Why the fear of Great White sharks?

[tracydr]

Yes, I have a lot of respect for those big guys. The stalking behavior was spooky, to say the least. It did seem like it would prefer to get close if we weren't looking him in the eye, unless it was just the prey movement of swimming away that was of interest.
It was far more frightening than even the hammerheads and Galapegos schools in Galapegos.
When Ive told people it was an Oceanic white tip most people think I'm talking abbot the reef shark and have never heard of the oceanic.
I'd heard that story about the sailors somewhere, too.

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

Well, I think everybody covered the fact that these beautiful animals do more investigating than being 'maneaters.' When they do an investgative bite, it can lead to tradgic results from massive tissue loss, and humans bleeding out quickly. I have never dove around Great Whites that I know of, but I would like to see them. I don't think I'd jump in around large groups of seals, but it would be cool to see them in their enviroment.

I'm much more wary of bulls than anything else. They will bite you, and then tun back and hit you again. Actually, IMHO, I think that many 'Great White Attacks' are big bulls. I spearfish, but when the bulls get active, I try to make for a safe location, if possible. I'll always drop a stringer of trophy grouper or pompano before they start getting interested.

I just dove in NC with a massive amount of large (10-12 foot range) of Sand Tiger Sharks. They were no more than 2-3 feet away from me, and although curious, very timid. The boat wouldn't let us spearfish around the STS, but I can see why. Most sharks really see you as a big alien bubbling monster, and really don't want anything to do with you.

I still say the drive to and from the diveboat is more dangerous than any animal in the ocean, as long as you respect it. If you yank on their tail, or molest them, they are going to defend themselves.

 

[drrich2]

I don't think I'd jump in around large groups of seals, but it would be cool to see them in their environment.

I hear you. In fact, you just gave me an idea, especially since awhile back I read a piece about a tour provider letting people leave the cage while diving with Great Whites (albeit the waters weren't chummed - still seemed insanely dangerous to me, but if anyone got nailed doing it, I figured we'd have heard about it - so far, anyway).

Put together a 'Great White Shark Attractor Kit for Scuba Divers.' Basically, put a fast underwater scooter together with a brown poncho so the diver looks like a sea lion swimming through the water. Perhaps you could include a 'Darwin Award Fan' bumper sticker.

I wouldn't go down with it, but if you just really, really wanted to encounter one oh-so-bad...

Richard.

P.S.: For another example of wanting to encounter one bad, with dubious regard for safety, don't miss the Great Whites off San Onofre thread. Out there on some sort of board, even with 'small' ones?

 

[JWTWV]

I don't think its all that fair to blame wide ranging fear of Great Whites almost entirely on Jaws.

Personally I think their is another side to "Jaws" that has actually helped sharks in latter years by generating greater interest in them among the general population, my own lifelong interest in sharks is tied to my first viewing of Jaws as a child.

Before Jaws was made almost nothing was known about the shark, the first documentary film about them was made only a few years prior to the release of the book and film and in the years since the Great White has become a well known, intensely studied species.

I believe the fear of Great Whites (and of sharks in general) is deeply ingrained into the human subconscious because generations of sea-fairing humans have learned that sharks occasionally (if rarely) do hurt, kill, and sometimes totally consume human beings.

If it hasn't been already noted in this thread it should be mentioned that Great White behavior varies among individuals residing in different parts of the world.

The large Great Whites off the California coast may reject most human victims before consumption but these sharks have large stocks of elephant seals to feed off of. In other parts of the world such as South Africa and particularly in Southern Australia the sharks don't have this luxury and thus the numbers of total consumption "Predation events" on humans is much higher.

I'm all for the conservation of sharks and I do believe that Jaws created some bad stereotypes of sharks (again it was a movie and at the time not much was known to refute it) but I don't think we should replace bad stereotypes with ones that could actually get people hurt.

It seems like the general tone of most shark documentaries sets out to make them seem almost totally benign and the Great White in particular not at all interested in eating a human, this just isn't always the case.

And it should be known by anyone who swims or dives in areas where Great Whites may frequent.

 

[mwall04]

Put together a 'Great White Shark Attractor Kit for Scuba Divers.' Basically, put a fast underwater scooter together with a brown poncho so the diver looks like a sea lion swimming through the water. Perhaps you could include a 'Darwin Award Fan' bumper sticker.

