Shark Attacks in Cozumel

[scubatree]

My husband and I saw a Jaguarundi cat on our property in central west Texas once. It took some research to identify the species and hardly anyone would believe it because we didn't have "proof". This was before cell phones had built in cameras. You can see by the range map that they are not supposed to be in our area. A few weeks later a friend of our who live about 25 miles north of us shot one that was attacking (excuse me "incidenting") his chickens. Now my husband swears he saw a Chupacabre one afternoon while plowing at our farm.............

File:Jaguarundi area.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Karibelle]

that was attacking (excuse me "incidenting") his chickens.

ha.

the chupacabra (or whatever) that was "incidenting" the chickens, probably went after them over and over. Rushed them, grabbed them, bit them, again and again until they were dead. Even *I* might call this an attack.

When a chupacabra incidents a human, because humans are not actually their food, they take a first bite, then more often than not, spit the human out and don't bite them over and over again until they're dead. That's why we have stories of "shark attack victims" with missing limbs. Stories where "he bit down on my leg hard, then suddenly let go."

I'm now curious about how many "shark attack victims" are repeatedly bitten until they're dead, or even mostly dead. Looking for those now, but in the meantime, check out this story. How Shark Attack Survivors Came Together to Save Sharks | Debbie Salamone

I know this seems silly to many (most?) of you. What can I say. It's one of my pet projects. I'm not above trying to change the world, one scuba diver at a time. It's one small thing I can do.

kari

p.s. sorry about the chickens.

 

[FrancisK7]

I always get amused when I hear that "they aren't in this area" line. A few years ago, a boatload of divers had just returned to Hotel Cozumel Resort from their 2 tank morning dive. One of the divers was showing photos on his digital camera and talking about the Crocodiles they had seen while diving that morning. The divemasters/guides that worked at Dive Paradise started saying "no, no, the crocodiles are in the lagoons. We dive here every day for many years and have never seen them in the open waters". Well you should have seen the look on the dive masters/guides faces when the diver said "well look at my photos of these guys because they must not have known the rules." Then proceeded to show them the photos on his digital camera of the crocs he had photographed. The locals guys were amazed. I actually saw the photos and was amazed myself. Just because I haven't seen it doesn't mean it can't happen.

Moral of story is that the ocean is like a wilderness and the animals can go or eat whatever they want to.

That made me think of a story.

One of my first dive in the Caribbean was at Santa Rosa, departing from PDC with Tank-Ha. So I'm drifting down and see a hammerhead maybe 75ft away. I think "wow... pretty" and turn my head back to the reef. Ten seconds later I see it make another pass, maybe 20 feet under me, and think, again, "very cool" (in that turtle voice from "Nemo"), and turn my head back to the reef.

Back on the boat, the DM starts jumping up and down with the biggest, fattest grin on his face. He screams at his other DM friend, "DID YOU SEE IT? DID YOU SEE IT?"

The guy had been diving the waters around Coz and PDC for 16 years on a daily basis and had never seen a hammerhead EVER. I saw one on my 2nd dive and didn't even appreciate the moment as much as I should have because I thought I'd be seeing way more.

Beginner's luck, maybe

 

[cvchief]

KB,

I am all for saving the shark and all that jazz. I just think if you approached someone reading a story of a shark-involved mastication and try to run the 'incident' bit you might cause the opposite reaction from your goal. It just smacks of a PC-ish sugar coating?

What is wrong with saying, "The guy was surfing. He might have looked like a seal, so the shark took a taste and bit the bejesus out of him. It is what sharks do. You need to be careful when surfing so you aren't that one in a million shark victim" Using euphemisms doesn't change the fact that people lose bits and bobbles of themselves to sharks every once in a great while.

You're from the Great White North. Do you say, "The mounties said Pierre was killed in grizzly-related incident" or "Pierre was on his way to the out house when a bear tried to make back bacon outta him."

I don't think it is silly at all to educate people about sharks and protect the species and all. That is great. I love showing the uninitiated nurse shark pics and saying 'its a SHARK and we were THIS close." and then explaining nurse not scary, reef not that scary, bull pretty scary.... but they all are kinda cool.

I just think rather than minimizing a shark attack (or incident), people should understand it for what it is. A very powerful predator with aggressive tendencies attacked a person for a reason most likely, like mistaking for prey or self protection or whatever. It doesn't make them 'bad' like a domesticated animal that turns on someone and shouldn't be kept in the neighborhood for lack of control. Sharks are wild predators and all. Attacking and biting things is there gig. Do what you can to avoid being a target.

 

[Karibelle]

KB,

I am all for saving the shark and all that jazz. I just think if you approached someone reading a story of a shark-involved mastication and try to run the 'incident' bit you might cause the opposite reaction from your goal. It just smacks of a PC-ish sugar coating?

What is wrong with saying, "The guy was surfing. He might have looked like a seal, so the shark took a taste and bit the bejesus out of him. It is what sharks do. You need to be careful when surfing so you aren't that one in a million shark victim" Using euphemisms doesn't change the fact that people lose bits and bobbles of themselves to sharks every once in a great while.

It's not a euphemism. And I would say exactly what you said above. You didn't use the word attack, and neither would I. The fact is, the shark likely took ONE bite of the surfer. That's all. That's my point. An attack would be a lot more bites. People do lose bits and bobbles... but not because the shark is actively hunting them.

It's not PC at all, IMO. It's simply avoiding the sensationalism that is so popular with this topic.

You're from the Great White North. Do you say, "The mounties said Pierre was killed in grizzly-related incident" or "Pierre was on his way to the out house when a bear tried to make back bacon outta him."

A, mostly. And when it happens, we all recognize that it is very likely that Pierre was in the grizzly's territory when it happened.

