Shark Ride

[cdiver2]

Spear man hitches ride with a shark
By Holly Ife
20jan05
A SPEAR fisherman had a lucky escape after a brush with a 3m shark in Victoria's Port Phillip Bay yesterday.

Julian McLaughlin, 30, was spear fishing near the Beaumaris Motor Yacht Squadron, south of Rickett's Point, when the shark swam underneath him.

"It kept going about 3m or 4m then did a U-turn and came straight at me," Mr McLaughlin said.

The Sandringham carpenter tried to point the shark away with his spear, but it rolled and kept coming towards him.

"So I speared it ... and then it's just taken off and taken me with it," Mr McLaughlin said.









"It took off like a freight train. For about three seconds I was pulled behind it - it was like I was water-skiing."

Eventually the spear gun was ripped from his hand.

"It was 3m long, a massive animal," Mr McLaughlin said. "It towed me along like I was a mouse."

He said despite the scare, he would return to the water after replacing the $300 spear gun. "I'll be a little bit apprehensive but I'll get back in."

 

[opiniongirl]

I'm sure the shark is probably feeling the same way...or maybe piercings are "in"..
either way, I have more sympathy for the shark!!!

 

[Tamas]

Ouch, I hope the poor thing will survive. But definitely not something to duplicate!

 

[Daryl Morse]

I'm sure the shark is probably feeling the same way...or maybe piercings are "in"..
either way, I have more sympathy for the shark!!!

Hmm... The way this encounter concluded, I do feel sympathy for the shark. That said, while it's unfortunate man and beast have encounters such as this, if it comes down to a dead or injured person or a dead or injured animal, I'd rather it have ended this way than for the diver to have been injured or perhap killed.

 

[SterlingDiver]

I'm sure the shark is probably feeling the same way...or maybe piercings are "in"..
either way, I have more sympathy for the shark!!!

........would you rather of had the Diver (human) injured????


I understand he added to the potential attack by spearfishing, but when it comes right down to it which animal has more value?

Curious of your thoughts on this.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[Virgil]

........would you rather of had the Diver (human) injured????


I understand he added to the potential attack by spearfishing, but when it comes right down to it which animal has more value?

Curious of your thoughts on this.

Thanks,

Dave

Impossible to generalise... I've met some wondeful humans and awful sharks and vice versa. I don't buy into the "humans are the most valuable animal" line, there's too much evidence of destruction and downright evil in the world. Human's have the greatest power but with that should come great responsibility which isn't always evident.

In this scenario I see the shark in it's natural environment doing what comes naturally and the human on a spearfishing trip which probably wasn't necessary. We all take some risks when we dive, it's an ocupational hazard. But we shouldn't assume that just because we are in the water we have a divine right to be there.

I feel sorry for most people when they get hurt or in trouble but we need to know when to take the blame.

 

[Phat_HC]

Well said. Too often do people think that we have the right to invade an animal’s natural habitat and they should immediately change their behavior.

There are a number of situations where people need to realize that we're NOT always at the top of the food chain. Given the number of sharks people needlessly kill each year should we be horrified if a few people get attacked while they hunt?

 

[Daryl Morse]

Well said. Too often do people think that we have the right to invade an animal’s natural habitat and they should immediately change their behavior.

There are a number of situations where people need to realize that we're NOT always at the top of the food chain. Given the number of sharks people needlessly kill each year should we be horrified if a few people get attacked while they hunt?

I get it, we're keeping score now. Let's see, lots of sharks have been killed by humans so it's time for payback.

 

[mjh]

I am "on the record" for thinking spear fishing is lame, stresses already declining populations of wild animals and should not be supported by the dive community. We are guest, the shark was just doing what sharks do but I would not expect the diver to just let the shark attack him. The injury to the shark probably would never have occurred if the diver was not spear fishing. One more reason divers should get out of this pathetic aspect of the hobby.

 

[SterlingDiver]

Impossible to generalise... I've met some wondeful humans and awful sharks and vice versa. I don't buy into the "humans are the most valuable animal" line, there's too much evidence of destruction and downright evil in the world. Human's have the greatest power but with that should come great responsibility which isn't always evident.

In this scenario I see the shark in it's natural environment doing what comes naturally and the human on a spearfishing trip which probably wasn't necessary. We all take some risks when we dive, it's an ocupational hazard. But we shouldn't assume that just because we are in the water we have a divine right to be there.

I feel sorry for most people when they get hurt or in trouble but we need to know when to take the blame.

........a shark can have more value than a human being?? We are going to have to disgree on this one.

BTW, I haven't heard a lot of people concerned about the sharks in Asia that may have been lost, but we have seen the whole human family respond in help and kindness to the tsunami disaster.

Conservation is important and we should respect and not mistreat any of God's creations, but I am happy the spearfisherman was not hurt or killed, even if the diver contributed to the incident. i am not feeling too much concern over the shark.

Dave (human being)