Fear of Sharks, I am not gonna see them, right?

[fairybasslet]

I totally agee with Rick with one minor exception.
While seeing a shark is pretty rare in most places, here in NC, it is very common to see sand tigers on some of our wrecks. They look pretty dangerous but we consider them nothing more than puppy dogs and look forward to seeing them. Unlike most sharks they don't seem to mind divers, it's common to have them buddy up with you for a while. There is nothing cooler than the have a 3 "man" buddy team- 2 divers and a 8ft sand tiger. We have thousands of divers in the water each year and I have never heard of a problem with sharks.
Don't worry about the sharks, like the others have said, it's pretty rare to see them and they have no interest in eating you. I would bet after you have seen one in the wild, you will look forward to seeing them again and again.

My favorite buddy was a sand tiger on the Caribsea.

 

[aboalreem]

To answer your question and to be honest. More likely in the Bahamas you will see a shark. the posts above are real..usually sharks are not harmful. but there are no garantees....that is why you have to sign a waiver.
But if you do not like sharks, or very unconfrotable, go dive somewhere else..if you think you wil freak when you see them,,,more likely you will.

 

[GDCB]

Hey Catherine, when we were snorkeling with the kiddo (7yrs) by the buoy in Honokahao Harbor some scuba divers came in and said they saw a 15' tiger shark there in the channel. That's why I kept the kid between us. While we were out there the out rigger kayakers/canoers (locals) kept coming up to us saying "Hey bra BIG fish out here" and "BIG FISHY ova der u maybe swim closa to shoa" sorry I don't write pidgeon very well ;-). BTW love the locals, they were great to us. Anyway I'm home now and what's on The Discovery Channel? "The Shark Rescuers" it's at Kona right where we snorkeled. I'm not worried about sharks I've been on the water for years but my "fearless" girlfriend who thinks she's such a thrill seeker is a bit freaked out. My friend there a local says she's had big tigers swim right past her while snorkeling. Do you think they just nip at surfers?

Carl

Thanks! JB and to all our people in harms way, God bless you!

 

[kaliklove]

This will be my 6th trip. I am dating someone from Treasure Cay and we go and visit her mom whenever possible. This will be my first cert. dive in Abaco (I did a resort dive last year). I dont think we will make it up to Walkers Cay. Prob just stay around no name Across from Treasure Cay.

 

[isurus]

This will be my 6th trip. I am dating someone from Treasure Cay and we go and visit her mom whenever possible. This will be my first cert. dive in Abaco (I did a resort dive last year). I dont think we will make it up to Walkers Cay. Prob just stay around no name Across from Treasure Cay.

The thing to remember is that not all sharks are dangerous, in fact of 430 odd species there are maybe 6 worth worrying about, none of which you are likely to see. You may well see sharks in the bahamas but the ones you do see are probably thinking "oh no its one of those weird scary bubble blowing fish" when they see you and swimming off.

I would recommend you at least think about a feed to "face your fear" - I did one a few months ago and while I've dived with hundreds of sharks I found it an awesome experience and I know a lot of people seeing their first sharks on the dive did too. As it is the biggest danger the sharks pose to you is if you see one, panic and hurt yourself as a result so its worth trying to get over this.

 

[Sasquatch]

Hey, kaliklove, feel any better after this input or are you still pretty nervous?

 

[drl]

As others have said too, in the Bahamas there's a good chance you'll see a shark. But it will almost certainly either ignore you and go about its sharky business, or leave the area when it sees you. Sometimes if you're diving in an area where shark feeding is done they will come up and check you out, just to see if you're the lunch wagon. As long as you aren't carrying fish guts in your BC pockets they will keep their distance.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Kaliklove,

Shark attack facts generally don't have any greater effect on shark phobia than airline accident facts have on flying phobia. This is because phobias are by definition irrational and therefore largely impervious to the reason and the truth.

Nonetheless, I offer up the following article that I wrote for Rodale's Scuba Diving some years ago in the hopes it makes you a little less reluctant to observe one of the world's more marvelous creatures:

Do need to worry about sharks while diving?
http://www.awoosh.com/Doc Vikingo's Resource Page/Shark Attack.htm

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Walter]

once you see them, whatever Hollywood sensationalistic trash is in your brain will be replaced with new footage.

Excellent point.

The thing to remember is that not all sharks are dangerous,

True.

in fact of 430 odd species there are maybe 6 worth worrying about, none of which you are likely to see.

Not exactly true.

According to the International Shark Attack File:

Almost any large shark, roughly two meters or longer in total length, is a potential threat to humans. Three species, however, have been repetitively implicated as the primary attackers of man: the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) and bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas). All are cosmopolitan in distribution, reach large sizes, and consume large prey items such as marine mammals, sea turtles, and fishes as normal elements of their diets. These species probably are responsible for a large portion of "bump and bite" and "sneak" attacks. Other species, including the great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran), shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrhynchus), oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus), Galapagos (Carcharhinus galapagensis), and certain reef sharks (such as the Caribbean reef shark, (Carcharhinus perezi) have been implicated in these style of attacks. We know less about the offending parties in "hit and run" cases since the shark is seldom observed, but it is safe to assume that a large suite of species might be involved. Evidence from Florida, which has 20-30 of these type attacks per year, suggests that the blacktip (Carcharhinus limbatus) [possibly spinner (Carcharhinus brevipinna) and blacknose (Carcharhinus acronotus)] sharks are the major culprits in this region.

Of the 11 sharks specifically mentioned in the above paragraph, three (Bull, Caribbean Reef & Blacktip) are ones you're likely to see diving in the Bahamas. If you look at their section on attacks on divers, you'll find 27 species listed.

You may well see sharks in the bahamas but the ones you do see are probably thinking "oh no its one of those weird scary bubble blowing fish" when they see you and swimming off.

That's true of any shark, even those we consider most dangerous. Sharks usually notice us before we notice them, then leave. When we're lucky, they ignore us and hang around so we get a good look, we rarely see them at all. Encounters with sharks that are not fun are extremely rare. You need to be aware that rare as they are, they do happen. Knowing how to react is important. Stay off the surface! Very few attacks (3.8%) on divers come from above. That's particularly significant when you consider most divers spend most of their time near the bottom. Present a stong confident image, swim gracefully, without using your hands. If you feel you're in danger at any time, swim underwater to the boat and get out of the water. Keep an eye on the shark. If a shark gets too close, yell or growl. You can't outswim the shark, so don't even try. A better option is to charge. If a shark is going for your buddy, charge it while yelling. Animals trying to swim rapidly away from a shark appear to be prey. You don't want a shark to identify you as prey.

I would recommend you at least think about a feed to "face your fear" - I did one a few months ago and while I've dived with hundreds of sharks I found it an awesome experience and I know a lot of people seeing their first sharks on the dive did too. As it is the biggest danger the sharks pose to you is if you see one, panic and hurt yourself as a result so its worth trying to get over this.

I'm philosophically opposed to this practice. While you are probably safe enough during the feed, what about the next guy who has to fish for the shark? Teaching large predators to associate humans with food is a very bad idea.

As usual Doc, excellent article.

 

[kaliklove]

Hey, kaliklove, feel any better after this input or are you still pretty nervous?

Still pretty nervous, but I feel more informed. I think I am most scared to be descending and see a shark. You guys have given me a wealth of information, now I need to start preparing myself! I will report back to you after the trip! Maybe even get some good pictures-
Where can I reply? On this thread?