How Would You React To Being Approached By A Potentially Dangerous Shark?

How Do You Believe You Would React?

  • Appreciate the encounter - that was fun, hope you get to do it again?

    Votes: 24 42.1%
  • Appreciate it, but conflicted - would be very ambivalent about wanting it to happen again.

    Votes: 5 8.8%
  • Appreciate it, but wary - enjoyed it in hindsight, but would rather that not happen.

    Votes: 16 28.1%
  • Neutral - no strong feelings either way. Watch it come, watch it go, okay, back to reef diving...

    Votes: 11 19.3%
  • Upset about it - sharks don't usually approach divers, and this one could've been dangerous.

    Votes: 2 3.5%
  • Upset, and reactive - want to know why this happened. Might something be causing this?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Upset and quite reactive - want to know why, and may want 'something done' about it.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Strong fear - you fear potential 'man-eaters' and don't want them near. No panic.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Strong fear - potential to panic, or at least make a vigorous effort to leave the area.

    Votes: 2 3.5%

  • Total voters
    57

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I would be fascinated but a bit wary. I've never had a close encounter with one of the 'big boys' except for hammerheads, and they swung by to check us out, then went about their business. I love to see them but have some reservations about how close I want them to get!
 
The only answer is "it all depends." Really, spearfishing dives should be an entirely separate category because shark encounters and not unexpected, and the way they approach can be aggressive, but spearos generally know how to handle themselves and do not have the same emotional reactions other divers might have.

If I am on a non-spearing sightseeing or photography dive, a shark swim-by would not faze me as that is pretty normal behaviour. Usually, you see them only at a distance and are lucky to even get a curiousity but "not really interested" swim-by. I am thrilled by these encounters and try to stay with the sharks, but that is not usually possible.

On the same dive, if I am approached quickly by a shark clearly interested in "me" and showing speed, quick movement, or "fins down" posture, I would be more concerned, and the closer the approach the more concern I would have. A "bump" would cause the most concern. But, I am not concerned that the shark is intent on "attacking" me at random. Rather, the concern is because I understand that sharks approaching this way have been artificially stimulated into feeding behavior, which puts me at higher risk.

I have experienced all of these behaviors at shark feeding/scenting sites, and if that is what I signed up for, I have no issues.

I would be upset if I encountered this behavior on a regular dive site not dedicated to regular shark feeds.
 
I have been excited to see sharks since the first time I put a reg in my mouth. I was really happy to see the Reef and Nurse sharks at Jupiter a couple years ago and was hoping to plan my trip this year around the Lemon migration. Bulls I'm ambivalent about. Hammerheads are on my list of "must see before I die", along with whale sharks (obviously different type of encounter).

I like seeing bears and bobcats in the woods, why wouldn't I similarly like seeing sharks?

So far I've been all smiles when I've seen one, I can't imagine any other reaction unless it rushed me. Then I'd probably pull a warhammer then laugh a lot after the adrenaline faded.
 
I'd be interested in reading about the shark's response to a close encounter with a diver, but they don't seem to join ScubaBoard (or if they do, they can't type a post). I know of situations where divers in our waters have pursued great whites (to film them more closely) and had the shark bolt and run (er, swim) away.
 
I'd be interested in reading about the shark's response to a close encounter with a diver, but they don't seem to join ScubaBoard (or if they do, they can't type a post). I know of situations where divers in our waters have pursued great whites (to film them more closely) and had the shark bolt and run (er, swim) away.

Most of my bull shark encounters in Florida have been like that. The first time I saw one in middling viz I "lit the afterburners" (i.e. started kicking at max speed without caring about how much air I was burning) to try and get close for a photo. I'll say I got close enough to make out that distinctive "muscle shark" silhouette against the background, but that was about it. The tiger I saw last weekend was a classic Stealth Hi/Bye.

Posted this in the non-poll thread, but this guy takes the cake. When I first read about him he'd been diving the Farallones for 25 years and estimated he'd had about 400 white shark sightings in that period. He's had them get tangled in his air hose and had to whack them over the head with urchin baskets. Just another day at work - Devil's Teeth - YouTube
 
Remind me of when I was down at Guadalupe filming GWS with Dr. Guy Harvey and a scientific expedition. We were on a private yacht when a group of Mexican ab divers came up and wanted to trade some of their huge pile of abs for some "adult refreshment." The boat's owner only carried premium brands and the ab divers didn't recognize any of them so we didn't get our abs. We asked about great whites and they said they lose a few divers to them... just part of doing business. Gulp!
 
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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