Tiger shark encounter - what would you have done?

[DavidPT40]

There is still a debate on whether fish can feel pain.

 

[Santa]

There is still a debate on whether fish can feel pain.

If not it leaves us up shark creek without a paddle ... ;0)

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

Well I sit hear reading this post wonder who feeding some of you this stuff. First a sand tiger will attack you even with eye contact, it attack trigger from smell and vibes and its lack of stomach contents.
sand tiger are not as aggressive most of the time as bull sharks , how ever sand tigers have been known to be very aggressive to spear fisher man , reason simple easy food , they can turn and take it from you before you can reach your arm out to stop them. I have seen this down several times, most bulls will just come up and take it most sand tigers will usually circle you first then watch out it there turn. Luckily in NC we have a rather large population of sand tigers and most time are very gentle creatures. So my advice is don’t feed them if you can help it.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

There is still a debate on whether fish can feel pain.

I thought that was just more PETA bull****. Still, the websites are entertaining:

http://www.fishinghurts.com/FishFeelPain.asp
http://www.goveg.com/

As for me, I like their anti-fur campaign ads much more:

http://www.peta.org/pdfs/ADswain.pdf
http://www.peta.org/pdfs/adrossvert.pdf

(I also like Milla Jovovich's ad where she dresses as a mermaid, but I couldn't find it on their site...)

...just random thoughts on a Saturday morning when I'm above water. See why my wife lets me dive so often?

-G

 

[robo]

JT wrote: "But I have to say, and I don't mean to start a flame, that it sounds as if you are romanticizing the indicent." and "I get the idea that you viewed this as some sort of contest between the shark and you and your dive buddy.", and "I also have a concern about divers who survive this type of ordeal and see it as a 'win.' It isn't."

Jt, thanks for your comments, and I want to reply so as not to be misunderstood. About romanticizing the incident, yes, probably a little to make it interesting reading, however, all events were factual. About being a contest with the shark, I did not view it that way at all, I was simply trying to pick the best method of dealing with the situation at the time, considering its relative size, curiosity, prey drive, our survival, and conservation (if we would have had powerheads at the time which we didn't).

About seeing it as a "win". Well yes and no, I was happy we emerged unscathed, and at the same time wish I had more experience to base my actions on.

In my last vacation to Costa Rica, I was stopped in the street by a woman to rescue her husband and brother in law from drowning. I used to be a life guard while in college, and have been a waterman all my life. So to make a long story short, with the help of some local fisherman, we saved one, and lost another at the beach while administering CPR and breathing resuscitation. I was in more of a state than during my shark encounter. With the whole family wailing, watching me work on their boy, I felt the weight of the situation big time. My pulse was pounding, my head was swirling, and I did everything I could to save him, but it wasn't meant to be. This is how we respond to situations, either panic, rise to the event, or go limp. You don't have the time to calmly sit back, get out your notebook, and brainstorm for a while, you have to act and make the best of it.

To some, this shark encounter would be a daily occurrence, no biggie. To others, they might **** in their pants. It's going to happen to you eventually in the ocean, with or without a bag of fish. So it helps to have a sysem to deal with it.

I just read an entertaining book "Helldivers Rodeo", about some recreational oil rig spearfishermen off Louisiana. They had a lot in it about shark encounters, and they either gave up the catch, poked 'em with their spears, or simply got the hell out of there when they were "too big". In one incident, a guy had to poke a shark several times, and on the last poke had to sink the point into its nose before it went away. They were actually more afraid of grey triggerfish, likening them to crazed alien creatures, who bite off earlobes and pieces of flesh. Suggested reading.

 

[shooter226]

JT wrote: "But I have to say, and I don't mean to start a flame, that it sounds as if you are romanticizing the indicent." and "I get the idea that you viewed this as some sort of contest between the shark and you and your dive buddy.", and "I also have a concern about divers who survive this type of ordeal and see it as a 'win.' It isn't."

Jt, thanks for your comments, and I want to reply so as not to be misunderstood. About romanticizing the incident, yes, probably a little to make it interesting reading, however, all events were factual. About being a contest with the shark, I did not view it that way at all, I was simply trying to pick the best method of dealing with the situation at the time, considering its relative size, curiosity, prey drive, our survival, and conservation (if we would have had powerheads at the time which we didn't).

About seeing it as a "win". Well yes and no, I was happy we emerged unscathed, and at the same time wish I had more experience to base my actions on.

In my last vacation to Costa Rica, I was stopped in the street by a woman to rescue her husband and brother in law from drowning. I used to be a life guard while in college, and have been a waterman all my life. So to make a long story short, with the help of some local fisherman, we saved one, and lost another at the beach while administering CPR and breathing resuscitation. I was in more of a state than during my shark encounter. With the whole family wailing, watching me work on their boy, I felt the weight of the situation big time. My pulse was pounding, my head was swirling, and I did everything I could to save him, but it wasn't meant to be. This is how we respond to situations, either panic, rise to the event, or go limp. You don't have the time to calmly sit back, get out your notebook, and brainstorm for a while, you have to act and make the best of it.

To some, this shark encounter would be a daily occurrence, no biggie. To others, they might **** in their pants. It's going to happen to you eventually in the ocean, with or without a bag of fish. So it helps to have a sysem to deal with it.

