Dealing with sharks

[spacemanspiff1974]

My only shark experiences have been a 6' nurse shark that I touched and a small grey reef shark from a distance.

However I am planning on diving the flower gardens later this year and hear that there are reports of "less friendly" species such as bull or tiger sharks.

I know that sharks don't usually attack divers because of the bubbles and the fact that we don't look like food, but what about being on the surface?

What are the chances of a shark seeing a diver floating on the surface with fins hanging down and thinking "yummy, a seal?"

If I see a tiger or a bull that is too close for comfort, do I stay where I am or head to the surface?

Actually, I am more worried about my wife wanting to abort the dive in this situation, but the point is the same.

 

[RockPile]

This is a thread I started that produced, at least what I think is, a ton of great info. Be sure to read Johnoly's post.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=133409

On a side note, from what I understand, the only shark that might mistake you for a seal and also think of that as a snack is a shark that there really is no "preparing" for: the great white.

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

On a side note, from what I understand, the only shark that might mistake you for a seal and also think of that as a snack is a shark that there really is no "preparing" for: the great white.

Perhaps I failed to mention that I dive in a seal costume and use a rebreather....

Thanks for the link. I'll just hold down the purge button at the surface if necessary.

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

More likely to get struck by lightning, etc...

 

[Mike Veitch]

There are seals in the Flower Gardens?!?!?!

Who knew...

 

[RockPile]

Perhaps I failed to mention that I dive in a seal costume and use a rebreather....

Thanks for the link. I'll just hold down the purge button at the surface if necessary.

I've often wondered just how tasty I look when I'm paddling on my back in all black with split fins. I imagine something like T-Bone to a Great White. May as well just make seal sounds...

And for the record, if you dive in the ocean (which is a much smaller portion of the population than the portion of people considered at risk for being struck by lightning) you more likely to be attacked by a shark than struck by lightning. The study you are recalling that is most often quoted by people took the base populations as a whole. But the odds are still low. Makes you wonder about that guy who's been struck by lightning three times.

JB

 

[archman]

If I see a tiger or a bull that is too close for comfort, do I stay where I am or head to the surface?
.

Except for the February and early March aggregations of scalloped hammerheads, you are not likely to see a shark on most of your FGB dives. From what I've heard it's usually like a 15-20% chance of spotting anything scary.

Dives are sometimes cut short if large tiger sharks pop by. Nobody likes diving with those things. Fortunately, the tigers tend to not recur on successive dives. They sorta just wander around the general area aimlessly.

Ditto for bull sharks, but dangerous-sized ones are less common than the tigers.

Big fishes are one of the highlights of diving at the Banks. Sometimes that means large sharks. I don't think anyone's ever been attacked in the Sanctuary, though. There's no spearfishing to incite the beasties.

If you see a non-whale shark in the 8+ footer range and it's making close passes, you may wish to blow some bubbles and/or think about starting an ascent. Otherwise, enjoy the experiece of seeing a big shark!

 

[Meng_Tze]

I was circled once by a black tip.... hanging deco in big blue (i.e blue verywhere, top, below and all around, enough to give a man a stiff case of vertigo). All of the sudden buddy points to his eyes and then 'out there'.... I look.... dunno how big it was (no reference point), but there was a black tip circling us just in our sight....in and out of the blue. Freaky..... we went up to next stop, it followed and then suddenly it was gone...... just in time before I would have released my secret brown shark defense...;-)

 

[MoonWrasse]

My only shark experiences have been a 6' nurse shark that I touched and a small grey reef shark from a distance.

However I am planning on diving the flower gardens later this year and hear that there are reports of "less friendly" species such as bull or tiger sharks.

I know that sharks don't usually attack divers because of the bubbles and the fact that we don't look like food, but what about being on the surface?

What are the chances of a shark seeing a diver floating on the surface with fins hanging down and thinking "yummy, a seal?"

If I see a tiger or a bull that is too close for comfort, do I stay where I am or head to the surface?

Actually, I am more worried about my wife wanting to abort the dive in this situation, but the point is the same.

Shame on you for touching the shark!

Seriously, that's a bad habit to be touching the marine life, and why I've restrained myself from kissing the last couple of sharks I got close enough to.

 

[divers2]

Here is one for ya, a couple of years back I was diving morehead city n.c. dove the papoose, breeding groung for sand tiger sharks, great dive, saw a huge manta ray went to check it out as it crused across the bottom.
saw a strange shadow on it sence the water was clear I figured it was the boat above us, finally looked stright ahead and sted of down at the ray, ther was the biggest bull shark I have seen (not that i seen a bunch) this one was a eight footer, circleing the ray loking for fish that it might scare up (my guess), well when I saw this I must have looked like the cycote in the road runner cartoons, my feet went out in front of me and I tryed to stop and swim backwards, when the shark saw me he broke stride and swam stright at me came with in about a foot of my face guess i did nt look like food couse he just missed taking off my head as he turned and went back to the ray, scared the @#&% out of me, after ward on the boat it was facanating, went back down again on the secound dive, not brave not stuped just facanated.