How do sharks respond to strobes and flashes in their face?

[tracydr]

Saw a video during Shark Week a couple of years ago that showed a diver in the water off Oahu with an OWT. The shark was just curious until the diver reached over and turned on his strobe. The shark instantly turned and bit the strobe head. Personnally I will dive with all sharks except the OWT which I consider the most dangerous animal in the water.

I snorkeled with an OWT shark. I have to say, I was much more wary of that shark than all the hammerheads and Galapegos sharks that we dived with in Galapegos. Those OWTs have a reputation for being very agressive and at least as much of a man-biter as a GWS. It seemed to want to stalk me if I turned my back on it.
The owner of Jack's Dive Locker was snorkeling with me, we were the only two in the water. He told me his son was nearly bitten by an OWT when he was younger.
They must be making a comeback because he hadn't seen one in a long time and that was around 2000. Since then, I seem to hear of a lot of people that have seen them in Hawaii.

 

[ScubaPink]

The blink....;0 or use nictating membranes or rolll their eyes in disgust.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

... this one smiled at me ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[billgraham]

Here's the silvertip trying to eat my red strobe (with a red light too).

I've noticed sharks react to the solenoid firing on my CCR.

 

[cudachaser]

My Shark Tale:

Years ago I used to frequently take my students to Marineland near St Augustine FL to dive in their 400,000 gal fish tank (the aging tank has since been demolished as a result of hurricane damage in 2004). At one point they introduced a baby Black Tip to the tank. Over the coming months I watched it grow to about 3 ft...Then one fateful day we went up to Marineland and the shark was gone. I asked the tank attendant what happened...His response was simply that he died. As I was leaving the park another attendant came up me and said: "I got to tell what happened. I was trying to get a good close up of the shark. I fired my strobe and the shark arched its back then rolled over and sank to the bottom...dead."

Joe