Any diver out there been attacked by a big shark?!

[miserkris]

Has there ever been a case where a scuba diver was attacked by a shark like one of the top three deadly ones the great white bull and tiger? Has there been a case where diver was able to defend himself or herself just with a dive knife?

I'm thinking a small spear would've worked better or an underwater stun gun

 

[aviator8]

just in the past few weeks there was a post about a abalone diver on scuba killed by a great white in Australia. Yes many people on scuba have been attacked.

 

[Diver below 83]

He wasn’t diving but I had a cousin just get bit here in Florida.

‘My time to get bit’: 13-year-old surfer healing after shark bites leave him with 19 stitches

 

[happy-diver]

Yeah I was

but I got on top of the situation

 

[drrich2]

If you like scary shark stories, check out I was attacked by a GW shark, story of a guy named Brian, posted by a ScubaBoard member (not Brian). On this forum, @Sam Miller III has posted about people he knew who were attacked by great whites. In 1972 Bret Gilliam was witness to a fatal attack by oceanic white-tips at St. Croix. Want to watch an encounter? Well, California Diver Magazine has an article with GoPro footage of a hunter who got his foot munched.

Don't know whether that'll help, but something to think about the next time you giant stride in...

 

[Diver below 83]

Yeah I was

View attachment 542550

but I got on top of the situation

what size is your pony?

 

[drrich2]

Oh, since you're considering anti-shark armament, check out account of a Farrallon Shark Dart used on a 2-foot pole on a bull shark (Post #373; click the link in that post to go back to the one in 2009).

I've seen videos of spear fishermen defending themselves; one attacked by a bull shark (that he shot & killed in self-defense, IIRC), one by a tiger shark (don't recall the shark being shot), and in one case someone harassed by a great white (and someone speculated that the shark likely got speared 'off camera' but we didn't have any confirmation about that). People spearfishing are in a different risk group from what I understand, but if you want examples of armed divers who 'see it coming' and defend themselves, their experience is relevant.

You might also be interested in the Shark Shield product (see Wookie's post #178), if you want to avoid sharks (which may put you at odds with other divers).

Richard.

P.S.: If you want to see a real world 'man vs. shark' battle, here's a link (Right or wrong? Diver kills tiger shark) to a man vs. (ain't no way that shark looks 12-feet long to me) allegedly 12-foot tiger shark (he had a spear gun and a knife, and it was a protracted thing).

 

[Bubblesong]

Should we add advice here about sanitizing the inside of the wetsuit after a close call, or would that be a split off thread?

 

[drrich2]

Found the Spearfishing bull shark video post; note the spear fisherman is looking down, apparently aware of the shark, already has his spear gun in hand and sees it charge from a good ways off. With that in mind, look how long he was to react to the attack, and not that's not a huge shark.

And here's the tiger shark video - a free diver got one major league 'Boo.' Turns out you can poke the shark with the spear, and not always have to shoot it. Spearer in Africa had to poke a great white. And a poke wasn't enough with this Australian example; it kept coming!

Richard.

 

[happy-diver]

3 litre 232 bar steel Faber with 50%

what size is your pony?

mounted to 15 litre 232 bar steel Faber with some other nitrox