Great White Shark caught off Tulum

[jhelmuth]

i don't want to make them sound too cute but it is simply not true that they attack anything that moves. plenty of divers have had encounters with great whites and can still tell the tale. just last season in new jersey a couple of divers had a great white encounter. in other parts of the world it is obviously more common. in south africa a few people actually snorkel with them regularly. furthermore, a small great white as the one described, is still very much a fish eater (as opposed to seals etc.). danger to humans, therefore, is minimal. i am not saying they are harmless pups but they are also not mass murderers. doing some research on the subject actually reveals that there are extremely few great white attacks on divers. just don't wear your surf gear

Amen Doc - thanks for the reality check.

 

[budcris]

hey doc i don't want to bust your bubble but the first confirmed shark attacks in the US where from a juvenile great white in 1916 off of new jersey the shark even swam up a creek (matawan) and killed two people and bite another in the same day. there is a fairly decent book about this series of attacks "close to shore" available through the discovery channel store. the shark was eventually caught and killed and the remains of one of the victims was found in her stomach. so small great whites might still be interested in something a little more substantial than a black sea bass

 

[Wrangler]

Eat Shark , look for Shark never see one hmmm whos the apex preditor?

 

[sharky60]

cool!! finally, i won't have to spend a million dollars to go down under to get my great white dive in!

 

[cowprintrabbit]

:11: Hmmm, just got back from Coz (well, a cruise that stopped there) and our DM said the fin following our boat was a dolphin...

 

[ggunn]

:11: Hmmm, just got back from Coz (well, a cruise that stopped there) and our DM said the fin following our boat was a dolphin...

It probably was. Sharks other than nurse sharks are not commonly seen on the Cozumel side of the channel.

 

[milkathecow]

Wow! Thanks for posting. I'd love to see one! I'll be there in 11 days. I might even finally pee in my wet suit if I saw one! Oh God did I say that?
:winky:

Heading for the darwin awards are you ? you might even try to give it a little fish to eat no ?

ahh what's the name of that shark already ? Ahh yeahh Bruce (for those who saw Nemo).. he doesn't eat fish that's right only divers.. LoL

 

[Mako Mark]

Makos are the only living sharks expressly designed for high speed pursuit...

Makos are caught quite regularly out here, I would put my vote in for that as the marlin thief.

juvenile great white in 1916 off of new jersey the shark even swam up a creek (matawan) and killed two people and bite another in the same day.

Great whites can NOT tolerate fresh water, only Bull sharks can do this. I saw the discovery documentary where they were looking for teeth that could have fallen out during this attack, but they only found fossilized teeth.

Take up cave diving, you don't have to worry about sharks!

Roak

'cause the crocodiles and snapping turtles chase them all away??

 

[starfish365]

May I ask if there was a reason other than sport that this incredible specimen of shark was caught.......seems a shame to me.

 

[HaoleDiver]

I'm impressed by the lack of hysteria in this thread, I know a lot of divers that - if they think a GW will be in the area - freak out like no other.
Someone mentioned how few attacks on divers there are by GW, and they're right. Aside from some very remote incidences, GW don't go for divers. Why? Because they're smarter than that. When they attack seals, its because humans on surfboards essential look like big round mammals with flippers - i.e. seals. Scuba divers dont look like seals. We look like big black aliens, with weird noises and bubbles coming of us. GWs sense electrical currents, and charges on bodies, and I'd imagine a diver with full gear puts off some weird sensations for the shark's sensors.
I would personally love to see a GW in the wild, no cage, no chum, just a fish swimming by, living naturally. That would be the ultimate experience.
So for all you going to Coz shortly, good luck, bring some photos back for us!