Sharks - where do you stand (or swim)?

[daveinprague]

My father used to tell me tales of his time in the RN, when the ship would stop somewhere exotic, for swimming. Nets on side of ship, booms out etc.
When I was on HMS Lowestoft, coming back from the far east, we stopped in the middle of the Indian ocean for it. Without thinking, I was one of the first people diving ff the ship. Was amazing. Swam for about 50 yards, turned round, and saw the guys on the bridge with rifles, and realised that it wasnt the best idea. I will never, ever swim that fast again.

 

[portlock seagull]

A question that has followed where ever I travel too.

Done a ton of surf based trips from the early 90's and having been a super keen paddler along our gloriously windy and odd colored watered coastline. I choose to travel to places where our toothy friends hangout. Saw many while sitting in a line up in Fiji, oz and South Africa, and have now been living in So. Cal for the last 17 years.

The last 2 years since El Nina (the lady version of El Nino) we have had an influx of Stingrays that normally come inshore to bred once a year for 6 weeks, they normally hump, birth, feed and leave in that time, but due to overly warm waters, they have stayed put for 2 years, in that time they have bred at least 6 times making their current population the largest we have ever seen, yay good for them...except our chums in grey feed off these little stingy fellas and have since made their breeding grounds close by.

One female came inshore, gave birth to 10 Jr. Great Whites, which already come out at 2 foot long and hungry, they feed on the Stingrays and grow to 6-8 feet in one year. 5 of them left, the mother and 5 of the more homely ones stayed, so we now have a protective mother, and 5 x 8 foot long Junior Great whites cruising the line up from Seal Beach to Trestles.

We have had more beach closures in 2 years than the previous 50 years put together due to Shark sightings, and not because the Sharks are man hunters, they are getting so big now that the Stingrays are not enough protein for them, so they start investigating others means of food, as in humans, whales and anything that looks tasty.

Following natures trail, the waters should cool this year back to normal temperatures and the Stingrays should leave, and the Sharks should follow, but you just know that there is that one stubborn (probably female) irrational, non conformist and grumpy smiler that will hang around and do something that will cause hysteria.

Fan of them, no. Respect them because they were here first and the ocean is their yard, yes.

Occupational hazard.

Yep, Orange Co. and S.Cali GW sightings / brushes have made news here too, it's not clear however whether it's a natural cycle or simply out awareness is much greater eg always been there, just even more recreational users of sea and everyone's got go-pros, drones etc to capture with. Let's face it, hardly anyone had only. Few years ago and when I last dived 2 years ago the person I buddied up with was so obsessed with taking underwater selfies she missed a fair bit of wildlife and was actually an underwater hazard (not keeping up, drifting away etc). I digress but the point is, loads of videos and photos online where only when the user watches back that they then see what was beneath them etc. Otherwise never have known and proves nearly always the case that sharks just not interested in us.

 

[portlock seagull]

My father used to tell me tales of his time in the RN, when the ship would stop somewhere exotic, for swimming. Nets on side of ship, booms out etc.
When I was on HMS Lowestoft, coming back from the far east, we stopped in the middle of the Indian ocean for it. Without thinking, I was one of the first people diving ff the ship. Was amazing. Swam for about 50 yards, turned round, and saw the guys on the bridge with rifles, and realised that it wasnt the best idea. I will never, ever swim that fast again.

Youd be fine now, Oceanic White Tip practically extinct now due to shark fin soup. But a good story nonetheless, Is be doing my best Jesus impression likewise in such circumstances!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

It's not just down Under. It seems that NO ONE is safe from these marauding monsters of the deep!

'First shark attack on surfer in UK waters leaves man with small cut on his thumb'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...-surfer-uk-waters-leaves-man-small-cut-thumb/

 

[Triggaaar]

in defence of the shark, we're in it's 'manor' after all...

It's clearly not their manor, it's ours. Man was created in god's image, and allowed to rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

 

[Triggaaar]

My father used to tell me tales of his time in the RN, when the ship would stop somewhere exotic, for swimming. Nets on side of ship, booms out etc.
When I was on HMS Lowestoft, coming back from the far east, we stopped in the middle of the Indian ocean for it. Without thinking, I was one of the first people diving ff the ship. Was amazing. Swam for about 50 yards, turned round, and saw the guys on the bridge with rifles, and realised that it wasnt the best idea. I will never, ever swim that fast again.

I guess you weren't popular and they thought they could take you out.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Wherever humans are we're essentially encroaching on someone else's domain, whether on land or in the oceans. The majority of us don't bat an eyelid when a bulldozer ploughs through another stretch of this once green land, ripping through badger setts, fox dens, indiscriminately killing and maiming all sorts of wildlife so that we can concrete over another bit of countryside in the name of Barratt Homes, Clancy Docwra et al. Time to arm the badgers, shrews, worms, slugs, moles and hedgehogs?

 

[daveinprague]

I guess you weren't popular and they thought they could take you out.

Would never had hit me at the speed I swam back!

