Hypothetical shark attack question

[peterthewolf]

Depends. Recently here in Australia (if I recall the story correct), a guy was attacked and killed by a great white. The powers that be decided to chase the shark out of the area. They had plenty of opportunity to get rid of it if they wanted, but chose against it.

However - in the process of 'chasing it away', they lost sight of it, and didn't know where it went. That's the last I heard. (Of course, that was via news - which has as times, being known to change facts a bit )

So I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but from what I can gather, here in Aus - they don't hunt them down.

BTW - the movie you were watching wasn't Jaws by any chance?

Here's a great story. I got my cert back in 1972 (my hair was brown then). Saw the preview showing of Jaws in L.A. with my buddy at midnight, then got a couple hours sleep. Then we got up early and drove to Paradise Cove (Malibu) for a dive. I was pretty new, and was getting used to my physical gear set. My scubapro jetfins were really pulling on the fronts of my ankles, swimming face down, so I went on my back for a while to keep them under the surface more. We surface swam into the kelp (heavy) which we were going to go into about the middle for the dive, and of course my tank valve to neck area got jammed with kelp. So I stopped, reached back, removed what was left, and a little down the side at the backpack. Another distance, happened again. This time, I reached back, and felt...a shark! I shoved and felt around again, and nothing was there. My eyes grew large, and my buddy looked below with his snorkel, seeing nothing. I reached back an felt nothing there. We were now about 100 feet from shore, and I was ready to get up and run back. I calmed down, swam a little more, and caught some more kelp. This time, I reached back, and OH NO felt it again. Chris lunged under fast this time (with his new CO2 shark dart), and as I pushed it away HARD my left shoulder was thrust forward. Little sleep, movie images, and the shark was my own tank; I had scared the holy crap out of myself! Actually, come to think of it, it may have been the first time I learned just how warm peeing in your suite can be.

 

[james croft]

Everyone was pretty shaky about getting into the water after JAWS came out. The summer JAWS came out I went skinnydipping with my girlfriend on a remote beach around sunset. I knew that that was when sharks feed and I entered the water with some trepidation. The water was calm, with half foot waves coming in. We went out into chest deep water and began making out. After a while, I looked over and saw a large shark about 25 feet away. I could see about a foot of the sharks back rising out of the water. It's large fin was sticking up and the shark was looking directly at us, the fin weaving slightly from side to side. We had been in that location for about ten minutes and all of a sudden the outline of the mighty beast had appeared rising out of the water, barely visible in the dim light. It must have been a sixth sense that alerted me to its presence.
I then made the tactical error of pointing it out to my girlfriend. I knew we had attracted it by the splashing and the great fish must have thought we were some strange, wounded animal. My instinct was to calmly and slowly get back to the beach so as not to trigger an attack by anymore splashing. However when I whispered the word "SHARK!!!" and pointed at it, my girlfriend's survival instict kicked in. In a microsecond she kicked me in the chest with both feet, propelling her towards the safety of the beach and pushing me towards the shark. I hollered "DON'T SPLASH !!!" as I rapidly attempted to overtake her and beat her back to shore. No way could she be overtaken. She looked like a runaway outboard motor. Good thing we wern't in a No Wake Zone.
Once we had gained the safety of the shore I looked back to see the shark still in the same place. In the dim light it was hard to make out but the ominous sillhoutte of the monster was still visible, it's fin still slowly waving from side to side. Suddenly I realized what it was and what had happened. The location where we had entered the water was a hundred yards away. The current had pushed us along the shoreline as we frolicked in the water, oblivious to this movement. The outgoing tide had carried us on top of the shark. However, what I took to be the outline of the shark, was actually a large crabpot bouy with a broomstick handle sticking out of it. The hysteria of JAWS made everything a shark. Pretty funny now but quite an adreneline rush then. Never got that gal back in the water either.....

 

[stepup]

Sharks are one thig I want nothing to do with. Whe we were in the bahamas snorkeling we sam probably 10 or 15 in this little cove we were snorkeling in. It was kinda scary but they just swam around and never bothered any of us although we did steer clear of them.

 

[ECR]

Sharks are one thig I want nothing to do with.

stepup--

When you have a few more dives under your weight belt, you may sing a different tune. Some of my best dives have been best because of shark sightings. Hammerheads on Cocos Island, yeah.

And then there was Socorro. A group of about a dozen silkies and Galápagos sharks decided they were interested in our liveaboard. They just kind of swam around all day. They were there when we did our giant strides, and still there when we came up the anchor line for our safety stops. Those were some amazing safety stops: 20 minutes watching these 5-6 ft sharks weave in and out among us. Sometimes, they'd come close enough to touch and I'd reach out. Sometimes they'd let me touch and other times, they'd do this funny body contortion that kept them just out of reach. It was awesome, and at no time did I feel threatened by their presence.

Later, I found out why they were so interested in our boat. That night after dinner, the crew trawled large chunks of fresh fish in the water, bringing flashing jaws to the surface over and over. The sharks made out pretty well; the crew went through a lot of fish.

As I said, awesome!

--ECR

 

[drbill]

Great white sharks are fully protected here as far as I know. Of course there would be a few hyped up folks who might go after one, but I hope not.

While they are seen occasionally off Catalina (one was seen last weekend), I'm not aware of a single "attack" in our waters that has been substantiated.

Years ago fishers used to bring an occasional great white into the weigh stations in Avalon or Two Harbors, but that was forbidden I believe before the GWS received protection here in Caleefornyia.

 

[drbill]

Hadn't seen the posts about "Jaws." One of my biggest fears when I moved to Catalina in 1969 to teach marine biology on SCUBA at a private high school was GWS'es. I read a lot about them, and recorded shark attacks, on the train coming out from Chicago.

Then they filmed portions of "Jaws" not far from the school (about 1-2 miles up the coast). I saw the film in Santa Barbara with a former student of mine who introduced me to a guy who had been nearly bitten in half by a GWS. Damn, I was scared now. Couldn't get the film out of my mind.

I stopped diving for a while, even though I was working with Jean Michel Cousteau on a program called Project Ocean Search Catalina around that time. He asked why I wasn't diving any more, and I responded "Jaws."

Then "Jaws II" came out and while watching it, I realized how silly my fears were. I started diving again. The next time I saw Jean-Michel, I was heading out on a dive. He said he knew I had stopped diving... why did I resume. I told him "Jaws II." He understood.

I'm sure they are out there on occasion while I'm diving all along our coast. I'm sure they know where I am. I just don't see them because I have my eye glued to the viewfinder of my video camera. They apparently aren't interested in me enough to make their presence known!

I don't spearfish any more (haven't in 30 years), so there isn't much except my body wrapped in neoprene to draw them in closer... and I don't have enough fat to make a bite worthwhile (at least not yet)!

Since those days in the mid and late 70's, I've dived with sharks of many different species in many places around the world and find them fascinating. However, the "hypothetical shark" you refer to is a species I'm not familiar with???

 

[pakman]

Drbill, that was hilarious... only a bad movie sequel would bring you back...

 

[Kim]

I know that in the past, lions that have attacked villages have been considered "maneaters" and subsequently hunted down,

Funnily enough I saw a National Geographic program about tigers in the Ganges delta last week. They're protected. Even one tiger who left the protected area three times (and was put back into it twice), and killed a young girl in a village on the third time, was only taken to a zoo....not killed.
I think attitudes are changing, but whether that extends to sharks yet I don't know. I should imagine that that's the direction we're headed though.

 

[ams511]

I was bitten by a shark once. He was about 18" and I was trying to take the hook out of his mouth. lol BTW, I through him back.