Good idea. My sister suggested this Retail Ocean Mascot Costumes for my Guadalupe Island Great White trip leaving tomorrow. Having been to Guadalupe last year, two things are for sure - I won't be leaving the cage and I won't be wearing a seal costume. Not sure what this says about my relationship with my sister.

Our Dive Master on last year's trip put it best when asked if the sharks could get into the cage. "The cages are to make the divers feel safe. If a shark really wanted to get to you, it could. They are the size of a large SUV and a 1/2 inch metal bar isn't going to protect you. However, the fact is they don't want to eat you. We are not their natural food and in the clear waters of Guadalupe, there is little chance for confusion"

I wonder if wearing the seal costume would change the dynamics. If anyone is game, I'll volunteer my services as photographer...from the safety of another cage.

 

[mwall04]

Duplicate post...sorry.

 

[mwall04]

Survived Great White Attack!

Ok, so not really. I did see a great white shark, but was safety hiding in a metal cage.

Made my second trip to Guadalupe last week on board the Horizon (booked through sharkdiver.com). What a wonderful trip. Less sharks than last year, but they were the big ones. Understood that would be the case going in, as this years trip is later than last years. The sharks were great. The usual suspects like Shredder and Bruce.

The best part of the trip was the people I dove with. Just love them.

To stay somewhat on topic for this thread, we had multiple people on our trip doing it just to overcome a fear of great white sharks. Some had never even been in the ocean before and they ended up all being fearless.

I think if everyone saw these creatures in their environment, their fear would quickly turn to fascination.

 

[Hammerhead]

I was studying on the beach, it was very crowded and some boys were jumping from a point near Cottesloe. Suddenly lots of screaming, and a man lost his life.
A great white had taken him. I will never forget watching the water turn red, and watching the mayhem that followed.

[...]

I am the unluckiest person you will ever meet, and knowing my luck, I am safest out of the water in those states of Aust.

Call me pedantic, but I reckon most people would agree that the poor bugger who got munched might be rather less lucky than you.

Just saying...

 

[drbill]

I don't think its all that fair to blame wide ranging fear of Great Whites almost entirely on Jaws.

I was already afraid of great whites when I moved to SoCal and dove here. That was in 1969, well before "Jaws" came out. They actually filmed some of the underwater sequences for that film about two miles from my biology lab.

When I did see "Jaws" in 1975 (?) I stopped diving for about three years. When Jean-Michel Cousteau saw me suiting up to dive in the late 70s, he asked why I had resumed the activity in view of that fear. I told him I had recently seen "Jaws II." Now if that movie didn't erase the bad image of GWS that some received from the previous film, I don't know what cure they'd need.

After 41 years of diving in SoCal, GWS and I have come to a mutual agreement to share the ocean peacefully (so far).

 

[spt29970]

Our Dive Master on last year's trip put it best when asked if the sharks could get into the cage. "The cages are to make the divers feel safe. If a shark really wanted to get to you, it could. They are the size of a large SUV and a 1/2 inch metal bar isn't going to protect you. However, the fact is they don't want to eat you. We are not their natural food and in the clear waters of Guadalupe, there is little chance for confusion"

1/2" metal bar? I don't know what sort of budget cages you were in, but I just got back from a Guadalupe trip on the Nautilus Explorer. Their cages were constructed from 2" welded steel pipe. There is no way in hell that a shark is getting through that. Of course I was leaning way out of the viewing slot to get better camera angles, so I wouldn't say that I was completely protected.

They are magnificent animals and incredibly photogenic and I agree with you that the sharks are absolutely not interested in us as prey, but is it funny what they are interested in. One day I was standing on the back deck getting my wetsuit on and we had a strong wind blowing. One woman lost her glove to the wind and it blew into the water about 10 feet behind the boat. We were joking with the boat crew about swimming out to get the glove (to which they politely declined). At that moment, a giant white shark blasted out of the water and nailed the glove. The divers in the cage got great video of the shark chewing on the glove like it was a piece of chewing gum. The point is that like most wild animals, they can be unpredictable. Most of the time they were just cruising around checking us out. Just when you convince yourself that they are sedate steady swimmers, something small, like a glove floating on the water, can switch them to attack mode. It was truly impressive and humbling. Here are a few photos. It is hard to capture the size and scale of these animals


Spectacular Sunrays on a Spectacular Shark by - drsteve -, on Flickr


Swim with the big fish by - drsteve -, on Flickr


Sharks like sashimi. Who knew? by - drsteve -, on Flickr

There are more at gallery at
Isla Guadalupe 2010 - a set on Flickr