Oh my, its a big shark...breath slowly

[H2Andy]

the 2003 figures are actually compiled by the University of Florida, just down the road from me and scene of many a youthful... er... never mind..

here's the link to the study:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-01/uof-usw012704.php

also, yup, there were four deaths last year, but only three in 2002, and four in 2001, compared with a (relavitely) whooping 11 in 2000. 2003's deaths occurred in the United States, Australia, South Africa and Fiji.

 

[adder70]

Looks like people in Florida need to be afraid of lightning! Wonder what makes it such a lightning prone state?

Actually, Marion County, Florida, has the highest lightning strike density of any similar sized area in the world. I grew up in Gainesville (just north of Marion County), and I am one of the majority of natives who has at least felt the tingling of lightning if not been struck directly. I know we lost electronics to lightning on at least 4 occasions, including the time when I was "struck". I actually saw the strike, and initially thought it had struck the lamp next to me. Turns out it struck a tree in our back yard next to our fence. It split a section of the tree off (4 inches deep, and a foot across) and shredded and tossed pieces everywhere, including OVER the neighbor's yard and into the yard beyond. It then travelled along the fence and proceeded to kill both of our TV, a couple other appliances, and give me tingles to my knees, transmitted through the concrete floor. Oh, yeah. The lightning bolt appeared to be about a foot wide, that's why I thought it struck so close, since I didn't realize that they could be that thick.

Ya know, I think that between the heat, the storms, and the lightning, I would have no desire to ever live in Florida if it wasn't for all my family being there. (Let's not forget the bugs and poisonous snakes!)

 

[H2Andy]

hey did you know that all four (or five, forget which) species of poisonous snakes
in North America hang out in Florida?

they do... they take shifts with the sharks and gators to keep visitors on their toes...

 

[MSilvia]

I went out two days ago off the coast of Block Island for a 95 ft wreck dive.

Was it the Idene by any chance? I had a great dive there a couple of years ago, and have been meaning to get back to her. Maybe I'll work it in this summer when I'm down that way for U853 and the Bass.

I'm not great at identifying sharks, but it was enormous....I couldn't even see its whole body. Normally I don't get nervous around reefs because white tips etc. don't attack people during the day.

Anyone else see something like this? What do you do?

Well, it's certainly possible that it was a great white, but I tend to doubt it if only because of all the possibilities in these waters, that would be low on the probability list. As they are large, have white ventral coloration, and a "lukewarm" blooded circulation system that makes them well adapted to a variety of temperatures (they're found in every ocean of the world) I wouldn't rule it out.

Since a 13 foot 1,221 pound shortfin mako was caught in the vacinity several years ago, and since they're also a mackrel shark like the whites (and therefore have a similar coloration), that's also a possibility. They don't like cold water much, but they have a close relative called a poorbeagle (or "fako") that loves the cold. Since it's been an unusually cold winter here, I can imagine one might extend it's range farther south than usual.

A sand tiger is probably the best guess, as they get pretty big, hang out near wrecks, have a light belly, and are found in the area, although I believe Block Island is near the northern extreme of their range, especially given the temps.

Basking sharks are big and local, but they don't have white bellies as far as I know. Since they're filter feeders and plankton counts tend to drop in cold water, I'd say we can probably rule that one out.

As for tiger sharks, they aren't known to inhabit this area, but a kid surf-casting off Nantucket caught a juvinile tiger a couple of years ago, so I guess it's not impossible.

Personally, my experience with shark encounters in New England is limited spiny dogfish and fishing catches... I consider you very lucky to have seen a shark that size up here!

 

[Dot Wethington]

Sounds like you had your first encounter with a great white in the wild. I only say that because they've been spotted down in St. Augustine FL (about 70 miles north of Daytona). Just check out this article:

http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/011804/spo_14568500.shtml


Semper Safe,

Rick

That was a cool web site. Thanks.

 

[Dectek]

Thanks for the websites SeaJay. Very interesting. Looks like people in Florida need to be afraid of lightning! Wonder what makes it such a lightning prone state?

It is not that there is more lightning. It is that there are more idiots holding metal golf clubs in the lightning.

Hey SeaJay... I didn't know you grew up in this neck of the woods. Actually the Mullica is Cedar water up stream. That explains the funny colored underwear after swimming. HeHe

 

[SeaJay]

Ah, yes... Spent many years with funny-colored undewear in New Jersey. Indian Mills to be exact (now Shamong).

 

[Dot Wethington]

It probably was a sand tiger shark-- they are fat and slow moving and have goofy teeth. They are pretty harmless unless you aggravate the daylights out of them or they want your lobster or speared fish. They have gotten a bad reputation in the past but they are really just big goofballs. They are the predomininant sharks for that area, and without descriptive features as to their fins, etc. it is hard to say what shark you saw, but things underwater do appear larger than they are and if it was just looming there-- probably a sand tiger. Off the Outer Banks of the Carolinas, near some of the wrecks are herds of these type of sharks.

Look up on the internet under Sand Tiger Sharks to see if this fits the description of the shark you saw. Years ago when I was swimming with some friends at a beach I bumped into one of these lard asses, but it just moved quickly out of the way-- I guess I scared it. (I was about 10 and I gave a new concept to 'walking on water' that day)

 

[archman]

I don't think we'll ever really know what type of shark it was. Hardly any information at all to work with. Just several pages of speculation... maybe that's why we keep posting to it.

 

[H2Andy]

it was in fact a land shark