 

[Knocky's Nose]

It's clearly not their manor, it's ours. Man was created in god's image, and allowed to rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Tell that to a shark as it goes to sink its teeth into your arse. I'm sure with a little reasoning it'll consider, ponder for a while, then admit that perhaps man is indeed the lord of the deep and swim away.

 

[RandyWanger]

Have you heard of Anthony Jeselnik? Google his "shark party" bad taste if you're a snowflake, comedy gold if you've got that kind of sense of humor.

 

[helipilot]

As an underwater photographer (enthusiastic amateur) I am completely onboard Team Shark. I've spent the last 6 months diving with as many sharks as I can and not once have a felt threatened by them. You have to keep an eye on some of the species more than others (Tigers for example) as they tend to test bite things they don't recognise but they really aren't aggressive towards humans. They just don't see us as prey and bites are always accidental and are exploratory only. People that do die aren't eaten by sharks they just bleed out due to the nature of the bite and time required to get to medical aid. Eating shark is very bad for you as they contain very high levels of mercury and other metals due to their diet and our pollution of the ocean. I'm no tree hugger I can assure you but people have got to wake up and realise the damage that we are doing to our oceans by killing 100s of millions of apex predators each year. Anyway here's a few pictures I've taken this year in various places, all outside a cage and free swimming with these amazing fish.

Shortfinned Mako (Caba San Luca, Mexico)


Great Hammerhead (Bimini, Bahamas)


Lemon (Jupiter, Florida)


Lemon (Jupiter, Florida)

 

[dingodan]

Delicious.

Me 1 Sharks 0.

 

[Taybha]

After watching jaws on it's release in the uk i stopped swimming in the sea in my early teens , didn't go in it again until i was around 30 , hated sharks with a uneducated vengeance , when i was 35 i went fishing for them in cornwall and managed to catch a blue shark around the 60 lb mark , watching it come up through the water it was simply beautiful when the skipper gaffed it i felt sick as a pig and felt equally guilty for killing something i had no use for or quarrel with , without them the seas would be full of 13 year old boys on lilo's and car number plates so i'm definitely team shark , leave them be .

 

[Triggaaar]

Would never had hit me at the speed I swam back!

Well indeed, thankfully you're quick and here to tell the tale.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Wherever humans are we're essentially encroaching on someone else's domain, whether on land or in the oceans. The majority of us don't bat an eyelid when a bulldozer ploughs through another stretch of this once green land, ripping through badger setts, fox dens, indiscriminately killing and maiming all sorts of wildlife so that we can concrete over another bit of countryside in the name of Barratt Homes, Clancy Docwra et al. Time to arm the badgers, shrews, worms, slugs, moles and hedgehogs?

Sorry, but seeing as we have been on this planet for a long time, and have evolved from whatever started life on this earth along with everything else, where exactly IS OUR manor? We have as much right to be here as a fox, bear or anything else. Yes we should try to allow all fauna to exist alongside us, but if they threaten us it becomes survival of the fittest. That said, sharks are in an alien environment to us and we should leave them be.

 

[whitelion]

This woman had a fortunate escape after an encounter...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...attack-in-the-bahamas/?utm_term=.f434bc460ed9

 

[Coldeanseagull]

Reading the story about the 'shark bite' by a smoothhound made me giggle. I've caught quite a few on rod and line(all released alive)and can vouch for the pain inflicted by a nip from just a small one. Here's a tip, don't put your fingers near the mouth of anything that swims and has teeth

Fantastic photos BTW Helipilot

 

[Theatre of Trees]

 

[helipilot]

Reading the story about the 'shark bite' by a smoothhound made me giggle. I've caught quite a few on rod and line(all released alive)and can vouch for the pain inflicted by a nip from just a small one. Here's a tip, don't put your fingers near the mouth of anything that swims and has teeth

Fantastic photos BTW Helipilot

Thanks Coldean... appreciate it.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

As an underwater photographer (enthusiastic amateur) I am completely onboard Team Shark. I've spent the last 6 months diving with as many sharks as I can and not once have a felt threatened by them. You have to keep an eye on some of the species more than others (Tigers for example) as they tend to test bite things they don't recognise but they really aren't aggressive towards humans. They just don't see us as prey and bites are always accidental and are exploratory only. People that do die aren't eaten by sharks they just bleed out due to the nature of the bite and time required to get to medical aid. Eating shark is very bad for you as they contain very high levels of mercury and other metals due to their diet and our pollution of the ocean. I'm no tree hugger I can assure you but people have got to wake up and realise the damage that we are doing to our oceans by killing 100s of millions of apex predators each year. Anyway here's a few pictures I've taken this year in various places, all outside a cage and free swimming with these amazing fish.

Shortfinned Mako (Caba San Luca, Mexico)
View attachment 86294

Great Hammerhead (Bimini, Bahamas)
View attachment 86295

Lemon (Jupiter, Florida)
View attachment 86296

Lemon (Jupiter, Florida)
View attachment 86297

You bloody show off.
This has to be the greatest 'look at me' thread in the history of NSC, knocking all the holiday threads into a cocked hat.