Great whites in the med/costa del sol

[paddyc23]

Hi my buddy said to me that the southern part of spain is one of the biggest breeding spots for the 6 gill in all of the world, is this true or crap?

 

[Spaniard]

Are you talking about Great White or 6 gill? The 6 gill as far as I know lives in very deep water 1000 - 3000 ft. There are some great whites in the med but most have been seen/caught around Malta and Sicily; there was a unconfirmed great white attack on a windsurfer off Tarifa.

 

[paddyc23]

im talking about the big whites

 

[Spaniard]

There are no proven breeding grounds for Whites in the Med. No-one really knows much about their reproductive 'arrangements'. The biggest populations are in South Africa, South Australia, California and Guadeloupe Island.

 

[paddyc23]

Where would be the place 2 stay away from where great whites might be learking, wats the usual depth to find a great white at, and how close would they come intgo land, wat would usually attract them in apart from blood

 

[spaghetti]

Don't worry Paddy: they've always been in the Med but very few people have actually had one encounter in a lifetime diving.
I have hundreds of friends who are Mediterranean divers, spearfishers and sailors, but NONE of them ever had an encounter with a Great White.
We read some reports of GWS sometimes somewhere, but it's not even enough for a significant statistics.
Last fatality in Italy was 25 years ago, off the coast of Tuscany (near Livorno): a technical diver, while checking a submerged cable or pipeline, was eaten alive under the eyes of his son. Terrible, it is, but one fatality in 25 years...come on...SBO is definitely more dangerous for us than GWS.

 

[deep thinker]

Where would be the place 2 stay away from where great whites might be learking, wats the usual depth to find a great white at, and how close would they come intgo land, wat would usually attract them in apart from blood

In my honest opinion and from previous experience, you can find them at most any depth. Weve spotted them from 3 to 60m of water. They can actually be anywhere depending on the movement of what they prey on, as they will usually follow their food. They are attracted by more than blood as they also react to electrical current and vibrations so you could attract a shark by erratic surface swimming and splashing or sudden underwater movements as all these send off impulses under water. The slight movements and struggles of dying fish can also attract them once again vibrations in the water, that is another reason why we try and kill fish asap here. Ive also spoken to a shark expert here yesterday and they say that even the shot from a speargun can attract them because as we hear the twang of the spear u/w they feel the whole movement and vibration of the spear. So being predatory they are also in the market for a easy meal and the vibrations caused in the water by all the above mentioned feels to them like something struggling or busy dying in the water so they will come have a look. But I also wont worry too much about it as Spaghetti said one known fatality in 25 years is a pretty good stat that you probably wont ever see one while diving, so relax and enjoy your diving and if you see one and live to tell youll have the envy of all your freinds. Also most of the time including your fins and gun youll look very big so they will be more inquisitive than attacking and you mite actually just see em circling you come in to have a look and swim off. If they do come too close for comfort a quick poke on the nose should sent em packing but never shoot at one as youll want your spear and not just a blunt stick to poke em with should they become more agro, shooting it and not killing it will just piss it off anyways

 

[Waterenthusiast]

I also was interested in the apearence of sharks and especially of great white ones in the med, since as a kid i always believed it was a shark free zone . Mainly white sharks of the med behave differently because of the poor amount of food in benthic zones for these predators.
Thus they appear to have a pelagic behavior and therefore are rarely seen near the coast. The poor food supply also makes them prone to test and eat whatever seems chewable, this could also be interpreted in a more agressive behavior then white sharks shows in other regions of the world.
But as spaghetti mentioned, don't get afraid. The chances of getting hit by lightning are probably much higher than beeing attacked by a shark in mediteran waters

Christophe

 

[Spaniard]

The main food source for Great Whites in the Med are Tuna, hence why they are seen near Sicily and Malta which include seasonal migration routes for Tuna in the Med. I saw a TV programme about La Matanza off Sicily where tuna are coralled into a system of nets before being pulled to the surface. One lucky guy has to dive in and close the nets at the bottom and the fishermen were saying that decades ago it was not uncommon for a whit shark to have followed the tuna into the nets. Having said that, they hadn't seen one in many years.....

Here is some info on a big white caught off Malta;

Untitled Document

 

[getawayFK]

GW in the med sea; as quoted from DB member xiphiasgladiuse.... Although i doubt its authenticity:

http://forums.deeperblue.net/hunting-training-tips-techniques/59154-kill-shark.html

 

[paddyc23]

Its not that im afraid of great whites, it would be a exciting but frightning experience to see one face to face, of course id hope he/she didnt attack me.. i saw a man who regulary's swims with them outside the cage in south africa, ive always loved watching them on sky studying them and watching there own grace in the water, I too would like 2 swim with one, one day, im not scared i go spearfishing at many diffferent locations around the world, but know im in spain, i think my friend was bullshitting me when he said the meds one of the biggest breeding grounds, i like being scared when i dive it mite sound strange but for me it makes me more aware of my surrounds and makes me more focused, yes a shark mite come some day but ill be ready to poke it away if it comes too close. Does anyone dive in the med, sence im only a beginner and smoke kinda cutting down i only dive to 5-7m usually dive around rocks reefs shallow wrecks that kinda stuff, does anyone have any info on future out into sea fishing wat mite be around and where?

 

[Adrian]

Paddy, there's a forum run by a DB member called medfish.com, there are several divers from the Gibraltar area that may be near you as I don't know exactly what town you are in. His name is shaneshac and you can PM him or try to track him down in that forum. alot of DB members are there as well, and he would be able to advise you well for that area.

 

[paddyc23]

Thanks adrian for all your help, ill see if i can track him down see if he's got any knowledge for this part of the med, im actually in almerimar, its a port town very beautiful but can really blow up down here sometimes like 2day, i wont be in again till sunday, im going to a wreck, were sailing the big boat out and anchoring near by,, should be good ill let u know either way wat it was like, im hoping for pulpo my mate bass,, hopefully weather permitting it all should go well