Fear of sharks

[goldenbear01]

Maybe you were commincating with your Shark Spirit Guide in your subconsious state.

if that's true, that'd be pretty cool...here, i just thought i had an awesome dream where i somehow ended up with a pet shark.

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.

hi walter, are you diving in the same areas as before? do you have any guesses as to why you're seeing more sharks now? (assuming that it's because there's an increase in the numbers of sharks where you're diving)

 

[BanditDJB]

What if you see a mako, hammerhead, or a bull shark? Should you be weary of your situation because they are more agressive? I'm always worried one will sneak up on me while I'm waiting for my turn to get back in the boat after a dive.

But even though its on my mind I still dive.

 

[SPG3K]

Ever since I got into diving, I have been nervous about 'hanging' in blue water, like on a safety stop.

Being on the bottom has never bothered me, I know what sharks eat, and I know that I don't look like it, especially on the bottom. And I know that I will not mess with them, just like any other dangerous animal.

Anyways, I read several articles about hanging, using lift bags, etc, and how you see all the cool stuff, yada yada.

I was still scared of it. I was afraid that I would get separated, and alone, and have to hang on a safety stop, and that a shark would like pounce on me from behind while I was reading a computer gauge.

Well, on my first boat dive - you guessed it.

Separated on ascent, all alone for safety stop. No bottom or surface visible. No reference points other than a small bright spot where the sun was behind some huge clouds.

I'm not sure what I WAS thinking about, besides being mad at my dive buddy, but I was certainly NOT thinking about sharks.

I was playing with a jellyfish, then wondering about the bottom of the boat, and if I was going to ascend into the prop, you know, stupid crap.

I thought I was scared of them, and though I've yet to see one, I think I'm over it.

 

[ben@scorpiodivers.com]

on columbia reef in coz we saw 7 juvenile black tips, its rare for coz as usaully you ll see a nurse shark in every 10 dives! the only that got my heart beat pumping was a 15ft tiger in a shark feed in austaralia, bulls, hammers, reef sharks.... its all good!
manta rays better!

 

[piffle]

The concensus seems to be that there are'nt many sharks around Coz. Thats part of the reason I choose it to be my first ocean dive trip. Why is that sharks seem so plentiful in most places around the carribbean, but not at Coz? Maby because of the number of divers invading their space.

 

[goldenbear01]

The concensus seems to be that there are'nt many sharks around Coz. Thats part of the reason I choose it to be my first ocean dive trip. Why is that sharks seem so plentiful in most places around the carribbean, but not at Coz? Maby because of the number of divers invading their space.

yah...i'm guessing sharks (like lots of locals in a "tourist town") aren't keen on hanging around with tourists.

 

[Sonet]

First and foremost enjoy your trip. If you see a shark...enjoy it. The best way to get rid of your fear is by reading up and education yourself about sharks. I have done a few shark dives and ran into a few on normal dives. Learn their behaviors. The more you study them the more you will be fascinated by them.
Have a good trip

 

[Dive ireland]

First shark i saw was an angel, the instructor spent 5 minutes pointing at the sand before i realised it was under it lol

 

[Walter]

hi walter, are you diving in the same areas as before?

Pretty much, but not entirely.

do you have any guesses as to why you're seeing more sharks now?

I don't have a clue.

I was afraid that I would get separated, and alone, and have to hang on a safety stop, and that a shark would like pounce on me from behind while I was reading a computer gauge.

June 24, 2001 - I was solo diving about 60 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The visibility was 100 feet, bottom was 130 feet, I was on my safety stop. Nothing was visible except the surface and blue. I caught a movement out of the corner of my right eye. I turned to my right to see a 6 ft Caribbean Reef Shark coming from behind me. The shark was maybe 20 feet away and a tad deeper than my 15 feet. It was beautiful and extremely graceful as it curved around and crossed over in front of me. When it reached my 10 o'clock position, it turned 180° and swam by me again, this time about 10 - 15 feet away. Reaching my 2 o'clock position, it made another turn coming up at an angle and directly toward me. Still moving slowly and gracefully, it was not aggressive in any way. I did not feel threatened, but as it continued to approach, I did expect a bump. I prepared to push it away when at a distance of 3 feet, it made a 180° turn and swam slowly out and down, disappearing into the depths.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I think you have got a lot of good advice on this thread and I am going to try not repeat it.
My first dive where I knew we were likely to see sharks I was a bit nervous going out on the boat. Before we went out I asked my fiance (now hubby) and dive buddy to stay close because I wasn't sure how I would react when I saw them for the first time.
On the boat trip out to the site I reviewed in my mind most of the information stated here.... stats etc then I got thinking about the food those sharks eat.
We were diving for Nurse sharks..... They have sharp inward pointing teeth designed to grab prey whole and swallow it.... not serated edges to bite bits off. That is when I realized there is no nurse shark going to look at ME with a tank on my back and think "Hey I can get my mouth around that"When we saw the sharks I was spellbound I didn't even think of them trying to eat ME!
I've dived with a number of sharks... I wouldn't get into the ocean with a great white... goes back to the serrated edges on their teeth. The rest.... I've gained a bit of weightso I reckon I look even less like shark food than I used to:blinking: Enjoy yourself try for the mind set on the way out and if you are lucky enough to see a shark you will probably be as spellbound as the rest of us