Issues with sharks

[Antigua Sam]

Hi,

What has anyone's experience been with sharks? I am living in Antigua, (Caribbean), and there are a number of reef sharks at around 60' depth typically they ignore us but occasionally they seem to sneak up and get within 10' when we are at the surface. In recent months though we have started doing more depth 90 - 120' and also there have been a number of bull sharks and tigers sighted by scuba divers within a few miles of where we dive. Is this an issue, the reef sharks seem harmless but i am a little worried about the bulls and tigers. Anyone have any experience of these the stress is hard to control when we are going a little deeper and its not really helping the fun aspects of the diving.

Thanks,

Sam

 

[growingupninja]

I have encountered sharks most times that I have ever done bluewater spearing off a boat. First time was quite unnerving. In Florida I shot a snapper at 70' on above a tiny reef on an 85' bottom and had a 6' shark buzz my fish as I was pulling it up. He missed my fish and it went pretty quickly into the boat. I was the only diver in the water as the others were H&L fishing. We decided to stay and I fished for some more hours on the spot. Shark hung around and we stayed out of each others way.. I would ascend from the reef, look down and see him moving onto my 'spot' once I was gone.. He was mostly chasing yellowtail. I did get some piece of mind though when my dad hooked the shark and played him for a while.. At least then I knew where the shark was and the boat quit running me off the reef.

Last one I saw was in the Mexican Carribean, spearing over a wreck on 85' bottom. Got some gopro and the guy I was out with said it was probably a bull shark, about 5'. He was busy with yellowtail as well.

See small ones all the time in the California kelp, especially at night. Mostly leopard sharks; they are so docile some divers hand grab them. A lot of spearos get bit in the thigh, not surprisingly since that is where they keep their stringers. I don't wear a stringer at night or in bluewater--boats or a floating stringer for bloody fish, and in those conditions I also try and keep a careful eye out when my hands are near the fish, taking it off the spear... In addition to sharks that is a great way to get hands shredded by barracuda I am told, and also attracts pesky remora.

Anyway, anytime you are in the ocean you are in the food chain. Most creatures seem to respect a spear; when I am in the water without one, curious seals approach much closer. I have never been in sharky bluewater without a speargun. I met a girl once who had been bitten by a reef shark while snorkeling. She had scars on her hand, but it is unusual I think to be bitten by reef sharks. She said in that area, local tour ops had been conducting shark tours where they would chum for sharks.. I want to say there is much higher incidence of shark bites in areas where this goes on...

 

[Antigua Sam]

Ok, well that does not fill me with confidence, I never have a spear but I do have a knife, (not sure if that is the range I want to be at though, especialy against a bull shark).

Are remora a sign of sharky water? They seem to hang around a lot with us, the less you hassle them the more distance they give you though and after a while they leave.

 

[growingupninja]

Ok, well that does not fill me with confidence, I never have a spear but I do have a knife, (not sure if that is the range I want to be at though, especialy against a bull shark).

Are remora a sign of sharky water? They seem to hang around a lot with us, the less you hassle them the more distance they give you though and after a while they leave.

I don't know if remora are specifically a sign but they are scavengers and love sharks since sharks are very messy eaters. I have had remora try to attach to me...incredibly obnoxious and unnerving while freediving.. They don't have much in the way of teeth (through a 2mm beanie it is like being gummed but getting gummed by surprise does not relax me).

Personally I would not worry a whole lot about sharks. Terry Maas had some interesting things to say about great whites in his book... In most instances where spearos were attacked, the shark snuck up on them. Like in a group of 7 divers, 6 notice the shark but it is #7 who gets bitten. Sharks don't like the taste of people. They like fatty fish and fatty mammals like seals. The deal as i understand it with the shark tours is that since people are feeding them they associate people with food. Small comfort but many people bitten are left alone after the first bite since we taste bad to sharks and unfortunately they explore the world through their mouths to large degree.

And, like, why would you do 120' drops without a gun? There are good things to eat down there.

 

[FreeRestriction]

I have zero shark experience thus far. But its my understanding that if you see the shark he dosent plan to eat you. Atleast with sharks like great whites that are ambush predators. If a great white plans to attack you youll see his open mouth coming from below just before your launched through the air in his mouth if your lucky. Now with scavenger sharks like oceanic white tips hang around them long enough and theyll bite you.

