Does a flasher attract sharks?

[Newbie_spearo]

Hey all,

Just curious to know if my flasher is going to attract the tax man as well as any game fish in the area? I have a Rob Allen Ghost leader flasher, attaches between gun and float line and works through out your dive with out the need for you to work it. My concern is because one of the spots I am planning to dive is about 20km from Victoria's biggest shark colony and a few other spots are even closer. To make matters worse it's home to the biggest Great white colony in Australia. Will my flasher attract sharks or will I be ok to use it so close?

Cheers,
Jono

 

[Janner]

I don't have much experience with flashers or diving in the southern hemisphere having only dived in Mozambique for a fortnight on a spearing holiday. But the zambezi's (bull sharks) certainly liked our flashers, after all a flasher is supposed to imitate a shoal of small bait fish and if it didn't attract predators something definetly wouldnt be right.

If your diving with a buddy i would have thought you would be okay, its allways nice to have another bloke watching your back. Or alternatively if your diving solo i would probably have my flasher on a seperate float, that way if anything 'nasty' comes a bit too close for comfort you can make a quick exit and not worry about leaving your gun behind.

Thats my two penny worth. But like i said i know sweet FA about southern hemisphere diving really.

 

[foxfish]

I know I wouldn't go spearfishing anywhere that I had even the remotest chance of being eaten by a GW!!!

 

[Newbie_spearo]

Haha, thanks, maybe I'll leave the flasher at home this weekend.

Foxfish, does that mean you'll never spearfish anywhere in southern hemisphere below the tropic of capricorn? It was very interesting reading what Rob Allen had to say about diving with sharks, however I think I'd want to try it out on some smaller not so scary/less intimidated fella's. like lets say a seven gill, even then I'd probably need a new wetsuit from the crap stains I'l be leaving in it.

 

[blaiz]

I think you should go a head and use the flasher. If there are sharks in the area they are going to come check you out regardless. Maybe just hook the flasher up to a spool rather than using it as a leader. At least then it wont be attached to you or your gun.

 

[Newbie_spearo]

Yeh I was thinking I'll attach it to the back of my float. My issue isn't so much with any old shark, but more just the GW, I'm guessing 20km is just a stones throw away for them. Looks like the weather is going to be pretty crap, so I don't think I'll be heading to the island, maybe at a later date, will let you know if I see any though.

 

[jimdoe2you]

Sharks are attracted to vibrations and blood (feel and smell) first, and visual objects (sight) second. You will be fine using the flasher, ...............unless of course your flasher is made of injured, squirming and bleeding fish!!!

 

[Newbie_spearo]

Haha, cool, I'll have to remember when using my flasher not to injure any fish.

 

[QuIck ShOT]

Sharks Eat Meat, Your Meat - So just Swim duck dive and dodge Away!!!!!!

 

[bluewaterkiller]

Flashers are attracting Sharks ..this for sure..
some times they are attacking the flasher..running with it in mouth..
cutting some parts of it ...
but not you..
just be careful when pulling the flasher UP to you ..or pull it back from boat..when YOU are already in the boat..

 

[omar.qaddora]

Hi,
I have roballen ghost flasher too.

Yes it will attract sharks and I know that the distance between you and the shark will be 5 meter only :duh, because that is what happen to me(the distance between you and the spinning flasher is 5 meter in RobAllen ghost flasher).

I encounter with black tip reef shark but it was really big one, almost 2 meter long and it was my first shark encounter in my life so it become really scary ,especially when i see it tacked a very fast turn toward my flasher:koand become facing me face to face.

But it was seconds until it loose it is interest and move away but I believe I scared him when I start moving and screaming while I am looking for it is fast turn .

But also I recognize it was coming from far distance directly toward my flasher and when I saw it coming I started fallow it with my speargun just in case and that what makes my flasher to spin then I remove the flasher from my gun clip but after it was already gone away.

But also I should say that Roballen ghost flasher works fine with me especially for inshore dive as you do not need to pull heavy float flasher.

But you should be careful because sharks will be near from you.

 

[omar.qaddora]

wow, know i can see Rob Allen ghost flasher is a very dangerous tool to use for spearfishing .
In my older post there is a mistake which is the type of shark that I in counter with is Black tip shark:wave not the reef one which is more aggressive and responsible for almost 16% of shark attack.
I recognize that two weeks before when i was using my ghost flasher 300 meter from shore ,when a black tip shark attack the flasher and pull the gun from my hand , i lost the gun.(there was no way to re dive to bring the gun back because the visibility was poor sandy beach and shark was agitated )

what happened is i was looking to GPS when a very strong pulling start to my speargun then i saw the flasher in a mouth of a big black tip shark which off course pull the gun from my hand the shark not just was putting the flasher in his mouth the shark attack the flasher as it attacking a fish.
when the shark took the gun i swam toward my Friend to protect me with his speargun ,the shark was coming from down toward us but my friend was putting the spear toward it:martial .
quickly we swam back to the beach(300 meters) but the surprise was when
we reach the shallow water and we stand up on our legs 2 black tip sharks come toward us one was 2 meter long swim toward us they was following us from the begging but we did not saw them but when the sharks reach the very shallow water (belly of the shark friction with sand) they swim back.

Now i know the Roballen ghost flasher is a very dangerous to be used.
Flasher will not just attract sharks.....
Just use the flasher away from you trust me.