Sharks??? During Beach Dives

[Harvo]

Have you ever had one come up close?

I've heard that the only time they will bit is if you are dumb enough to touch it.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I have seen a lot of nurse sharks. There was one dive at dania that we saw maybe six or eight hanging in the jacks, and they ranged anywhere from 3 ft to about 5.
Never have had a problem with them, they usually just lay there or swim away.

 

[DennisS]

I was between the first and second reefline off of Dania. It's just bare bottom with lots of sand. I got a glimpse and couldn't tell what kind it was. It just turned and vanished. It got me thinking, I'm a long ways from shore.

 

[MantaRey]

Harvo once bubbled...
Have you ever had one come up close?

I've heard that the only time they will bit is if you are dumb enough to touch it.

I don't think diver's have much of a problem with biting sharks. it's mostly people swimming on the surface. the sharks most likely see you as just another big fish. now there are the special circumstances that can provoke it. like carrying around bloody fish, or handling dead fish just before the dive. in any case, don't carry around shark food if you don't want to be eaten

 

[Harvo]

There was a great show on the Discovery Channel "The Anatomy of a shark bite" I might have misspelled that.

They recreated a bull shark and a great white shark. They had footage of two people that got bit. One was at Walkers Cay, he was standing in about 2 feet of water and a bull wanted to taste his calf musle. Needless to say he does not have one now.

ouch.

 

[JaxDiver]

Not a beach dive, but saw two 3-4 foot black tips diving at Looe Key on July 25th..... it was a very serene moment. Felt like everything around me stopped and waited until it swam away.

Very cool.

 

[USAF Diver]

I just saw one yesterday at Pepper Park

 

[CBulla]

I don't think there's been a time I have not seen a shark while diving. Usually nurse or lemons, the occaisional black tip or reef shark, and so far (knock on wood) nothing bigger than me.

 

[Genesis]

all the time on the up-close offshore stuff (under 10 miles or so out from the pass)

They're all over the place, and some of them are quite a bit bigger than you are....

Spearing when they are in residence is for obvious reasons a bad idea.

Only once did I have one get aggressive with me, doing the "arch and pecs down" thing, and it was a time when I was NOT shooting fish. That was a time I wish I had brought my speargun - for defensive purposes!

 

[CBulla]

I remember seeing something on TV recently about a device being developed to repel sharks. I don't believe this is the one I saw (it was yellow and strapped to the tank I think) but the idea is the same... I personally don't fear them, absolute respect to the point that I watch them and look for any others when I am under, but I know some folks are a little adverse to having these ancient animals around..

http://www.sharksafe.com/