First Time Diver

[THRASH]

Hi, I am using my husband's account to post this. We are getting our open water certification this weekend in Panama City Beach, Florida. I am deathly afraid of sharks and have been seeing so much about them in the news. I am also concerned about this flesh eating bacteria that is killing people in the oceans lately. Can you all give me some advice to help me ease my mind about the sharks and the bacteria? Thanks y'all

 

[t4e]

no idea about the sharks, but "flesh eating bacteria"...its naturally occurring in warm salt water during summer, can only be infected if you have open wounds or eat raw fish, i don't see anything out of the ordinary with this as opposed to any other bacteria

there seems to have been an isolated outbreak in Florida last year,
took six dive trips last year and never had a problem

 

[Incident]

I used to hate walking in the rain, but learned to just walk between the drops. If you simply swim between the sharks and the bacteria, you'll be fine.

Seriously though, remember that you have a far higher chance of being injured on the walk from your car to the beach than you ever would of being bitten by a shark or infected by flesh eating bacteria. Use common sense (don't chum for sharks, shower after the dive, etc.) and you will likely enjoy years and years of great diving.

Most importantly, keep reminding yourself that diving is meant to be FUN. Then just go out a have FUN.

 

[aeweems12]

Who will you be diving with in Panama City?

 

[Instructor_Tom]

Sharks are more afraid of you than you are of them, just make sure no one is actually feeding them when your in the water near you.

Also since you are in florida you can always choose to dive in the springs. Crystal clear water, no sharks and no bacteria issues since most springs are about 72 degrees year round.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[THRASH]

Who will you be diving with in Panama City?

A dive shop owner from the Atlanta area.

 

[TSandM]

THRASH, the biggest problem divers generally have with sharks is trying to get close enough to get a good look at them. I spent a WEEK in the Socorros, at significant cost, trying to encounter huge schools of hammerheads -- the problem was that the schooling hammerheads had another agenda, which was to avoid getting anywhere near US.

You can contract flesh-eating bacteria out of your environment in any setting. The strep that causes some of the worst of it is probably around you fairly frequently. Serious infections require a combination of an adequate bacterial inoculant, a breach in the body's defense system, and some type of inadequate immunity.

I'd worry more about the dive boat sinking.

 

[freewillie]

Sharks are beautiful creatures and most divers are actually excited to see one under water. Most sharks you encounter are not very aggressive in nature and unless you do something to actually provoke a shark you have very little to worry about actually being attacked by a shark.

Shark behavior basics are that they are ambush predators. They typically are most active at dawn and at dusk when lighting is poor. In the middle of the day with great visibility much less to worry about. They also have and amazing organ that detects electrical signals. They can actually sense your computer's electrical signals. You also make quite a bit of noise when you breath off the regulator. To a shark you are a big noisy funny creature under water.

Humans traditionally are not on the menu for sharks. Fish, seals, turtles, etc but not people. Almost all shark "attacks" are cases of mistaken identity. Shark thought the swimmer was a seal or a turtle. Poor viz contributes to mistaken identity. Once shark realized bit a person generally stop the attack and swim away. Not much comfort to the victim when the bleeding starts though.

Most attacks are on swimmers and surfers as they are more likely to look like a seal or turtle at the surface. Almost all divers getting bit are when divers feed sharks making them agitated in feeding frenzy. Just diving along reef you should have virtually nothing to worry about.

As for the flesh eating bacteria I'm not familiar with any salt water species off top my head. They are so rare you have greater chance having car accident on the way to airport and even greater chance of the plane crashing on you way to vacation. True, airplane crashes are dramatic and make headline news across the world but what are the odds of a crash? Are you not going to fly because a plane could crash? Then why fear diving if odds flesh eating bacteria are even less than plane crash?

I've seen a few sharks while diving and instead of fear they generally provoke emotions of awe at their grace and beauty. I saw a 6-7 foot tiger shark once off the coast of Kona. Some divers actually swam towards her to get a better look but she couldn't swim away fast enough and sped off into the ocean. Another time on night dive I spotted a smaller nurse shark along the reef. This one actually made a turn directly at me and then kept swimming towards me. I started getting nervous as the shark got closer but it eventually swam about 2 feet directly over top of my head! I was a little startled but was definitely exciting!

 

[knotical]

... As for the flesh eating bacteria I'm not familiar with any salt water species off top my head. ...

Some news outlets have recently been calling Vibrio vulnificus "flesh-eating".
Surprise! News outlets often get their news wrong.

This report: http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/270238641.html seems to have gotten it right.

 

[btw2459]

I live and dive on the Panama City Beach area and hardly see any sharks when diving (I try and dive at least one day a week). If I do see a shark it is usually a brief glimpse as it swims by. If you're diving with Diver's Den this weekend then you are in great hands with Carlos the dive master and Brian the boat captain.