Personally i have a lot of respect for sharks and i cant imagine going on about my dive time with a large shark circling if im shore diving and to get out of the water means swimming a half mile in. From a boat where if the sharks acting funny i can just get back in the boat might be different. Depends what shark(s) i guess.

 

[growingupninja]

Personally i have a lot of respect for sharks and i cant imagine going on about my dive time with a large shark circling if im shore diving and to get out of the water means swimming a half mile in. From a boat where if the sharks acting funny i can just get back in the boat might be different. Depends what shark(s) i guess.

True.. A 6' foot shark isn't necessarily 'large' given that a bluewater gun is nearly that large. A 20' gws would give me serious pause though. And even a smaller shark if I could tell they were stalking me would give me pause, but in my experience they either ignore me or avoid me. You gotta figure he looks at you and decides you're not worth the trouble; plenty of yellowtail around. I have had seals circle me close enough to touch me in Cali when I have had fish on my stringer. Usually you look at them and point a gun at them and they get the message, 'not for you buddy'. Guys get into fist fights with big sea lions over extremely large fish but it has never happened to me. Only ever had to punch overly friendly remora.

 

[cdavis]

If you are not spearfishing (or chuming) shark problems go way, way down. Mostly, they won't be a problem. That said, I have been very seriously hassled by a Caribbean reef shark when not spearing. If I hadn't had a sling shaft in my hand I'm pretty sure he would have bit me. Very VERY rare incident.

Problem with sharks is you can never tell for sure what they will do. Further, the same species in different areas can act very differently, aggressive in some areas, not in others.

If it was me and I thought I might be dealing with sharks, especially bulls or tigers, I would carry something long, spear, broom stick, something you can point at a shark. They are unlikely to try to get past it. A knife is way too short and your hand will be way way too close to the sharks business end.

Remoras don't mean there is a shark around.

Connor

 

[landshark sa]

Hiya Antigua Sam,

I agree with what some of the other guys are saying. It's not the shark you see that should worry you, it's the one you don't see that's the issue.

Not sure if it's available abroad, but I recently got a spearfishing DVD (Check out Rob Allen spearguns, railguns and other spearfishing and freediving accessories. , DVD's, African Blue Water Special) , where the guys discuss and have some awesome footage diving with Bull sharks. Specifically, it shows docile Bulls and how their demeanour changes (dropping pecs, hunching backs etc) when they go into feeding mode. So it does help being able to read a shark's body language.

In saying that, it also helps taking precautions. I live in False Bay, a place know for a very healthy population of Great White's. If I know I will be diving in a spot where I may run into them, I always wear a Shark Shield (Shark Shield - Shark deterrent system - protection from shark attack and great white sharks).

 

[Antoine]

Hey,

I'm from Sydney and there are a fair amount of sharks (or men-in-grey-suits as I call them!) here, even in the harbour. In summer, i think the harbour usually has a peak population of about 150 bull sharks. The open ocean just outside the harbour is where other sharks like great whites, tigers and makos are usually found.

Bull sharks are notorious for causing the most human deaths as they are very inquisitive. A navy diver training in the harbour only about 1 km form the Central Business District had his arm bitten off by one recently. I windsurf a lot and have had bull sharks coming up very close to the board and on one occasion, my firend's board had a bull shark nudging it!(he was besides himself with fear! I must say it was a fairly big guy!) Great whites and tigers don't come in the harbour and rarely hurt anyone. (although a great white did attack a kayak last year!!!)

I personnaly have this paranoia of sharks when i'm swimming on the surface or windsurfing - when you don't see them coming. In the water freediving, its all about owning the situation. You don't make sudden moves, don't move away quickly, don't approach quickly and generally just make yourself look confident(and keep a good eye on it!). The shark can sense your fear if you are scared and this may ignite its curiosity! A curious shark is not a shark you want to get matey with. Anyway, its pretty clear when things start turning pear-shaped! As said in a previous post, the sharks demeanour will change when it is no longer feeling friendly! If that does happen, obviously you get away quickly.

Also, here in Australia there is this common sort of knowledge that if a shark does get aggressive you should poke it in the eyes. Sound good in theory and I have heard of surfers who have survived a shark attack having done this. Hopefully you never get to that stage because I'm not sure how easy it is to aim your fingers at two little black beads when you've got some big guy in a grey suit powering towards you!

