sharks eat surfer

[smay28]

Based on my experiences over 42-3 years of diving, I only get nervous when I'm with certain species. Tigers for example (since I had a 22 ft tiger attempt to overturn my kayak three miles off the coast in the Sea of Cortez) and bulls (which I have not yet had any direct experience of).

Dr. Bill

Holy Moly!!! 22 foot Tiger? I'd have pee'd myself. That is huge!! I've heard tales of kayakers disappearing up north in the Bay area.. Also of kayak fishermen getting dragged all over the ocean when they hook into sharks up at Trancas and such.. and bumped repeatedly beforehand. Might you know off hand what the longest Tiger on record is?

 

[Kriterian]

Holy Moly!!! 22 foot Tiger? I'd have pee'd myself. That is huge!! I've heard tales of kayakers disappearing up north in the Bay area.. Also of kayak fishermen getting dragged all over the ocean when they hook into sharks up at Trancas and such.. and bumped repeatedly beforehand. Might you know off hand what the longest Tiger on record is?

• Tiger sharks or Galeocerdo cuvier range from 2.7 to 7.3 meters (8.8 to 24 feet) in length, other sources say 10 - 20 feet.
• The babies (pups) are born at about 18-19 inches long.
• The 10' shark weighs approx. 2200 lbs.
• The largest tiger shark found was approx. 6800 lbs.

 

[ScubaGoddess1]

i would argue that if i get on a surfboard (and look like a seal from below) where
great whites hang out (who love seals), then, you know... maybe i'll get confused
for a seal?

I would have to agree with you here. Whenever I read about shark attacks, the vast majority are people with surfboards.

 

[PRL]

Saw a nice show on tiger sharks around Hawaii and the task force that was killing them off. Someone earlier mentioned that it was an effective way to comtrol the attacks But according to the show there was no significant decrease in attacks, the only thing the task force proved that if you kill large tiger sharks, smaller reef sharks are not kept in check and fish populations in general suffer.
Will watch a special on animal planet about the attacks in NJ (1916) I mentioned earlier in the topic. It might be a good show but I must say that the title doesnt excite me "12 Days of Terror"

 

[sharpenu]

That was mainly due to the fact that the foam used to fight shipboard fires during WWII was a protein foam made from animal parts, including fish parts. As a ship was sinking, the firefighting efforts spilled hundreds of gallons of a substance smelling like the blood of fishes. That often resulted in feeding behavior.

BTW, on my dive today, I saw a 6-8 foot reef shark. He didnt even give me a second look.

 

[mempilot]

Name one attack involving a Black Tip Reef Shark, because I've never heard of one myself. I've swam with Black Tips, White Tips, Silver Tips and Grey Reefs. None were threatening. The Tiger Sharks on the other hand made me a little uneasy!

Probably talking about the Oceanic Black Tip, not he Black Tip Reef Shark. I haven't met a reef dwelling shark yet that will come closer than 20' unless you have a treat for it.

 

[mempilot]

Damn! That is a tough break. My condolences.

Remember, though, if this year holds true to form, about ten times as many people will be killed by falling coconuts this year than by shark attack.

And based on my signature, if less people die from shark attacks every year than die in plane crashes, then donkeys kill more people annually than sharks. Stupid donkey!

 

[smay28]

Guess it's time to form a "Donkey Taskforce"...

 

[StrikeEagle29]

First of all, my condolences to the family of the surfer.

The bottom line to this debate, IMHO, is that humans are in no position to expect anything less than a possibility of a shark attack when entering the water. All sports and activities have inherent risks of varying severity and frequency. Attempting to alleviate the risk of shark attacks by harvesting sharks, no matter their size, is an activity we have no business in engaging.

Sharks have patrolled the earth's oceans for over 10 million years. Humans have occupied the earth for approximately 6 thousand.

Sharks were designed for life underwater. Humans were designed to be land dwellers. Just because we have the ability to temporarily adapt, does not mean we belong in the water. We are only guests.

It is only out of our own arrogance and lack of understanding that we expect to enter the blue in perfect safety. If you don't want to risk a shark attack or feel you are above the chance, I suggest buying that ocean front property in Arizona I keep hearing about. Lastly, watch out for the falling coconuts from the palm trees on your beach there. Your odds of suffering death are greater there than in the water with the "killers".

 

[JustinW]

when that donkey kills someone, they kill the donkey and that seems to fix the problem. As far as urchin divers on the north coast of california watching for GWs, the shark almost always has the advantage when visibility is 5 feet.