Fear of sharks

[piffle]

I'm glad to here all of these good experiences with sharks. I was afraid someone was going to post a nightmare shark story and that would have been it. Maby the shark movies gave these creatures a bad rap. I can't say I'm looking foward to seeing a shark, but if by chance I do, hopefully I'll appreciate the experience and not fear it.

 

[Flightlead]

I have seen those too from the sky and wondered why people do not see them or get away.....

My fear for sharks comes from watching Jaws when I was way to young for that. Then I was circled by a black tip around Tioman (Malaysia). He kept coming closer and closer. Fairly big one...........needless to say, I cut deco short and got out quickly.

Then 30 years after watching Jaws, I go on a shark diving trip off Guadelupe Island.........Great whites. I remembered Quinn: " The cage goes in the water, you go in the cage, the shark is in the water"......

My fear of sharks is probably baseless, but that is the nature of fear in itself..........

what a great movie. my favorite scene is where they are comparing scars while drunk. plus, I love "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat".

 

[fisheater]

I'm glad to here all of these good experiences with sharks. I was afraid someone was going to post a nightmare shark story and that would have been it.

Those guys . . . well . . . um . . . err . . . they don't post very much any more.

But seriously, being a Californian I have more reason to fear visiting you in the midwest lest I be killed by a tornado than you have reason to fear a shark in the ocean.

Really. Wind can kill people? That just SO far from anything I've ever seen or experienced.

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

Sharks are becoming a rarer treat at many dive sites. They tend to be a bit skiddish. Some things to remember, sharks do not have great vision and use many of their electrical senses and smell to scout out the area. So a shark approaching slowly towards you is nothing to be afraid of. In most cases they will veer off at the last minute. If you look like something they want to take a closer look at, they can get a bit closer to you. Some can even bump into you. The best thing to do is to maintain your trim, do not propel with your hands and just hold your position. If possible, no finning. Be very quiet in the water and they just ignore you. If a shark is acting more irradict, dorsal fin stiff and mouthing gaping, then something has gotten it stirred up and it is best to exhale and just hang low in the reef until it passes. I have done quite a few ocean dives seeking out sharks. I am diving in N. Carolina in August with Sandtigers and will be free diving in the Bahamas with Tiger and hopefully Hammerheads amongst other species. It is an incredible feeling to be close to them in their domain. Underwater, we tend to be just another big fish. Above water, the silouette of divers, swimmers, and surfers look like some of their normal prey (turtles and seals). That is when attacks occur due to mistaken identity. It is rare for divers to get attacked unless they are close to a feeding area or are feeding the sharks directly.

It's good to learn the more common shark species. The one shark you should be most wary are Bull Sharks. They tend to be very pissy if you are in "Their" area. Again, just stay out of their way and they will stay out of yours.

Remember, if you see a shark on your dive, it's an incredibly lucky day for you! It will also be a dive you will never forget!

Have fun!
Carolyn:sharks:

 

[goldenbear01]

I was afraid someone was going to post a nightmare shark story and that would have been it.

funny you should mention that.

one night i dreamt i was diving when i found this great white shark she was a tiny little thing; very cute. she was about the size of a puppy dog. i fed her and played with her.

later in my dream, i was on another dive trip far from my last dive site when i ran into her again. only this time she'd grown a bit so that she was about 6'. still she was a playful little fish; we frolicked in the water a bit and she swam circles around me.

on yet another dive trip--halfway around the world this time--i ran into roberta (that's what she asked me to call her) again. she'd grown to about 15' by now and was she ever a beauty! but still, we had a good time playing in the water together. heck, she even hunted fish and brought them to me. i also remember reflecting upon how amazing it was that whenever i happened to dive, roberta would turn up and play with me.

when i woke up, i felt a little sad, almost as if i'd lost a good friend. ever since, i've been hoping to run into roberta on an actual dive. if any of you happen to see her before i do, tell her i said "hi"--you'll be able to recognize her by her grin.