I just read an entertaining book "Helldivers Rodeo", about some recreational oil rig spearfishermen off Louisiana. They had a lot in it about shark encounters, and they either gave up the catch, poked 'em with their spears, or simply got the hell out of there when they were "too big". In one incident, a guy had to poke a shark several times, and on the last poke had to sink the point into its nose before it went away. They were actually more afraid of grey triggerfish, likening them to crazed alien creatures, who bite off earlobes and pieces of flesh. Suggested reading.

You do not have to have a powerhead. (although they work wonderfully) A shaft, shot through the gills should persuade the fish to leave you alone.

I too have read “Helldivers Rodeo”. It is very entertaining. Many of the people in the book are regulars on spearboard.com. I hope they weather Katrina and get back to shooting the biggest fish in the gulf.

The point I was trying to make had more to do with the sharks ability to "reason" than whether it would be deterred or not, I guess.

"Whoa! The neoprene ******* shot me - now I'm really gonna chew him up good!"

I just don't think most animals think like that. I think the lines they actively draw between point A. and B. are very few and that instinct and 'repertoire' reactions are much more the order of the day.

Safety then, would be - in a rather mechanical way - mostly about not triggering unwanted behaviuor patterns - or somehow breaking a set pattern already in progress.

Not about reading emotions or chains of reasoning.

This was posted in answer to my answer to the post below.

Originally Posted by shooter226
<<If you shoot a shark at 10 metres however my guess is it may not even realize that the pain is connected to you but react to the total situation in a much more general or primitive way.
Maybe I'm just hoping for safety where none can be found ;0) Anyone know anything about this?>>

This depends on what you shoot it with. A 12 ga powerhead will stop it right now.

It would not matter what the shark thought or reasoned. A 12 ga powerhead to the head will stop all thought and reasoning in the fish.

You are safe.

I do not condone indiscriminate shooting of sharks. But a person ranks over a fish in by book. At least most do.

Sorry about the long post.

 

[Green Hand]

No fish is worth my life or safety. Drop the bag and if you want fish that bad stop at long john's or go to the counter in the supermarket.I understand the challenge of the hunt and the chase. the thrill of fresh blood on your hands and a large gut pile. I gave up hunting 10 yrs ago but still love venison.I just don't need to kill it myself. I still surf fish on occaision but more for the relaxation than the catch. My goal was to always catch a large shark. Until I got to snorkel with a 9 ft bull in the keys. It was just passing through and paid no attention to us. The grace and power it displayed as it moved through the water was enough to dispell the dream of catching one. One of my goals before my dive career is over is to go to guadaloupe island to dive with a great white. In a cage of course but I would still love to see one in it's environment on it's own turf. That is the key. It's their turf!! We are the invaders. To be so arrogant to state that we are at the top of the food chain is nonsense. Maybe in the city. But in the oceans they are at the top just as in africa on the open savannah it's the lion, or the tiger in India. No they are the apex predators, safe divers remember and respect that. And plan accordingly. Once in awhile a person is going to get taken out. That is a price we must realize may be paid for entering an alien environment.

Agree 100%. Lets not forget that mankind has a false sense of their position in the food chain because 1] we are territorial and aggressive and 2] we are good at inventing stuff that kills things very efficiently.

Many creatures have millions of years of evolutinary development that allows them to kill very quickly and efficiently in their natural habitat [we have a lot of them in Australia] including bears, hippos, crocs, spiders, snakes, sharks, big cats etc. Most of them will leave you alone, but most are also very territorial, including sharks. Back them into a corner, make aggressive moves towards them, threaten them, or get between them and a meal and all bets are off. You have moved into their sphere of specialality and they will kill you. They are better armed, better trained and more aggressive [given the situation they find them selves in].

When ever any of us enetr the water we are in the sharks territory. If they want your fish - give it over, if they charge you to challenge your entry into their territory - leave their territory immediately.[ps some sharks are protected species, as are snakes, so killing one can cause a whole heap of trouble].

Please respect the apex predator when in their environment. Too many people wander through Grizzly country and are surprised when they get attacked, or dive in seal colonies where Great Whites hunt and then demand that all Great Whites are hunted because their buddy got attacked.

It's a big ocean and there are a lot of places to dive where you don't have to temp big sharks with your catch bag.

Be safe people, and be smart please.

 

[angryguy777]

I agree that sharks, bears, lions etc... are Apex predators, but so are we. Sharks have teeth, and we have brains. We have brains to invent spear guns and power heads. If humans were so inclined we could wipe out sharks, but thankfully we are not. I say humans are THE predator. We are on top because we can invent tools to make up for what we lack naturally. I don't condone killing a beautiful predator like a tiger shark for no reason, but if one screws with me and I deem it necessary, I would not have any second thoughts about putting him in his place, below me on the food chain.

-Zak

 

[saildiver]

Spearing sharks have provoked attacks by sharks that were acting quite docile before they were attacked-and at times they attacked someone comepletely unrelated to the spearing-one incident involved tagging a reef shark's dorsal fin with a small spearpoint and the shark immediately after the tag was placed shot straight for the camera man filming the event,attacked him and gave him some very serious wounds. Drop the fish first-that's what they want,and swim away. And take any Tiger shark over 5 feet long very seriously....glad you both made it,by a whisker...peace...Saildiver

 

[discrepancy]

You spear a fish and a tiger comes sniffing around. Well, whoopy doo. That's what he's programmed to do. But is he going to kill you? He's probably thinking you're too big and he's scared of you, and he's just hoping that you will drop your fish so he can get a free meal.