Shark Attack - Fact

[walke121]

I have been in the water with bulls, makos and even a tiger and have never had an issue except while spearfishing. The times I have had shark problems they really haven't been coming for me they come for my fish. The shark will know you are there way before you see it and will keep its distance 99% of the time. What I'm saying is don't worry about sharks and enjoy your dive.

 

[henno777]

The reason for a shark attack is that they might mistake you for their normal prey. They do not deliberately go after people.

Agree refer to step 6-7 of the instinct analysis.

 

[OnceLoyal]

I really do not want to be rude, but comments like this just show me how little the public (even divers) know about general shark behavior.

I'll expand a bit, but before I do that, please book a week to South Africa (or other operator with a shark specialist), dive with Walter Bernardis (a leading Tiger shark expert) and I promise you your post to this forum will be different.

You will always hear about cases where sharks were agressive towards divers etc.etc. (and trust me you here of AAALLL the cases which is almost nothing in relation with the number of diver/shark accounters). But I hear more about dogs biting they owners and sometimes kill children then shark attacks. Should our conclusion be then that dogs are dangerous and we should not have one??? My point is like humans, dogs, parrots and sharks you WILL find the one in a million that is different than the rest (call them "psycho" humans, dogs, cats, sharks). But in general you can predict or expect a shark to behave in a certain way the same way you can safely assume that your own dog will not bite you or that humans will not just shoot you in a restuarant.

The facts: Shark act on instinct. The instinct is encoded in them to survive. The code goes like this for divers (and the opposit for fish or turtles or dead stuff):

1) Im hungry I want to eat
2) I pick up a electric signal with my lateral line, or I smell something interesting or I see something - lets investigate it may be food - yippee
3) Is see something big (diver) its a bit bigger that Im used to but lets investigate further - Im really hungry
4) Damn this thing is moving - I dont want to struggle for food because I may lose an eye or hurt myself. But Im reaaaaalllly hungry lets investigate further (now more cautious but still approaching)
5) This thing does not look like food, act like food, it swims horizontal, blow bubbles, make a noise. (At this point most sharks will move off and you won’t see them again)
6) Lets move closer and check the response – Im really hungry / or I’m just curious. (3 meters or less – the diver makes eye contact and point at the shark + stand his/her ground)
7) (The instinct kicks in) ---- Bail, bail ALARM ALARM. NOT FOOD. NO flight/flee Response BAIL BAIL ALARM Its pointing at me ALARM BAIL – its not swimmimg away ... Im not going to take chances .... Ignore and move away.

Step 7 may be repeated a couple of times.

If step 6 goes something like this you may have a more interesting dive:
6) Lets move closer and check the response – Im really hungry / or I’m just curious. (3 meters or less – the diver ignores the shark and eye contact, does not change behaviour to acknowledge the shark, flee and swim away (becoming horizontal)
7) (The instinct kicks) Cool it flees, ahh it almost look like a big turtle, just a bit slower, probably old and injured, it does not see me lets take a bite!!!! Phew this turtle tastes like *****, Ill find something else.
Hope this help the people that fear sharks and would love the opportunity to dive with them, don’t be afraid – just do it. PM me if you want to arrange something here in South Africa.

Ive tested the above numerouse times, ignore them and they come close (to take a nice picture!!). If I feel uncomortable with a shark I point, make eye contact and it moves away.

This is obvious a open forum and all opinions are welcome but try to avoid adding comments if you don’t have experience diving with these animals – you may take away the opportunity for other divers to dive with sharks by scaring them to death. Watching national geographic where the guy provoked the grey reef shark and it snapped, something your friend told you, something you’ve heard does not give you any right to say anything negative about these animals. Arrange a dive with a shark specialist and go learn...!!!!


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Not to rude either, but I do have some experience in the water with sharks. My first books at age 3 were about sharks. I think it is ignorant people that try and swim right along something such as a tiger shark is asking to get hurt. Read my whole post before taking one quote out please. A lot of it depends on location of the different sharks. I have been "chased" out of the water /area before by bulls... I love sharks and I am not afraid to swim with them. I think people need to respect them...as I think people on here need to read entire posts before responding

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I think it is ignorant people that try and swim right along something such as a tiger shark is asking to get hurt. Read my whole post before taking one quote out please.

I think it is ignorant people who quote an entire post to comment on a couple sentences. I suffered through your entire first post once already and I am thankful he didn't quote the whole thing.

How 'bout this, I'll shoot holes in a non-quoted part of your first post; not all tiger sharks will "eat anything." Fishermen here have found license plates in swordfish; maybe the tiger ate a swordfish. My tiger shark encounters have both been fleeting, because the suckers swam away too fast! The second one came in close to check out my big octopus photo subject; he very well may have been hungry.

ScubaBoard is global people, and most of you are only thinking locally. Just because you saw a couple bulls in Florida does not mean you are the expert on bulls now! It is very unlikely that any shark variety acts exactly the same in different regions, or even different sharks in the same region. What is likely is that humans are generally ignorant of most of the things going on in the world.

My first books I ever read when I as a child was about sharks.

My first books at age 3 were about sharks.

By the way, someone may not have read your entire posts so please tell us again, what was your first books you read at age 3 about?

