Why the fear of Great White sharks?

[Dhboner]

Great Whites are not particularly aggresive and you are much more likely to have trouble with a Tiger or Bull shark, but a Great White's "investigative" bite can be so big that even if he "spits you out" and leaves the area, you could still bleed to death.

Since Great White's natural prey tends to spend most of its time at the surface and the shark is an ambush predator, divers are not really at risk.

Having said all that I would still need to flush out my wetsuit if I saw a Great White on a dive

 

[PaulVS]

Great Whites are not particularly aggresive and you are much more likely to have trouble with a Tiger or Bull shark, but a Great White's "investigative" bite can be so big that even if he "spits you out" and leaves the area, you could still bleed to death.

I haven't ever been with one in the water.... but in my imagination.... that's what would scare me the most.... the fact that one bite from a Great White appears it could do enormously more damage than that from another species. I can envision surviving a bite from a Tiger.... but not a GWS.

 

[drbill]

Since Great White's natural prey tends to spend most of its time at the surface and the shark is an ambush predator, divers are not really at risk.

Except on surface swims back to the dive boat. Of course I keep my regulator in my mouth and breathe off of my bank as I make my way back. No silly snorkels for me... they're too silent. And, of course, I don't swim in the ocean or surf or paddleboard (but I do kayak)!

 

[drbill]

...Although I knew I was safe in the cage...

Well, not really. I can think of two friends who have had GWS go right through the cage down at Guadalupe (and have pix or video to prove it). When I was down there it was late in the season (Dec) and they weren't particularly hungry.

 

[Peter_C]

Except on surface swims back to the dive boat. Of course I keep my regulator in my mouth and breathe off of my bank as I make my way back. No silly snorkels for me... they're too silent. And, of course, I don't swim in the ocean or surf or paddleboard (but I do kayak)!

Dang Bill, if I could figure out how to strap a 4500psi bank to my back, I would be able to stay down for at least half a day right? Deco obligations might be a problem though.

I figure I am fairly safe kayaking since they would probably NOT hit a 13+ foot kayak and if they did most likely would never physically touch me. Of course there are the guy and girl from SoCal that disappeared while kayaking and they found the body with big bite marks on it.

 

[drbill]

Good old spell check... should have been tank, not bank.

Years ago when I lead four day kayak trips around Catalina I had a GWS follow me a short part of the way between the Isthmus and the West End on the windward side. It kept its distance (~ 20 ft). However, were you aware that a GWS struck a kayak in that same vicinity a year or two ago, knocking the woman paddler out on the boat and reportedly she landed on the back of the GWS. Both took off, but in opposite directions!

 

[tracydr]

You didn't see the movie Jaws? I think a lot of shark fear came from that movie.

 

[tracydr]

Well, I fear them because of their size, and their natural tendency to want to eat things. But it's not just them that intimidate me, I think there is a nice little grouping of sharks that give me a chill. These include the white, tiger, bull, and oceanic white tip.
I have no desire to bump into one the same way I have no desire to bump into a Grizzly, Mountain Lion, or pack of Wolves on a trail hike.

I've snorkeled with an oceanic white tip. Aggressive, kept following me if I turned back towards the boat. I have a video of that amazing time.
I've heard oceanic white tips are one of the most aggressive, just don't usually hang out near shore.

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

However, were you aware that a GWS struck a kayak in that same vicinity a year or two ago, knocking the woman paddler out on the boat and reportedly she landed on the back of the GWS. Both took off, but in opposite directions!

I just saw that story during Sharkweek. They had a show about the GWS attacks that occurred off California and Mexico's pacific side in 2008. Her husband and boys were on their boat while she kayaked. I think it bumped her a couple times and then came up underneath the kayak and flipped her out of it and onto it's back. Then she dove in the water and started swimming for her life and eventually a couple guys fishing pulled her out of the water with mostly bruises and cuts. Amazing story. Many of the people who survived attacks or were in the water when others were attacked still got back in the water later. They pretty much all admitted that they respected the sharks, it was their territory and it was a potential consequence for doing the things they love to do.

Discovery needs to do a better job of promoting the importance of sharks though if they want to continue having "Shark Week". Some of the shows this year were interesting & informative and you actually learned something about their biology and importance to the food chain. Then they follow it up with about 7 shows about shark attacks, how to survive them, etc.. and then a bunch of people who probably don't live anywhere near the ocean are petrified of the water and "maneaters" and could care less about what's happening to these creatures a world away from them. They need to be airing shows about the destruction of shark populations. There was one show in particular which was completely irresponsible. Shark Attack Survival Guide hosted by Terry Schappert was so ridiculously unrealistic and just plain dangerous and it gives idiots ideas about handling things they shouldn't handle.

We've been watching some good shows on the Green network called Blue Ocean which have addressed shark fining in just about every episode and they are running Sharkwater and The Cove this month too.

 

[Dominantly]

I've snorkeled with an oceanic white tip. Aggressive, kept following me if I turned back towards the boat. I have a video of that amazing time.
I've heard oceanic white tips are one of the most aggressive, just don't usually hang out near shore.

They are, opportunistic hunters who don't know when there next meal will come around. So they take their investigations seriously, and are much more likely to see you as food.
The Oceanic White Tip is probably responsible for more deaths then any other shark. For example when the Indianapolis (CA-35) went down, 900 sailors hit the water in life jackets. Five days later they pulled out 317, with the attacks lasting until the very last second.

Anyone who doesn't think that humans are on the sharks menu is ignorant. They are apex predators, and when you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, you're at risk. We do smell strange, sound strange, and move differently then what they are use to, which does throw them off.