How many fatal shark attacks to stop you diving

[scubastingray]

I'll answer your questions, but firstly a few of my own:

Apparently you live in Kentucky. My guess would be that shark attack is not a major concern for the authorities in that state given that it is entirely landlocked. I found this on the net.



Scuba Diving in Kentucky, USA, North America - Dive Sites & Locations

Where do you normally dive?
How many people were killed by fatal shark attack in the last three years in the region you dive? I asked this question in the OP and have had few responses.

I'll answer that for you. In my region, none that I could find. Not just the last 3 years, ever. I've been a surfer much longer than I've been a diver, and even then it's not a concern (despite looking like a seal on my 6'0" board with my legs dangling).


Now how about you stop dodging the questions?
I like to push the envelope sometimes, and often my questions can annoy. This is 10 steps beyond that. I thought it odd others called you troll, but that's what you are. Your ban is imminent I'm sure.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

This is a completely pointless attempt at fear mongering towards sharks. Your situation exists NO WHERE on this entire planet. Why did you even bother making this?

This is the kind of crap that goes on when a political appointee needs to justify them having a job that does not involve saying "you want fries with that?"
Or when some government hack is getting a kickback from his mother's other uncle who is getting paid to kill something that does not need killed. We need to send the killer chihuahuas to WA to save the sharks.

Beam me up Scotty, no intelliigent life here.

 

[azza2012]

As an aussie I'm ashamed of the thread author. We are Australian where everything wants to bite, poison or eat you harden up and be proud of it instead of trying to kill it just because you don't understand it.

East coast has the usual sharks and the rest, great whites included but we also have killer jellyfish and the like that are far more scary then the whites. If u want to to surf at dusk or dawn.. U risk yourself if u want to dive or spear fish in areas with predators u risk yourself. But that's a choice you make, there are swimming pools for people who do not want to take risks. I think western Australia needs to adapt north qld approach. Signs showing the hazard and people can make the choice, same way rivers with crocodiles are.

 

[Foxfish]

I think western Australia needs to adapt north qld approach. Signs showing the hazard and people can make the choice, same way rivers with crocodiles are.

So how would you decide which beaches needed to have signs? The number of attacks a year and especially the number of fatal attacks seemed to me a good starting point.

Where do you normally dive? How many fatal attacks in the last three years? How many fatal attacks a year would be needed before the need to put up signs?

 

[JohnN]

So how would you decide which beaches needed to have signs? The number of attacks a year and especially the number of fatal attacks seemed to me a good starting point.

Where do you normally dive? How many fatal attacks in the last three years? How many fatal attacks a year would be needed before the need to put up signs?

 

[TMHeimer]

We understand that. I think the reason we have an issue with it is that it's like asking us if sharks could fly, would we go to the beach or stay home and hide.

Richard.

Can't recall ever disagreeing with you Richard. But I think the reason some have issue with the poll is because the whole shark subject is one of the biggest hornet's nests with divers. And probably rightly so considering the numbers that are killed. Notice that all the comparisons came up way back in the thread comparing shark attacks to this and that. Nothing to do with the poll. The OP may have said some things along the way that annoyed some. But the poll, to me, was simply an interesting one.

 

[drrich2]

But I think the reason some have issue with the poll is because the whole shark subject is one of the biggest hornet's nests with divers. And probably rightly so considering the numbers that are killed.

True. We're talking about a threatened population (sharks) in high danger from public misconception and prejudice. People worry about the potential consequences of fear-mongering.

Richard.

P.S.: I normally dive in Florida and the Caribbean, though I live in KY.

 

[Ste Wart]

A GIANT four-metre surfing croc has closed Broome’s iconic Cable Beach for a day before moving on.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/australian-holidays/surfing-4m-croc-closes-broomes-cable-beach/story-e6frfq9r-1226836771083

Now TBH if I saw that thing in the shallows, I probably wouldn't even go down to the beach to take photos

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Meanwhile on the other side of Australia:

[h=1]Australian fined for killing great white shark[/h]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26166901

Great white sharks are protected in Australian waters. Officials say they are important to the local ecosystem.

 

[Wingy]

And in other news....Ste Wart you beat me to the croc..lets not forget the deadly elephant seal which is now terrorising south west beaches, I think we should all seek environmental asylum somewhere safe like Bhutan.

Supreme court challenge today by GREEN political party and sea shepherd regarding the legality of the tendering process and public consultation process. Legal fight over shark kill policy - The West Australian

 

[Foxfish]

Name the specific place(s). I suspect in some cases, like my ridiculous example of body boarding off Seal Island near South Africa where the great whites hunt seals and breach attacking decoys, it's common sense applied to a very localized area, rather than waiting for the fatality rate to hit a specific number per sea-using population ratio for a given area.

And relatively small, isolated areas can be pretty easily avoided once known. That scenario is not to be generalized to very large regions of coastline.

Richard.

Here is one to get you started.

GREAT WHITE SHARK ATTACKS IN SOUTH AFRICA | Facts and Details

South Africa has a beach that had six fatalities in five years according to this article. All the attacks were fatal.

Surfer savaged to death by a shark at South African beach dubbed 'the world's deadliest' | Mail Online

You may find some of the photos disturbing.

I can keep going if you want other hot spots. South Africa has quite a few and their statistics seems worse than our own.

As far as common sense goes, unfortunately it is often anything but common. Have a look at the poll on this thread. Most of the divers on the forum would jump in without a second though at these locations.