I don't think it is silly at all to educate people about sharks and protect the species and all. That is great. I love showing the uninitiated nurse shark pics and saying 'its a SHARK and we were THIS close." and then explaining nurse not scary, reef not that scary, bull pretty scary.... but they all are kinda cool.

I just think rather than minimizing a shark attack (or incident), people should understand it for what it is. A very powerful predator with aggressive tendencies attacked a person for a reason most likely, like mistaking for prey or self protection or whatever. It doesn't make them 'bad' like a domesticated animal that turns on someone and shouldn't be kept in the neighborhood for lack of control. Sharks are wild predators and all. Attacking and biting things is there gig. Do what you can to avoid being a target.

I'm not suggesting AT ALL that we minimize anything. Recognize that the risk is miniscule. That there are things we can do to minimize even that, such as not looking like a seal, not swimming in breeding grounds, not spearfishing near the bulls, etc. And always remembering sharks do sharky stuff. It's just that "attack" has such a negative connotation, when really, that's not necessary.

---------- Post added August 11th, 2013 at 11:41 AM ----------

There's no doubt (in my mind at least) that sharks get a bad rap, undeserved. Largely because of negatively perceived words like "attack" in conjunction with our encounters with them. If you choose to be part of the problem, rather than part of the solution, that is certainly your prerogative. Give it some thought. How hard would it be to help change the negative perception?

 

[cvchief]

It's not a euphemism. And I would say exactly what you said above. You didn't use the word attack, and neither would I. The fact is, the shark likely took ONE bite of the surfer. That's all. That's my point. An attack would be a lot more bites. People do lose bits and bobbles... but not because the shark is actively hunting them.

It's not PC at all, IMO. It's simply avoiding the sensationalism that is so popular with this topic.

Maybe that is what I am saying? It is sensationalizing to make a big deal about the word attack. Heck, at Palancar pier once a helpful captain threw a wad of crumbs in the waters causing someone from our boat to be attacked by chubs. Terribly amusing. They 'set upon them forcefully.'

When walking down fifth avenue once, I discovered my sister-in-law had discovered those eggs they drain and fill with talc and confetti when she snuck up behind me and attacked me with one.

In the first attack, the chubs weren't actively hunting, there was just a bit of confusion in the feeding frenzy.

However in the second attack, my sister-in-law WAS actively hunting me.

I was taught in OW if I stick my hand in an eel hole, I will probably get attacked. (Because I was acting like a Jackanape....)

I'm not suggesting AT ALL that we minimize anything. Recognize that the risk is miniscule. That there are things we can do to minimize even that, such as not looking like a seal, not swimming in breeding grounds, not spearfishing near the bulls, etc. And always remembering sharks do sharky stuff. It's just that "attack" has such a negative connotation, when really, that's not necessary.

If we follow the logic, we might next want to avoid 'bite' and say the shark closed it mouth while Bob the surfer's leg was in there? I guess I don't see attack as a super negative, bad word. Trying to explain how a rare shark bite incident isn't really an attack is like me trying to get people to say I have a spacial ratio issue.

I guess generally I think we should face facts directly and work from there rather than softening the language to make is 'seem' different. I hope that doesn't make me part of the problem?

---------- Post added August 11th, 2013 at 02:27 PM ----------

There's no doubt (in my mind at least) that sharks get a bad rap, undeserved. Largely because of negatively perceived words like "attack" in conjunction with our encounters with them.

I guess right there is where we disagree. All the pictures and movies and so forth of all those big teeth would seem to create the image, not the word 'attack.' I could be wrong I guess.

 

[divingpyrate]

we saw a couple large nurses on the last trip and the DM signaled if I wanted to follow them and take video
I signalled no
They were just nurse sharks, but big and where I am from we follow that popular lyric you dont tug on super mans cape
they are great, and I dont mind seeing them if I see them first, from a healthy distance

Why is the rum always gone

 

[Karibelle]

I guess I don't see attack as a super negative, bad word.

As I said earlier, this is because you are part of the choir. To those who know little about sharks, and the reality of the interactions, attack does have a negative connotation.

That's a big part of my point, Chief. here on SB, we have the choir. Out there in the world, we have non-divers who are not advocating for sharks, maybe because they think sharks attack. I want everyone to be an advocate, instead of a hand-sitter.

I guess generally I think we should face facts directly and work from there rather than softening the language to make is 'seem' different. I hope that doesn't make me part of the problem?

Maybe we see the facts differently. You think they're attacks. I think "attack" has negative connotations that you don't perceive. I don't think that's "softening the language" I think it is "telling it like it is, rather than sensationalizing it and giving sharks a persona." No one wants to be part of the cheerleading squad for a killer, an attacker. But they may be able to get behind a maligned apex predator, just doing what it does, minding its own business. Pictures of big teeth are awesome; adding the concept of "it wants to attack me" is the opposite of awesome.

 

[drrich2]

Words take their meaning from generally accepted usage in a population. Shark Attack is generally used to refer to a shark deliberately biting a human, without regard to whether the shark mistook the human for another creature, or broke off the attack after a 'test bite.'

I think of those photos & videos of horrific wounds on survivors of great white attacks, and I can just imagine saying to the survivor 'Oh, you weren't attacked by a shark; you were involved in a shark-related incident.'

I like sharks a lot, but for the record, if one ever bites my leg off, I have been attacked.

And sharks inflicting grisly wounds on people, though rare, will have negative connotations such as 'aggression.'

Richard.

 

[DjDiverDan]

And sharks inflicting grisly wounds on people, though rare, will have negative connotations such as 'aggression.'

But when we fry up and eat a mess of Bacon, we are just honoring the beloved memory of the pig. Gotcha.