Sharks

[shakespear]

Ever cross your mind before getting certified? after?

Every friend I have that doesnt dive always remarks on the dangers of sharks when I talk about diving.

Hell, some of them will not set foot in saltwater for fear a great white will jump out of the water, eat them, and struggle to get back to deeper water.

I have to say, my one time in saltwater I wasnt even thinking about them, if one did show up it might give me pause, but I dont think I would run to the surface.

 

[Walter]

Good, because that's the worst place to be.

 

[drbill]

I've dived with sharks in a great many places around the world, not to mention the unseen presence of great whites here in my home waters. However, I do remember when I moved to Catalina in the late 60's and switched to salt water diving from fresh water, that I had four great fears: great white sharks, Hell's Angeles, Charlie Manson and lightning. Now only one of them is still a fear.

My sisters were out visiting a few summers ago. We were kayaking back from Long Point and encountered a school of several dozen harmless leopard sharks. I suggested they jump in the water as it was a great opportunity to swim with sharks. Neither of them took me up on it even after I jumped in the water to show them I wouldn't get eaten.

Maybe you should show them my upcoming DVD on sharks and rays to be released in February.

 

[robint]

I tell everyone it is an honor to dive with sharks... and most divers never see them at all, much less get to watch them in their natural habitat. Personally, I love sharks and look forward to seeing new ones, so far I have only been diving with a handful of different species (nurse, caribbean reef, grey reef, white tip, black tip).

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Myself and TSandM were diving with one just the other night ... a 12-foot sixgill shark (our local species). Things are sought out here by most divers ... it's a treat to dive with them. They're graceful and, in their way, beautiful. And we're not at all on their menu.

Not so sure I'd want to be in the water with a few species of sharks ... but I suspect that as long as we left them alone, they'd reciprocate ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[herman]

We have divers come from all over to see our sandtiger sharks. NC is one place where you can see large sharks doing their thing with no baiting. It's very common to have 6-10 ft sharks come within a feet of a diver. They are not agressive, just going about their business and if that happens to be in a path a few feet from a diver so be it, they really don't seem to mind divers. Its a rush to have an 10 ftr slide by you within arms reach....not that I would recommend reaching out the final few feet. Except for some spearfishing encounters I have not heard of any negative encounters.

 

[paradicio]

I was lucky enough to see a White Tip in Hawaii. It was ~6 feet. It was in a cave all by itself and 8 big noisy divers were outside blowing bubbles and making all kinds of racket. The poor thing was probably terrified...

Here in my local waters I've been lucky enough to see an Angel Shark, but that's it. I'm always on the lookout for an encounter with our other local species, but so far no luck.

 

[zen_man]

I've was lucky enough to see a White Tip in Hawaii. It was ~6 feet. It was in a cave all by itself and 8 big noisy divers were outside blowing bubbles and making all kinds of racket. The poor thing was probably terrified...

Was it off Lanai? If so, it sounds like you saw Spot. I just feel for him not being able to get his beauty sleep with divers always waking him up!

 

[offthewall1]

If I go diving and don't see a shark, I'm disappointed. I know many divers who have searched for sharks for years and still haven't seen one. I have been blessed with many encounters over the past decade.

White tips and Grey Reefs in Truk Lagoon, Bull and Sand Tiger in North Carolina, Hammerheads and Carribean Reefs in the Bahamas, Nurse Sharks in many places... and still I'm disappointed.

Tell your friends that sharks fear us far more than we need to fear them. Humans kill millions of sharks every year... sharks may kill a handful of humans... most not maliciously but rather by mistaken identity. Surfers and swimmers are far more frequently bitten than divers. You and all of your friends have a much greater chance of dying in almost every other conceivable way. Auto accident, lightning strike, falling down the steps, heart attack, alergic reaction etc...

Come to Off the Wall Scuba in Baltimore, MD and we'll show you our videos of our personal shark encounters... better yet, go on one of our trips... and you'll experience on of the greatest thrills a human being can have... swimming side by side with sharks!

Happy Diving!

Ever cross your mind before getting certified? after?

Every friend I have that doesnt dive always remarks on the dangers of sharks when I talk about diving.

Hell, some of them will not set foot in saltwater for fear a great white will jump out of the water, eat them, and struggle to get back to deeper water.

I have to say, my one time in saltwater I wasnt even thinking about them, if one did show up it might give me pause, but I dont think I would run to the surface.

 

[paradicio]

Was it off Lanai? If so, it sounds like you saw Spot. I just feel for him not being able to get his beauty sleep with divers always waking him up!

HA! Was off Lanai as a matter of fact! Hopefully he can forgive us for disturbing his beauty sleep...