Shark Attacks Diver

[SM Diver]

Very strange. I was on a drop with two other divers in the Florida Middle Grounds this past Sunday and it was 80 fsw or so at the top of the break, 110 or so at the bottom. A large Dusky shark tried to take the head off one of the guys down there with us. We had not shot any fish yet on this drop, as the attack happened quickly after reaching the bottom. It illustrates that although rare, sharks will attack divers.

The diver sustained blunt facial trauma and two teeth knocked out. He lost his reg and mask, but was fortunately able to recover and ascend. The mechanism of injury was that he shot the shark, who was coming at his head with jaws wide open, and the gun was pushed into his mouth by force of the shark.

I'm leaving tomorrow for the Middle Grounds and I think for the first time I'll be looking over my shoulder a little more. We've had a couple weird things like this happen over the last couple of months. Oh well, it's either this or golf, and I hate golf.

 

[Walter]

Shooting the shark was not a smart move.

How big was the shark?

 

[dcostanza]

tampascott
How is Hector doing? From the pictures of the ride back he appeared to be in "good spirits"... Kind've helps justify the purchase of a powerhead.

Have a great time in the Middle Grounds and safe hunting. You going to post any pictures of your catch?

Best Regards
Don

 

[GUEdiver]

Any news page link you can hook us up with that gives more info? Thanks in advance. This is one of those rare instances that I would like to be able to cite when students ask about it...

 

[pchelp]

Not a news article, but here is a link to the first hand account of what happened.

http://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1822

rusty

 

[SM Diver]

Hector seems has some permemant dental injuries that I understand will require some bridge work. I think he'd be the first to tell you in the grand scheme of things that he is lucky.

Walter, shooting the shark was his only option. I can only assume by your statement that you didn't fully understand the way this occured, and maybe that is because I didn't go into more detail. This was not a situation where we can debate the best way to handle a potentially menacing shark. This was the shark sprinting at an unimaginable speed, jaws wide open, turning sideways so Hector's head will fit nicely in his mouth, and not slowing down. Hector did the ONLY THING he could have done: raise his gun and fire into the roof of the sharks mouth. While that action injured him, it unquestionably saved his life. However, since you seem to think this was not wise, I'd be very interested in hearing how you would have handled it!

dcostanza: I'll see if I can't post a couple of photos or links. Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous in the Florida Middle Grounds. I got in eight drops from sunrise to almost sunset. Seas were flatter than the water hazard at your local municipal golf course. Time to ditch that full body Henderson 7 mil for the year. I was still comfortable in the water, but roasting on the surface. It's offically time to doff the hood and bring out the 5 mil.

GUE: That link posted by pchelp is the best account of the occurance.

By the way, we saw multiple sharks yesterday but none wanted to "play." The first, a Dusky, just shot by me, not even stopping to sniff around. The other guys told me they saw sharks, but none too aggressive.

 

[pdoege]

Not get into the water after cleaning fish and/or clasping a dead, bleeding fish to my chest for a photo.

-and-

Using the speargun as a spear and not a gun.

The gentleman seems to have a military background. I imagine that the shoot response is instict for him.

That is all 20/20 hindsight, obviously. He did the best he could given the situation. See the first sentence for a way to avoid that situation in the future.

Peter

 

[Scubaholic]

pdoege once bubbled...
Not get into the water after cleaning fish and/or clasping a dead, bleeding fish to my chest for a photo.

-and-

Using the speargun as a spear and not a gun.

The gentleman seems to have a military background. I imagine that the shoot response is instict for him.

That is all 20/20 hindsight, obviously. He did the best he could given the situation. See the first sentence for a way to avoid that situation in the future.

Peter

 

[SM Diver]

pdoege once bubbled...

Using the speargun as a spear and not a gun.

I have absolutely no idea what that means. As for not holding a dead fish before spearing, here is a little news flash. Spearfishermen hunt with dead twitching bleeding fish either on a stringer in their hand, or clipped off to them. Holding a fish on the deck of the boat is the absolute least of a spearfishermen's problem. Nice try.

I'm still waiting to hear what Walter would have done. Maybe the Mr. Spock shoulder pinch.

(Sorry for the tone of this post, but it is absolutely amazing that people will post on a subject like this who do not have a clue. The intent of the post was just a head's up. Sharks are dropping pups out in the Gulf. There are pelagics and pods of bait coming through. They are territorial. Non-spearfishers should be on the look out. But of course, you get Einsteins saying that he should not have shot the shark. )

 

[f94gator]

"Not get into the water after cleaning fish and/or clasping a dead, bleeding fish to my chest for a photo."

Riigghhtt. And next time I go spearfishing, I'll calmly explain to the fish to hold off on bleeding or fighting until I get out of the water.


"Using the speargun as a spear and not a gun."

And also telling the shark to slow down so the spear has time to completely leave the gun before striking him in the mouth. Maybe he'd even be so agreeable as to provide time to screw on a powerhead.


"The gentleman seems to have a military background. I imagine that the shoot response is instict for him."

Or perhaps that pesky little survival instinct ingrained in us from thousands of years of evolution.


"See the first sentence for a way to avoid that situation in the future."

The only foolproof way to avoid this situation is to take up golf on the weekends.


I'm with Scott. These posts are absolutely mind-boggling. I can only conclude that you have never been in a similiar situation and haven't the slightest idea how it should be handled. That shark was looking for Hector's head, it wasn't looking for a group hug. Hector did an excellent job of getting out of the situation, and I challenge anyone to come up with a more feasible and effective solution, even using 20/20 hindsight.