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Shark Attack, Myth or Reality?

Started by vereli , Jul 24 2004 04:07 PM

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61 replies to this topic

#1 vereli

On a roll now.....

Member
61 posts

Location:Albany, GA
Gender:Female
Cert Level:OW

Posted 24 July 2004 - 04:07 PM

Thereâ€™s something that has been on my mind for quite a while. Every time I mention diving to non-divers they ask me what would I do if I saw a shark? Well, I saw a sleeping shark on the bottom of the ocean in Cozumel. Honestly, before I got scared, it mesmerized me with its beauty. Afterwards, I found out that it was just a sand shark, one that is not aggressive. Iâ€™ve been going through some diving pictures online and saw pictures of the tiger, hammerhead and other sharks taken by the divers in the different countries. Iâ€™ve heard a lot of horror stories about sharks attacking everybody else but the divers. The only thing I know to do in this case is not to panic if I see one. But if you are deep enough where you need to decompress and you see a shark around you thatâ€™s being restless, what do you do? Are there any gadgets for the divers to help in this situation? (Or maybe I need to stop watching Shark Week on Discovery?) :birthday:

Marina

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#2 Walter

I need to get a life

Member
7,549 posts

Location:Lehigh Acres, Florida
Gender:Male
Cert Level:Instructor
Logged Dives:4 digits

Posted 24 July 2004 - 04:45 PM

Marina,

You have to use your judgement in any situation that arises on a dive.

Shark attacks on divers are extremely rare. For the most part, sharks notice you and leave before you ever see them.

When sharks are in the area, watch them and continue your dive. If they get aggressive, exit the water. If I thought I might actually get attacked, I'd exit the water even if I had required decompression stops. That being said, I've seen lots of sharks and had some close encounters, but I've never felt threatened by a shark. I have felt threatened by other divers.

Walter

No single raindrop believes it is responsible for the flood.

DSSW,

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#3 ronbert

Getting started

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22 posts

Location:LA (Lower Alabama)
Gender:Male
Cert Level:aow; nitrox
Logged Dives:50

Posted 24 July 2004 - 05:29 PM

there seem to be far more reports of shark attacks on waders (in my part of the country) and surfers than scuba divers.look at the DAN report on diving injuries and you'll see that shark attacks are way down your list of worries, statistically.
rb

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#4 drbill

I spend too much time on line

SD Partners
4,486 posts

Location:10-200 feet under, Santa Catalina Island
Gender:Male
Cert Level:Rescue
Logged Dives:who's counting, definitely four digits

Posted 24 July 2004 - 06:48 PM

Sharks attack? I thought humans were the problem- they kill tons of sharks every year. Who's the aggressor here?

Seriously (moi?), having experienced many shark encounters (primarily in the tropics unless you count the leopard and horn sharks I've encountered in the last week or two here in the Dive Park), I feel comfortable saying their threat to divers is highly exaggerated.

Great whites around Catalina tend to avoid divers, or bolt from them if they approach. Occasionally they will just swim by, possibly checking you out but largely ignoring you. These are based on the legitimate encounters of dive friends here, but not personal experience. They see my fangs approaching and they're history.

I've never encountered an aggressive situation wth sharks in the tropics despite diving in many places around the world.

The two sharks that would definitely make me want to get out of the water are the tiger and the bull. I've only had one experience with a tiger and that was while kayaking in the Sea of Cortez. It was scary. I'd be concerned about bull sharks because I don't know them and have heard stories. Maybe Walter and others who have experience with them can set me (and you) straight.

I had a terribly irrational fear of great whites when I moved here 35 years ago. I don't give them much thought any more even though they are regularly seen swimming within a mile of the Dive Park. Would love to video one.

Doc

Edited by drbill, 07 May 2005 - 11:40 PM.

Must have a sense of humor to view my web site!