 

[OnceLoyal]

ScubaBoard is global people, and most of you are only thinking locally. Just because you saw a couple bulls in Florida does not mean you are the expert on bulls now! It is very unlikely that any shark variety acts exactly the same in different regions, or even different sharks in the same region. What is likely is that humans are generally ignorant of most of the things going on in the world.

You got it!!! First let me apologize for you having to strain your eyes through the entire post, and I am very sorry for the full quote. So inappropriate!!! A lot of the time I am responding via mobile and on the go so grammar, puncuation and ehat not are not on the top of my priority list. My apologies again. I don't think it is right for you to get up on that big high horse and call the vast majority ignorant. Are you a global diver and have seen the different behaviours of sharks throghout the regions?? I have seen aggressive acts from bulls. I do not claim to be an expert at all. I am simply stating that many on here seem to take things a little too lightly. Many people have different views. I think the people that don't realize that your somewhat "tame" sharks that go through somewhat "scheduled" feedings are not going to act the same as a shark that has never seen a diver, is on the prowl and hungry.
Anyway I don't want to argue or get off topic.

As for divers looking like seals, I think it is more of a silhouette affect. This is how a lot of the great white attacks happen. I don't think they are usually scuba more like skin and such. The last I recall was a lady swiming with seals. A white shark cruises by goes in for an attack, she lags behind = an injured seal and gets hit. I don't think this is a situation most scuba divers get into.

Everyone on here has different opinions and I think anyone with first hand experience has something to offer. If you don't want to accept it then read (if you want to suffer through the post) and move along.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I don't think it is right for you to get up on that big high horse and call the vast majority ignorant.

You are right about this, I really should have typed "Americans are generally ignorant of most of the things going on in the world."

 

[dmoore19]

Sorry

 

[rockjock3]

Well, my class did talk about it. My instruction was get near the bottom and hang out till they leave the area, then exit the water by your most direct/safe route.

As far as teaching scenarios in OW. You might as well teach the OW students what to do if they are sitting on the bottom doing drills and a car drives off the pier and lands on the surface above you and starts sinking. The odds are about the same.

Seriously. There is no real way to train for it. The best way to prepare for seeing a shark is to educate yourself on their behavior. If you want to try your best to avoid them then don't dive at dusk or dawn, don't dive in murky water and don't dive where the fish are feeding (close shore, between reefs). These are notorious shark hangouts (same places surfers like for the conditions it makes on the surface).

Next, don't act like prey. Make eye contact with the shark, they prefer ambush hunting and if they see you, seeing them, seeing you.... you stand a better chance.

Don't wave your arms around and don't act panicky (flailing, rushing for suface, rushing out of area, etc). These are prey maneuvers and you will only serve to move yourself down the feeding chain closer to "possible prey" status.

I have seen 100s of sharks while scuba diving. I have photographed/shot video of many and been as close as a few inches to countless sharks. I have even had the rare honor of cutting a trapped one out of a gill net and actually holding her, while I was scuba diving, and never been fearful that I was going to get bit. They are not mindless eating machines. They don't like confrontation because that gets them hurt and then they move down the feeding chain. They like to eat, primarily, sick/dying/infirm prey. Something that is much larger than their regular prey and not even on the menu as preferred food isn't as appetizing to them as you would think.

Also, learn to recognize their body language. When they drop their pectoral fins down at a sharp angle and arch their back they are showing aggression and getting aggravated. If their pectoral fins are almost straight out to the sides then they are just hanging out like you.

Another important thing to remember is to not "trap" them. When I am filming/shooting them I always am low to the bottom (if not almost on it) and always leave them a way out. I never block their egress route. Just like a trapped dog, they are more likely to attack.

I can't tell you how many times I have been diving with tourists here and when they find a shark in a cave entry they all spread out across the exit of the cave and totally block the sharks exit. Then you just stand back and watch the shark getting pissed off. Swimming around faster and faster with pectoral fins down sharply and back arched. I just get back at that point and move on.

Sharks are awsome creatures, consider yourself lucky when you get to see one. I actually did two night dives a couple of days ago on a chartered boat with just friends and one of them had his father visiting. His father has been diving since the 70s and has never seen a shark (1000s of dives all over world). They decidied to sit out the second dive and guess what. We saw two baby white-tips. One was about 1.5 feet long (male) and one was about 2 feet long (female). We actually watched the female for about 5 minutes. She just swam around looking at us back and forth. She actually came within inches of a few of us, just checking us out. It was awesome. You just never know what your gonna see out there.

 

[rockjock3]

To be blunt:

If you are actually attacked by a shark, then... mostly you die - and whatever you do won't make much difference either.

I really hope you meant this in jest. This is a HUGE misconception people have. Look at the worldwide shark statistics on this. Out of around reported attacks a year in the world there are, on average 6-9 fatalities. That is more like a 85-90% survival rate. I make it a point, when talking with somebody that is concerned about sharks that they know this precisely because most people ASSUME that "SHARK ATTACK = DEATH". Fact is that only a very small percentage of shark attacks end in death.

Actually - ISAF shark attack file results for 2008 year are;
118 attacks - 59 of those confirmed unprovoked attacks.
4 fatalities.

That is a 97% survival rate. There are "routine" outpatient surgeries that don't have that good of a success rate.

 

[rockjock3]

Here is a neat fact from the International shark attack file.

from 1990 - 2006 there were 11 people killed in the U.S. by shark attacks. There were 16 people killed by sand tunnel collapse. Well, no more beach for me.