Great White off Hayling Island.

[portlock seagull]

I've seen and handled loads of sharks,dead, in my fish industry days . If you like huss and chips you've eaten it too . Dogfish to,be correct.

A silly season story in the press. Soon we will see the annual "a seagull ate my chips" story too

This with Bells on!

 

[portlock seagull]

Mako's may well be fast but they aren't the fastest fish by some margin. The Black Marlin has been recorded at 129km/h whereas the mako can only bring up the rear at a relatively paltry 74km/h.

Sorry, stand corrected. I meant to say fastest shark albeit I didn't know those statto stats!

 

[Mr Putdown]

Sorry, stand corrected. I meant to say fastest shark albeit I didn't know those statto stats!

No worries, makos are indeed impressive, but the top speed of a black marlin in water is almost beyond belief.

 

[Mr Putdown]

For those who have never seen the acrobatic ability of a mako shark, take a look at this

 

[mistahclarke]

Growing up in Australia, sharks are never far from your consciousness...

Some years ago, the day before the Missus and I got engaged, we were swimming at Cottesloe off Perth. There was a huge buoy about 200 metres offshore and the Missus says: come on...let's swim out to it.

She was an excellent swimmer and I was barely adequate, but when you're about to propose to someone you don't wimp out of a challenge like that.

Anyway, as I swam (some distance behind her) I suddenly noted how eerily still the water was...and how murky it was in the late afternoon just before dusk. Just before I reached the buoy, where she was waiting for me, I suddenly thought: what the FARK am I doing out here?

I'm going back! I called and started swimming faster and faster. She, of course, zoomed past me and the closer I got to the shore the more I was seeing those huge pointed teeth closing on my toes.

Anyway, I made it back to shore, exhausted and totally freaked, but life continued happily.

However.

About five weeks later, a bloke was killed by a shark in exactly that spot.

For all I know that same shark checked me out but wasn't feeling peckish.

I've got a picture of me and my Aussie best mate swimming in the spot a girl was killed on Straddie Island a week before. You've not seen a picture of anyone looking more uncomfortable, desperately waiting for the picture to be taken.