Sharks and your experiences

[IndigoBlue]

Who said we were only talking about biting sharks?

The original topic was related to South Africa not Florida nor other warm water tourist sites. Therefore it will be really easy to give this person inaccurate impressions.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Adapted and advocated, long before their time, not "invented." OrcaBait.

As you wish, Mr. Gore ... can I get your autograph?



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Soggy]

The original topic was South Africa not Florida nor other warm water tourist sites.

Clearly, you are unable to read:

Hey guys

What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word shark?

What experiences have you had with sharks in the open ocean?

What do you think needs to be done to change public perception?

So many questions, good thing it's not a Monday

The only thing related to South Africa is that the poster is from there.

 

[chickdiver]

No shark is to be trifled with. But the ones you mention are definitely "miniatures" compared to the real landlords of Australia, South Africa, and California. Sweetie.

You *REALLY* need to do your research before you open your mouth and insert your leg....

Range Temperate waters of all oceans. On Atlantic Coast south from s. Newfoundland to Brazil (reported to Argentina), as well as Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Cuba, and Lesser Antilles. On Pacific Coast from Alaska south to Gulf of California.

http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesRECNUM.asp?recnum=fi0225

Western Atlantic: Newfoundland to Florida, Bahamas, Cuba, northern Gulf of Mexico;Brazil and Argentina.
Eastern Atlantic: France to Mediterranean, Madeira, Canary Islands, Senegal, Ghana, Zaire; Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Western Indian Ocean: South Africa, Seychelles Islands, Red Sea.
Western Pacific: Siberia (Russia), Japan, the Koreas, China, Bonin Islands, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia (Queens land, New South Wales, Victoria,Tasmania, South and Western Australia), New Zealand, New Caledonia.
Central Pacific: Marshall Islands, Hawaiian Islands. Eastern Pacific: Gulf of Alaska to Gulf of California; Panama to Chile.


http://library.thinkquest.org/J001458/GreatShark.htm

 

[Otter]

We started off on a good track and then suddenly digressed into my shark is bigger than yours. For those of you who care, the Discovery Channel 10 most dangerous sharks are:

10. Lemon
9. Blue
8. Great Hammerhead
7. Sand Tiger/Ragged Tooth(Eur)/Gray Nurse (Aus)
6. Gray Reef
5. Mako
4. Oceanic Whitetip
3. Tiger
2. Great White
1. Bull

Ranked by the number of shark attacks by each species (when it could be determined), world-wide.

 

[voop]

No shark is to be trifled with.

Could we not extend that to "no aquatic creature is to be trifled with"? It seems to me that whenever we do, they either get scared, defensive, stressed or run (..well, fin...) away.

Granted, the bigger teeth of the aquatic creature, the bigger potential problems for the diver -- but it seems to me that we should be more concerned about our hosts in the aquatic environment, be that sharks, 'cudas, puffers, gubbies etc. in general.

Back on the topic: I have not seen a shark outside of the confines of London Aquarium (great experience, btw., go there if you ever head to London...send any non-diving family members shopping in Harolds or use the aquarium to convert them to be divers). I would love to, though. What gracefull swimmers and what wonderful reminders that we -- with all our sofistication, gear, certificates, fancy gasses and fins with special straps -- are but clumsy, noisy, slow visitors to the aquatic realm.

 

[Paul Evans]

What was wrong with Andys Post?

 

[H2Andy]

I decided it was taking away from the discussion and sent a PM

 

[Frank Kohler]

Try diving in Australia, South Africa, or the Fallalon Islands of California, and then get back to us.

lol let me book my plane tickets now.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Over the years, I have been diving with sharks too many times to count. They are almost never a concern if you leave them alone and just observe like you would with any other sea creature.

However, I have had a couple of close calls. One, you could say was "provoked." While not intentional, I descended down an oil rig and there was a spinner shark at the bottom when I got there. It must have interpreted my arrival as a territory threat. It gave a warning swim (exaggerated swim with arched back), circled a couple of times and swam off. Later, it came back while I was ascending, circled a couple more times and took off.

The second incident happened almost 10 years later, within the last year. After a relatively routine wreck dive, while at our 50 foot stop, a bull shark came up from below, stopped about 30 feet away, paused and then started charging right at me at high speed. There was no mistaking it, this was the charge leading up to making me a meal! Man, I was freaking out inside even if outside I was staying calm.

I started to try to unclip one of my deco bottles so that I could bump him off. Suddenly, the shark stopped cold about 15 feet away, started to charge again, stopped, turned around, looked back for a second, and spun down and away.

For the rest of that dive, I spent all of my deco time looking down, waiting to see if he would come at me from below. I kept my stops at a minimum (per the dive plan) and got out of the water, thankful to have survived. It was pretty serious stuff.

Now, you may think that I am paranoid and blowing this out of proportion. However, when we got out of the water and back on the boat, my other buddies that were there on the dive said that the shark was not headed in our general direction but was definitely going for me, was as close as I described here, and the shark was over six feet long.

I have been diving pretty regularly since the early 80s. Considering the number of dives, one should not blow two incidents out of proportion. Of course, it only takes one bad one to ruin your day :11: