FYI: Anatomy of a Shark Bite

[SpyderTek]

As much as I disagree with the horrid demonizing of the shark in pop culture TV I have to give Discovery Channel credit where credit is due...

As I type this there is a show in rerun on Discovery discussing exactly all the things you want broadcasted David. The show is "Sharks of the Deep Blue " .

Catch it if you get a chance. It is very pro-shark and talks in great depth at the damage we are doing the sharks and casts light into the shadowy world of shark sensationalism.

Spydertek

 

[norcaldiver]

I was so jazzed about shark week, then I saw one of the episode teasers...tonights show where Jessie James (self proclaimed decendant of the actual Jessie James-sheah right) and crew from "Losers get lucky" Monster Garage make the monster shark boat. I thought I was going to vomit right there on my couch. Discovery channel lost a view that night forever.

I'm emailing them-the Jerry Spinger of educational TV- and I hope everyone else does too.

 

[Cudabait]

Well, I must say that I watched this documentary with patient interest. My patience beagan to wane after too much time spent on building a "mechanical bull" to use in attempt to reconstruct a shark bite. It would seem that the video footage said it all: I think it only re-inforces what is going on. Human deeding prredatory fish in their own inviornment is an invitatation to an emergeny room, if you're lucky. Experts are now saying that the fish learn to associate food with humans. Fish sees human, no food present, fish bites human. Don't get me wrong, folks, I am very well aware of the depleting fish resource situation, particlularly re: sharks. It' a fact: attacks happen at a much higher rate when you are spearfishing or chumming. This guy had been chumming for at least an hour when the shark bit him. This guy was actually telling people that he could control his breating and thus minimize the probability of a shark bite. C'mon!!! The fish swam up to his leg, took a little sniff, then a little bite, then a mouthful. Only person to blame here is the guy that thought he could chum sharks for a hour and not get bitten. By the way, I've been attacked by a barracuda (documented) and I was not chumming or spearfishing. I darn sure would not hang a pork chop around my neck and take a walk in the woods with the bears. Really!!!! Cudabait

 

[XJae]

norcaldiver once bubbled...
I was so jazzed about shark week, then I saw one of the episode teasers...tonights show where Jessie James (self proclaimed decendant of the actual Jessie James-sheah right) and crew from "Losers get lucky" Monster Garage make the monster shark boat. I thought I was going to vomit right there on my couch. Discovery channel lost a view that night forever.

I'm emailing them-the Jerry Spinger of educational TV- and I hope everyone else does too.

Not exactly what I had in mind either.
Maybe tomorrow.

Otter once bubbled...
I watch SO little TV that it figures that Murphy would raise his ugly head and destroy my digital cable signal so that I can't see SHARK WEEK.......I am soooo frustrated!

You didn't miss anything tonight.

 

[lakesdiver]

Seemed kind of like National Enquirer goes high-tech. Very disappointing.

 

[ScottyK]

If I wrote the TV guide....

Sunday- Anatomy of a Shark Hype

See us build a 20' mechanical Great White, and use it to explain a bite from a 7' Bull Shark. Don't miss a "mannequin chompin good time".

Monday- Monster Pontoon Boat

We are giving away a $100 prize for the viewer who can explain how this pertains to sharks. There will be enough welding to satisfy the shark lover in all of us.

Tuesday- Manny the shark mugger

Watch an aged hippie manhandle sharks in their natural habitat and then try to pass it off as science.

Coming tonight-

We put a supermodel in an aquarium shark tank. Watch her defy death as vicious 3' nurse sharks close in from all sides.


I think I'll throw my videotape of Blue Planet, Seas of Life in tonight before I completely lose faith in marine documentaries

 

[zeN||]

Even If Shark Week has its detractors, it was great to see some great footage of sharks, I only wish manny the circus handler could have demonstrated the "What to do when your head is in the shark's mouth" technique zeN

 

[ScottyK]

They should've used him to demonstrate the mechanical Great White

 

[Cudabait]

The saga continues-----

Ain't this great. I again watched with some interest as this guy got in the water with large bait fish (after a chum line had been well established). Then he added to the chum line by scraping flesh off the dead bait. Whatever he started out to prove did not happen. However he did prove two things: He's short on common sense, and what experts have been saying, and I support, that you can feed these large predators and they will feed. Then you withold the food and they associate humans with food and attempt to take a bite out of the human. This was overwhelmingly established by last night's episode. The L.I.C.S. (lacking in common sense) was bitten twice. Finally, when they did run out of food to feed the large mako shark, he made numerous attempts to bite the divers, particularly the female diver (she was the smallest and easiest prey) Lucky for her the other male divers were able to intercede and she made it back to the boat in what appeared to be near panic. This goes on and on. They had a strong current, had drifted downstream from the boat. Had one of them been bitten severly they would have bled to death before they could get back to the boat. It's become very obvious to me why legislatiion has been passed in many jurisdictions outlawing this type of conduct. One thing was apparent, the animals almost always attempted to target the divers legs while approaching from behind. Not dumb. This also supports that the majority of shark attacks are to the legs. Interesting.

 

[zeN||]

As long as Manny recovers the video tape of him/his crew getting turned into sharkfoo I say let 'em have at it! ~Z