Why the fear of Great White sharks?

[mikerault]

You mean these little guys?

Gentle as kittens! (Well, at least the fiberglass ones!)

Mike

 

[DennisS]

Here's some reported attacks, a little over the top though

Great White Shark Fatalities Australia | Jawshark.com

 

[drbill]

As I posted earlier, one of my great fears when I moved here in the late 60s was great whites. My dives used to be concentrated in fairly shallow water over the rocky reefs and in kelp forests (we were told GWSs didn't enter them). Then in 1975 I saw "Jaws" and stopped diving altogether. A few years later while working for Jean-Michel Cousteau on a project, he saw me suiting up and said "I Thought you stopped diving because of 'Jaws'" I replied... yes, but then I saw "Jaws 2."

In all the years I've been diving Catalina, where GWS are occasionally encountered, I've only had one incident where I knew a GWS was nearby. I've posted about it elsewhere... it was when Wyland asked to buddy up with me to film giant sea bass. About 40 minutes into the dive Wyland signaled he was returning to the dive boat. I continued my dive until it was time to surface. When I got back on board, he asked "Didn't you see the 14 ft GWS that swam past us?" I hadn't.

 

[joe8mofo]

Is there any evidence to support this statement. I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'd like to learn more. I'm not getting into diving to dive wrecks, or to lay line in a cave, I like to learn about the animals. Myself, my wife and my two kids have just about watched every shark special / dvd / I-Tunes download we can get are hands on. But in the end they just seem like a fish to me, a really big Northern Pike.

Am I over simplifying it? I don't know, but Large Mouth Bass ambush frogs and fly out of the very similarly to Great Whites with seals, and isn't that guy on a surfboard the equivalent of a popper.

Please don't think I'm being a smartass. These are beautiful animals and my entire family and I find them fascinating, but I'm not willing to put a lot into the intelligence of a fish just because it is big enough to eat me. I feel like some people want them to be smarter than what they are because we can't control them and make them do our bidding and we find comfort in the idea, that if we can't control it, and it can kill us, then it has to be smart. Not only can't it kill us but we have no real good defense for it. It isn't something you can shoot with a 45-70, you can't hear, you can't see it if it doesn't want to be seen, your just screwed.

Anyway.....................

There was an study done that concluded that sharks can be trained as easily as whales as dolphins; but I cannot find that particular study.

I did find this, which may help.

Is the White Shark Intelligent?

 

[Togalive]

You mean these little guys?

Gentle as kittens! (Well, at least the fiberglass ones!)

Mike

Is that Photoshopped? Im curious what the "Line" extending downwards from between the pectoral fins is, also the pectoral fins themselves seem pretty disfigured. And possibly where it got the meat if it is real, considering the diver isnt missing any body parts.

Is there any evidence to support this statement. I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'd like to learn more. I'm not getting into diving to dive wrecks, or to lay line in a cave, I like to learn about the animals.

....Not only can't it kill us but we have no real good defense for it. It isn't something you can shoot with a 45-70, you can't hear, you can't see it if it doesn't want to be seen, your just screwed.

Anyway.....................

I personally am a believer that most animals out there are much more intelligent than we give them credit for, and I dont think the great white is any exception. Its been proven throughout history that us humans like to pretend that other beings which we either A) Feel threatened by, or B) Manipulate for one use or another are often considered less intelligent, or incapable of thought. Im not saying that a frog is potentially as intelligent as a human, but when it comes to being in the water, a 16 ft great white is definitely intelligent enough to outsmart a human in the water. You can bet it knows what its doing when it bites you, whether it be for curiosity's sake, or to satisfy an appetite.

As far as shooting it with a 45-70, nope, that wouldnt work too well, but a speargun might give it a second thought. I would consider my being the water with an aggressive great white as the same situation as my encountering an aggressive mountain lion while hunting up here in northern California. They both might be endangered, or environmentally at risk, but I would have no hesitation attempting to kill one if it had the clear intention of killing me.

 

[mikerault]

Nope, it is a life size fiberglass model in Loch Low-Minn quarry in Athens, Tn.

Mike

 

[Drewpy]

Anybody remember the Abalone diver up in Caspar (near Fort Bragg)that was
essentially bitten in two and beheaded..
I do agree that the media has blown things way out of proportion...more dangerous to drive to the dive site?

I have to agree about the size factor..that latest show on Nat Geo where they were catching and tagging them on a hydraulic platform was amazing.Some of those femles were just jaw dropping...over 21ft and 6000 lbs. Thats a big fish

 

[Togalive]

Ahhhh ok, thanks for pointing that out Seeing that picture definitely sparked my interest!

Anybody remember the Abalone diver up in Caspar (near Fort Bragg)that was
essentially bitten in two and beheaded..
I do agree that the media has blown things way out of proportion...more dangerous to drive to the dive site?

I have to agree about the size factor..that latest show on Nat Geo where they were catching and tagging them on a hydraulic platform was amazing.Some of those femles were just jaw dropping...over 21ft and 6000 lbs. Thats a big fish

Just to clarify, as I just recently discussed that divers death with my LDS, who actually was quite familiar with him. He was not bitten in two as some media sources claim. He was Ab diving (as you said) with a friend who was in the water right by him. They both went down for a dive (their boat and the rest of the divers were right there as I understand) and just as he gave it the first few kicks, the GW came up from below (classic predatory maneuver) and took of his head with one bite. He was simply pointed the wrong direction, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. I feel the most for his dive partner, who saw the whole thing happen feet from him, talk about a near death experience. Or perhaps the person who found his head on the coast a few days later (as with most all shark attacks, humans dont taste good, so were often spit back out).

Theres definitely some big ones out there, and a big fish has got to eat...

 

[SharkSafaris]

The great white terror that you always see on TV is a horrible portrayal of an amazing animal IMHO. After chumming the water they work these predators up into a frenzy and then capture images of them voraciously feeding (they dont attack, they feed; thanks drbill), which they then market as pictures of a great killer. Its horrible, and doesnt capture how amazingly adapted these animals truly are-they are just a set of swimming teeth. They are sterotyped as mindless (or mindful) killers that just want blood blood blood, and that depiction simply isn't true.

That being said, there are some tours out there that now allow swimming with great whites without chumming, and as a result you can actually leave the cage to "interact" with them.

QUOTE]

Hi, do you (or anybody else reading this post) happen to have the names of the operators there that allow people to do this? I would love to get in touch with them.

Thanks!

 

[Peter_C]

Anybody remember the Abalone diver up in Caspar (near Fort Bragg)that was
essentially beheaded..

That would be Randy Fry.

Ab divers are at high risk as are surfers. Fortunately very few scuba divers are ever attacked. Well accept for Marco Flag who was test bitten at a depth of around 40 feet.