looking and get it the heck out of the water fast.

 

[sportxlh]

T

you only quoted a small portion of the advice for divers from that site. They also recommend using a spear or whatever to fend off an aggressive shark.

That's for sure!!!! The site provides advice that varies depending on the circumstance.

Advice to Divers

Full Text follows......................

"If a shark is sighted, stay calm and maintain your position in as quiet a manner as possible. Most sharks merely are curious and will leave on their own accord. Enjoy your opportunity to see one of nature’s most magnificent predators.

If you have been spearfishing or abalone gathering and are holding your catch, release the catch and quietly exit the area. It is likely that the shark has been attracted to the sound and smells associated with your activity and it is aroused and interested in consuming your catch. Let it have it – no catch is worth the risk of personal injury.

If a shark begins to get too interested in you by coming closer and closer, the best strategy is to leave the water – swim quickly but smoothly, watching the shark all the time, with your dive partner close at hand. Sharks are less likely to attack a “school” of divers than a solitary individual.

If a shark is acting overtly aggressive – making rushes at you, hunching its back, lowering its pectoral (paired side) fins, swimming in a rapid zigzag course, or swimming with rapid up and down movements (sometimes rubbing its belly on the bottom) – look to back up against whatever structure (reef, rock outcropping, piling) is available, thereby reducing the angles with which the shark can approach you. If you are in open water, orient back-to-back with your dive partner and gradually rise to the surface and the safety of your boat. If you are shore diving, gradually descend to the bottom so you can find cover.

Use whatever inanimate equipment (speargun, pole-spear, camera) you have with you to fend off the shark (when diving in known shark-inhabited waters, it is always good to carry a pole or spear for this purpose). If a shark attacks, the best strategy is to hit it on the tip of its nose. This usually results in the shark retreating. If the retreat is far enough away, then human retreat is in order – again, swim quickly but smoothly, watching the shark all the time, with your dive partner close at hand. An aggressive shark often will return, however, and each subsequent hit to the snout will be less effective, so take advantage of any escape opportunities. If you do not have anything to poke with, use your hand, but remember that the mouth is close to the nose, so be accurate!

If a shark actually gets you in its mouth, we advise to be as aggressively defensive as you are able. “Playing dead” does not work. Pound the shark in any way possible. Try to claw at the eyes and gill openings, two very sensitive areas. Once released, do all you can to exit the water as quickly as possible because with your blood in the water, the shark very well could return for a repeat attack"

 

[martincohn]

Wow thought I was on FB there for a min.

I'm a libertarian kind of guy. You do what ever the hell you want to as long as it doesn't negatively affect me or mine.

I choose not to dive with baited sharks. You want to knock yourself out.

I choose not to be a spearo. You want to be one knock yourself out.

I can choose to have what ever opinion I want about any topic I choose. Just like you can.

See how easy that is?