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

funny you should mention that.

one night i dreamt i was diving when i found this great white shark she was a tiny little thing; very cute. she was about the size of a puppy dog. i fed her and played with her.

later in my dream, i was on another dive trip far from my last dive site when i ran into her again. only this time she'd grown a bit so that she was about 6'. still she was a playful little fish; we frolicked in the water a bit and she swam circles around me.

on yet another dive trip--halfway around the world this time--i ran into roberta (that's what she asked me to call her) again. she'd grown to about 15' by now and was she ever a beauty! but still, we had a good time playing in the water together. heck, she even hunted fish and brought them to me. i also remember reflecting upon how amazing it was that whenever i happened to dive, roberta would turn up and play with me.

when i woke up, i felt a little sad, almost as if i'd lost a good friend. ever since, i've been hoping to run into roberta on an actual dive. if any of you happen to see her before i do, tell her i said "hi"--you'll be able to recognize her by her grin.

Maybe you were commincating with your Shark Spirit Guide in your subconsious state. Thank you for sharing that!
Animal Spirit Guides Shamanism Working With Animal Spirits

From the site:



Shark's Wisdom Includes:

• A God of the Sea
• Guardian of the family
• Ability to move constantly
• Savior
• Protector
• Connection to past knowledge
• Shapeshifter
• Remorselessness
• Never being caught off guard
• Ability to defend oneself

The Hawaiians are very strong in their beliefs of a Shark God.

http://www.mythichawaii.com/tiki-gods.htm
http://www.bishopmuseum.org/research/cultstud/kaho/shark2.htm


Carolyn:sharks:

 

[viceroy]

Growing up, I saw films like Jaws which utterly filled me with fear of sharks, and spending pretty much all my holidays at the coast (South Africa,Durban, South Coast), I heard plenty of stories of swimmers being attacked, I saw the signs warning people not to swim when the rivers were bloated, and to not swim at dawn/dusk and at night...so I think I had what is considered to be the average person's fear of an unknown predator.

However, when I qualified 8 years ago, I started hanging around divers who told me stories of their wonderful encounters with sharks and my perceptions started to change.

My first encounter with a shark was at about 15m and it was a great hammerhead (supposedly one of the more dangerous sharks) and it was a wonderful experience, and I was drawn to the shark in fascination.

Since then, I've dived with Bullsharks, More Hammerheads, Black tip reef sharks and sand tigers, and every one of those dives has counted as one of my best.

All the advice I can offer is to just stay calm if you see a shark, don't intrude into its space, and you'll have a great time admiring them.

 

[fisherdvm]

I have flown up and down both Florida coasts at 100-500 feet many times and lots of SC/NC. I can tell you that on any given day there are many, many sharks around those beaches that are quite visible from the air. Quite often they are right in there around the swimmers and other beach visitors who are apparently quite oblivious to their existence. Let me tell you, some of them buggers are big! Some are even bigger!

just try not to look like food and you s/b ok .

Similarly, when I was fishing near Oahu airport, we watched kids playing in the beach nearby. Hammerheads were swimming in the beach area next to them, and they don't even know it. They are below the surface, so no fins showed up. Only if they knew.

 

[tomboyy]

My avatar is a pic I took. I did a shark dive... there was maybe 15-20 of them. They'd swim straight at you and swerve just in time and glide by your head.

 

[Walter]

My fear of sharks is probably baseless

Your fear is not baseless. One of the things people fear most is being eaten, especially eaten alive. Sharks can and sometimes do this to people. While rare, it does happen.

I was afraid someone was going to post a nightmare shark story and that would have been it.

Those stories are here, you just have to search for them.

Those guys . . . well . . . um . . . err . . . they don't post very much any more.

Sure we do.

Sharks are becoming a rarer treat at many dive sites.

While I understand sharks are not as plentiful as they were 20 years ago, I sure see a great many more than I used to see. In my first 1,000 dives I saw less than 25 sharks. In my second 1,000 dives, I saw well over 100.