Great Whites in NC?

[Matteo]

no great whites, but did have a full grown tiger(like a tiger tiger, not a sand tiger) swim by about 6 months ago....the creepy part was that we only had about 30 ft of vis and once the "shadow" disappeared into the murk, we had no idea where he was in relation to us....but back to the GW, I'd love to do a cage dive one day, it's gotta be a killer rush

 

[Bob_B]

I love diving with the sand tigers. From June to Aug, there are normally "schools" of them, 15 to 30, on several of the Wrecks off of Cape Fear.

As for a GW dive, I like to do a cage dive with them as well. It would have to be a strong cage though..

 

[K9trnr]

San Diego Shark Diving Expeditions does some great white trips not real far from me, and I've debated going. It just seems expensive when you don't get to do any actual diving. Interestingly, they have Tiger shark trips where no cage is used. Personally, I wouldn't intentionally get in the water with either unless I was in a cage. It's unlikely either would do a diver harm, but it's not a chance I would take. Plus I could die of a heart attack caused by fear even if the shark meant no harm. lol

 

[occrider]

So is there actually any legitimate reason why divers should be more precautious around great whites than any other sharks? There are far more attacks from bull sharks than any other type of shark. Yet everyone seems to get their panties in a bunch when a great white enters the picture. Is this an unfounded stygmitism against great whites? Yea they're big, but are they really statistically more dangerious than a bull or a tiger or any other shark that you may encounter? I would love to dive sans cage with a great white but I want to be sure that there is a legitimate danger that this animal poses as opposed to a "hollywood" danger. Is this fear a byproduct of sensationalism or not?

 

[onfloat]

I would think with it's size that it has the potential to do more damage. Big Mouth=Big Bite.

 

[venturediver]

Personally, I think I would rather be in the water with a great white than a bull shark. Having dove with bulls several times, I'm fully aware of their aggressive nature. That being said, from a distance divers tend to look like seals in the water. Seals being one of the great white's favorite nibblies, methinks I would just as soon steer clear. Unless it was Kenny the Shark or Jabberjaws. Then I'm gunning for an autograph.

 

[andydiver06]

Here is a nice site on sharkdive http://www.martinsweb.com/sharkdive2004.html
I think there are some basic rules when diving with sharks.
(a) Get down to a sandy bottom very fast once you enter the water. Do not splash, - no backward roll, enter quietly.
(b) Keep a gear like a Videocam or a shark stick to drive them away if they get too close.
(c) Keep your buddy behind you looking the other way, so that 360 deg is covered
(d) Keep still and do not make too much noise to attact them
(e) Do not try to feed them, it can be really dangerous
(f) Don't dive with sharks with seals present around the area
(g) Bulls, Tiger, GW are dangerous in day or night and Reef sharks like white tip/ black tip etc can be dangerous at night when they feed.
(h) Wear chainmail protective suit if you are feeding sharks
(i) Shark repellant electronics are also available in market. use them if you need.
PADI/NAUI also have a shark diving speciality course. http://www.kokanya.com/adventure/adven_divingB3.htm
(e) When getting back to boat don't hang around to much and do not snorkel with sharks around

 

[jiveturkey]

So is there actually any legitimate reason why divers should be more precautious around great whites than any other sharks? There are far more attacks from bull sharks than any other type of shark. Yet everyone seems to get their panties in a bunch when a great white enters the picture. Is this an unfounded stygmitism against great whites? Yea they're big, but are they really statistically more dangerious than a bull or a tiger or any other shark that you may encounter? I would love to dive sans cage with a great white but I want to be sure that there is a legitimate danger that this animal poses as opposed to a "hollywood" danger. Is this fear a byproduct of sensationalism or not?

They don't kill as many people because they aren't around as many people. If you present yourself on a platter (ala sans cage) to an animal like a great white shark you'll probably become one of those statistics. They may not be statistically more dangerous than a bull but they are the largest predator on the face of the planet and deserve tremendous respect. There's a reason why operators use cages.

 

[NCSCUBADOOBA]

cool video!!!

 

[ClevelandDiver]

They don't kill as many people because they aren't around as many people. If you present yourself on a platter (ala sans cage) to an animal like a great white shark you'll probably become one of those statistics. They may not be statistically more dangerous than a bull but they are the largest predator on the face of the planet and deserve tremendous respect. There's a reason why operators use cages.

Aren't Sperm whales the biggest predator on the planet?

Anyway according to the international shark attack files, whites do kill the most people.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/species2.htm