Hammerhead bite - California
- Thread starter DandyDon
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Why don't the media ever mention the spearfishing part of the story when it comes to shark bites?
deeper thoughts
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Spearfishing makes sense
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Every hammerhead encounter I've had makes me believe, also, that he must have been spearfishing. Everytime I've seen hammerheads, they have appeared to be timid and easily spooked. Glad he will be ok.
Hetland
Contributor
I've only ever been in the water with the Greater Hammerheads, and they are indeed shy, and very easily spooked. Like "don't even smile or let your eyes get big in excitement" shy.
I'd gladly trade any catch I've ever made in return for being able to watch a greater turn circles around me for 5 minutes.
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Ken Kurtis
Contributor
Humans are dangerous. The shark is just doing what he's programmed to do.
My understanding of this is that he was spearfishing and the fish was in the hand that got bitten. Sounds like the shark was just going for the fish (aka doing what he's programmed to do). Even Rodney Fox, probably the most famous shark bite survivor in the world, says that he was bitten because he had a stringer with speared fish on his hip.
This headline should have been "Spearfisherman Tries to Steal Shark's Lunch - Shark Takes It Back."
- Ken
Freediver bitten by hammerhead
Posted by Chris on August 16, 2015 at 10:09:58:
Last Thursday a diver at Cortes bank was bitten on the hand by a hammerhead shark. However key facts seem to me missing form the news reports:
He was freediver
He was spearfishing
He had freshly shot fish in his hand when he was bit in the hand
This was not a case of a shark just swimming up and biting a SCUBA diver for no reason.
Posted by Chris on August 16, 2015 at 10:09:58:
Last Thursday a diver at Cortes bank was bitten on the hand by a hammerhead shark. However key facts seem to me missing form the news reports:
He was freediver
He was spearfishing
He had freshly shot fish in his hand when he was bit in the hand
This was not a case of a shark just swimming up and biting a SCUBA diver for no reason.
jsnorman
Registered
Totally agree. Every time there is a news report about a diver who is bitten by a shark, my wife and family freaks out and I get a dozen emails about the incident. It almost always turns out to be a spearfishing incident, when I can find the facts to illuminate the vague news media reports. I am not saying sharks will never bite a scuba diver who isn't spearfishing, but it would be nice if the media could differentiate these two very different situations!
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