Great White spotted at Crystal Bay

[NAUI Wowie]

Don't poke them. Don't act like their food. Don't smell like their food (people carrying speared fish, I'm looking at you...). And in general, don't try to swim above them. That should keep people out of trouble in general

If you actually believe all that you will end up like the grizzly guy who was eaten by grizzly bears. and his girlfriend too. He lived among grizzlies for many many years peacefully. He knew their tendencies and habits. He was ultimately respectful of them and lived to document them. None of that mattered in the end. One day one just decided to eat him and his woman. theres even audio of it and you can hear him being eaten and grunting in pain. Later they were both found in the grizzlies stomach. We are not standard grizzly fare but that grizzly didnt care at all.

If you are in the environment of a creature made to kill and eat everything around it that has been doing it for millenia, eventually you WILL become the meal.

Also as a scuba diver how do you ALWAYS stay below them? I agree that I would feel much more safe plastered against the coral either on a wall or on bottom but you gotta get there to be there. also grouping multiple people together in a tight clump with everyone watching all directions helps against tigersharks etc. At least thats what ive read.

not trying to poke you or anything just stating that a great white dont give a flying fig what you think. You cannot protect yourself from them while scuba diving. You have a false sense of security.

Some times the intelligent thing is just knowing what you dont know to help keep you safe.

 

[Wingy]

Also time of year and water temperature in west Australia tends to make our GWS a little more fuelled up - I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure the majority of our fatal attacks have been in winter with water temp at 18c or lower. Also time of day, weather conditions on the day.

I know people who have ended up being chomped by GWS and lived...but I know two people who were chomped by tiger sharks. Neither survived. I tend to keep my eye on them more than GWS.

We have so much to learn about "unprovoked attacks" - could it be the odd shark is just like the drunk who stumbles out of a night club and punches someone in the face for no reason? Or does that open up the rogue man eater kettle of worms again. Maybe the odd shark out there is just...a wanker?

 

[drrich2]

What was never found? The head?

It was found around 3 weeks later - L.A. Times article with details.

If you are in the environment of a creature made to kill and eat everything around it that has been doing it for millenia, eventually you WILL become the meal.

You are right that there's always some risk in being in the presence of one. That said, I don't think they are designed to eat everything around them. They can eat a pretty good range of things, but still rely on instinct to discriminate what is food. I'm surprised humans in wetsuits looking a bit seal/seal lion-like (some of us more so than others...like me) don't ring the dinner bell more often. One showing up randomly seems pretty low risk from people's reports.

It's a funny thing - there are places you can participate in dives where food is used to draw in tiger sharks for observation without cages, but doing so with great whites is more unusual (but cageless white shark diving isn't unheard of).

There's a You Tube video where a guy using snorkeling gear at Guadalupe in a 'ghost cage' (I think acrylic) where the sharks can see him. It's a decent anecdotal 'test case' for a guy just hanging out while a number of great whites swarm around in water with good viz., to see whether one would eventually decide to taste test him.

The results don't make me want to try it.

Richard.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Shucks! I missed seeing the lost GWS. We only saw 2 mantas at Manta Point, 4 mola-mola & a thresher shark at Blue Corner yesterday.

only 2 mantas?? Did the GW chase them away?

 

[NAUI Wowie]

It was found around 3 weeks later - L.A. Times article with details.



You are right that there's always some risk in being in the presence of one. That said, I don't think they are designed to eat everything around them. They can eat a pretty good range of things, but still rely on instinct to discriminate what is food. I'm surprised humans in wetsuits looking a bit seal/seal lion-like (some of us more so than others...like me) don't ring the dinner bell more often. One showing up randomly seems pretty low risk from people's reports.

It's a funny thing - there are places you can participate in dives where food is used to draw in tiger sharks for observation without cages, but doing so with great whites is more unusual (but cageless white shark diving isn't unheard of).

There's a You Tube video where a guy using snorkeling gear at Guadalupe in a 'ghost cage' (I think acrylic) where the sharks can see him. It's a decent anecdotal 'test case' for a guy just hanging out while a number of great whites swarm around in water with good viz., to see whether one would eventually decide to taste test him.

The results don't make me want to try it.

Richard.

cool info and yea I dont mean to imply great whites eat everything. But eventually if they are always around they will still chomp you in half or bite a leg etc off. As I had mentioned with the grizzlies...same thing. I mean hey if I saw ONE large great white above me go by and im at the bottom and could video it that would be awesome. but there IS risk when you go to surface. more so than if one wasnt around.

 

[Jonny Wishbone]

Wow, she’s a bit girthy. Looks like either she just ate or maybe pregnant.

 

[billt4sf]

If you actually believe all that you will end up like the grizzly guy who was eaten by grizzly bears. and his girlfriend too. He lived among grizzlies for many many years peacefully. He knew their tendencies and habits. He was ultimately respectful of them and lived to document them. None of that mattered in the end. One day one just decided to eat him and his woman. theres even audio of it and you can hear him being eaten and grunting in pain. Later they were both found in the grizzlies stomach. We are not standard grizzly fare but that grizzly didn't care at all.

If you are in the environment of a creature made to kill and eat everything around it that has been doing it for millennia, eventually you WILL become the meal.

Also as a scuba diver how do you ALWAYS stay below them? I agree that I would feel much more safe plastered against the coral either on a wall or on bottom but you gotta get there to be there. also grouping multiple people together in a tight clump with everyone watching all directions helps against tiger sharks etc. At least thats what ive read.

not trying to poke you or anything just stating that a great white don't give a flying fig what you think. You cannot protect yourself from them while scuba diving. You have a false sense of security.

Some times the intelligent thing is just knowing what you don't know to help keep you safe.

+1 for a balanced answer

 

[Wingy]

cool info and yea I dont mean to imply great whites eat everything. But eventually if they are always around they will still chomp you in half or bite a leg etc off. As I had mentioned with the grizzlies...same thing. I mean hey if I saw ONE large great white above me go by and im at the bottom and could video it that would be awesome. but there IS risk when you go to surface. more so than if one wasnt around.

Being on the bottom isn't a guarantee of anything - just ask Greg - https://www.watoday.com.au/national...-and-recognised-the-sound-20131115-2xlxa.html

I will admit that I'm not a fan of safety stops when you get that "hmm, it's a bit sharky today" feeling. I've been more concerned after getting back on the boat and seeing everyone's faces - oh we had a 4m GW circling the boat....and you didn't see him? .... As a very highly esteemed scuba journo and photographer once said about diving here - Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they don't see you.

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

Wow! This is amazing news!

A sighting like this only reinforces Nusa Penida's place as 1 of the best diving destinations in Indonesia, if not the world.

How lucky are the divers seeing a GWS in out of all places, Bali! Seeing Molas at Crystal Bay is something special, but a GWS is absolutely priceless.

It be very interesting to see if GWS is a local or visitor. There's a smorgasbord of big enough prey around that area this time of the year with Molas, dolphins at Crystal Bay, and Manta Bay around the corner. And water temp drops down to 16°C as I've experienced before.

It looked like it could possibly be pregnant. And if so, when it gives birth, the babies could be citizens of Indonesia? Makes this so intriguing

 

[Bagfullofstories]

Shucks! I missed seeing the lost GWS. We only saw 2 mantas at Manta Point, 4 mola-mola & a thresher shark at Blue Corner yesterday.

"Only". Sounds like you had a terrible dive