43 replies to this topic

[Avin]

Have any of you ever personally known a shark attack victim, or been on a dive trip where a shark attack occurred?

Yes, but they were asking for it.

I have heard that these electric field devices work, but have no personal experience with them. My personal feeling if I was that worried about sharks, I would also get a waterproof transponder to activate if I got separated from the boat--probably a more likely event than a shark attack.

Interesting.... what were they doing to ask for it?

[David Evans]

Just came across an interesting article this afternoon on Yahoo:

http://news.yahoo.co...athsmountin2005

According to the article, 16 people have been killed in the United States from lightning strikes since June, and that lightning typically causes 67 deaths in the United States each year.

Compare that to this article:

http://www.flmnh.ufl...tacksummary.htm

Which states that world-wide, there were 61 unprovoked shark attacks in 2004, and only seven fatalities... and again, as a point of comparison, the lightning strike figures are for the US only, while the shark attack figures are for the entire world.

Anyway...

Walter and drdiver, I'm also interested in hearing your stories, if you'd be willing to share them.

-d

[maninthesea]

Thanks.

Why do you think I wouldn't "want/need one"?

I guess you can figure out what I was hinting at.

Since I last posted I went and looked at one of these. I wanted to see if the production ones had an on/off switch.
They do. This strikes me as a little strange since it is a simple switch and does not lock in place. I would think that if you were inclined to use this to protect yourself from sharks you would want it to be like a dive computer. Not able to be accidently switched off during the dive. Or do they intend it to be used like a can of mace?

Blublood Posted on Jul 27 2005, 01:48 PM
  I read in an article about a commercial scallop diver in australia that was attacked by a great white and was wearing a device. Yes, they may well work but there is debate that although they may keep "most" sharks away in a close proximity they may actually initially attract sharks from further distance to that closer proximity.....There was also talk about if this particular diver was using his correctly or maybe it just didn't bother this rather large landlord. 

I remember hearing that the shark shield guys were concerned about an attack on someone wearing the unit until it was discovered that the attack happened at the surface while putting(I recall abalone) in the boat. The diver was half in half out and only one of the two electrodes were in the water therefore no field. This may or may not be the same incident.

Personally I would rather see sharks. I was wondering if anyone has ever used a device designed to attract sharks? Here is a link to the one that peaked my curiosity. I would be tempted to buy one of these but we don't get mako's here and the website boasts they have a different " Magnet " for marlin and tuna so I may be wasteing money.

Cheers JIm

http://www.makomagnet.com/

[Avin]

Personally I would rather see sharks. I was wondering if anyone has ever used a device designed to attract sharks?

[Walter]

Personally I would rather see sharks.

Me too. I see them all too in frequently.

I was wondering if anyone has ever used a device designed to attract sharks?

It's called chum.

[Trimix2dive]

Personally I would rather see sharks.  I was wondering if anyone has ever used a device designed to attract sharks?

I've heard of covering yourself in seal blubber.

[maninthesea]

I have used chum but was wondering if anyone had ever used the "mako magnet"

Maybe the link was too subtle


http://www.makomagnet.com/

[David Evans]

There are many reports from some of my technical diving buddies that the ballast of HID lights and the electric motors used in scooters will attract sharks, and there seems to be something to that given the frequency with which we see sixgill sharks in the Seattle area...

Must have something to do with the electrical field sensitivity that sharks have due to the ampulli of lorenzini in their snouts...

Maybe no need to buy a special toy to bring sharks in - just get a fancy light and a scooter!

-d

[maninthesea]

I dont know about the HID light, I own and use one and have not noticed any thing. However my experence indicates that scooters repell sharks. Of course it may depend on the brand of scooter. I have seen sharks leave an area when a third diver on a scooter arrived. This has happened enough that I dont take my scooter on dives where we expect and want sharks.

Apollo BTW.

I did learn a trick with a water bottle from some of my friends in Palau. It works really well in Palau. Here in Guam you dont see sharks on every dive so I never seem to have my bottle when I see the shark!

Cheers Jim

[David Evans]

Hmmmm. That's an interesting observation!

I wonder if it has less to do with the brand of scooter and more to do with the brand of shark!

We have only two common shark species in Puget Sound: the dogfish and the sixgill (there are some reports of basking sharks and great whites, among others, along the Washington coast, but inside Puget Sound only these two species are represented).

Sixgills are very commonly sighted among divers using scooters here... I have an Apollo and a Mako, but the ride of choice among my dir-nerd buddies is the Gavin. I haven't noticed a difference, nor can a say with certainty that the scooters draw sharks... but I can say with certainty that they don't repel them either... at least not the sixgills!

Perhaps the different prey species of these different shark types emit different electrical fields as your "mako magnet" suggests?



-d

[Walter]

It wasn't too subtle, Jim, I was merely teasing you.

What's the water bottle trick?

[BradfordNC]

but the ride of choice among my dir-nerd buddies is the Gavin.

but of course it is.

for the same reason their gear brand of choice is Halcyon

[maninthesea]

What's the water bottle trick?

Walter
The trick is get the absolute cheepest crinkliest made in taiwan waterbottle. Take it diveing and when at depth fill it half or so full of air replace the cap and roll it between your hands. Supposedly the sound created is simular to small fish being eaten?

It does work in Palau. In Palau the water bottle of choice is a "Neco" bottle.

Cheers Jim

[Latitude Adjustment]

Back in the early 70's I was using a Nikon in an Ikelite case and still using flash bulbs, when the flash fired it leaked into the water and I would get a mild shock, sharks in the area would turn toward me but then turn away when they saw I wasn't on the menu so the field must be similar to a fish in distress.

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