 

[Antigua Sam]

Hi guys,

Thanks for those comments, as I thought it is the ones that we are not seeing that I'm worried about. Typically we dive off a boat but as we have increased our depth we have realised that quite often you cant see more than 100' - 120' very well but I'm pretty sure the shark can and I can bet they swim a lot faster than I can.

Landshark SA - I have been researching these for the past two days;
Quote "I always wear a Shark Shield (Shark Shield - Shark deterrent system - protection from shark attack and great white sharks)."

Does it work well? Which model do you have and are they good for freediving? I presume they work in the same way as the electronic muscle stimulation machines and create a current through the water which the sharks are hyper sensitive to?

Thanks all

 

[cdavis]

Shark eyes are optimized for seeing contrast in low light. They can see a whole lot better than a human in the water.

 

[growingupninja]

Re eyes: I have also heard they are extremely sensistive where there electromagnetic sensors are, I think around the tip of the nose. I don't know if it is every species but I think gws--getting struck there is like being kicked in the balls for them.

Besides some kind of repellant cdavis suggestion to carry a polespear or broomstick is somewhat practical. I read an article about a surfer/spearo who dove somewhat regularly with a group of whites. He said they never got friendly but they would recognize him and tolerate him, some more than others. He always took his speargun, unloaded, to maintain distance when necessary.

 

[FreeRestriction]

Also again speaking from what ive heard/read and not personal experience... I understand that striking a shark or hitting its nose contrary to popular beleif will only make the shark think you are trying to show dominance and the shark may reacte with a strike of its own. Especially around food like spearfishing activity.

 

[growingupninja]

Also again speaking from what ive heard/read and not personal experience... I understand that striking a shark or hitting its nose contrary to popular beleif will only make the shark think you are trying to show dominance and the shark may reacte with a strike of its own. Especially around food like spearfishing activity.

Well yeah, that is exactly what you are doing--establishing dominance. I personally doubt I would hang around and fish if sharks were approaching that close; if one does, something has already gone wrong. That being said I do a lot of things in the water that seem bonkers when I think about it later.

 

[mystiach]

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[FreeRestriction]

Well yeah, that is exactly what you are doing--establishing dominance. I personally doubt I would hang around and fish if sharks were approaching that close; if one does, something has already gone wrong. That being said I do a lot of things in the water that seem bonkers when I think about it later.

The problem with getting into a dominance battle with a shark is that hes the dominant one and youll be the dead one every time. Better to seem insignificant to a shark then to call him out on his own turf. If he comes in too close give him a friendly nudge away. More of a "hey i know your top dog i dont want any trouble". Unless the sharks smaller then you. A 6ft shark looking at what he thinks is a 8 ft long animal (with your fins on) you can probably bluff him by getting a little rough. But i dont think trying to be dominant with a 15ft tiger sharks a great idea. Again..just my inexperienced opinions on the topic.

If i run into any shark that potentially could kill me id swim in more then likely just because im no longer going to be relaxed so any sort of decent diving is probably over anyways.

 

[growingupninja]

The problem with getting into a dominance battle with a shark is that hes the dominant one and youll be the dead one every time. Better to seem insignificant to a shark then to call him out on his own turf. If he comes in too close give him a friendly nudge away. More of a "hey i know your top dog i dont want any trouble". Unless the sharks smaller then you. A 6ft shark looking at what he thinks is a 8 ft long animal (with your fins on) you can probably bluff him by getting a little rough. But i dont think trying to be dominant with a 15ft tiger sharks a great idea. Again..just my inexperienced opinions on the topic.

If i run into any shark that potentially could kill me id swim in more then likely just because im no longer going to be relaxed so any sort of decent diving is probably over anyways.

Yes, there is a very big difference between a 6' reef shark and a 15' tiger. Pretty academic but any stories I have read heard about stranded divers successfully fending off sharks there was no gentle nudge involved but then again you don't know what the guy who got eaten did. One thing about speargun is that in profile the diver is maybe 12'+ long, gun extended. I would not want to test this against a 15' tiger, but the gun does make you seem much bigger to fish. I'm not interested in a pissing contest with a shark of any size but guys do shoot good sized sharks. Mostly in self defense or defense of another diver. Shark usually swims away with the spear and rigging but once in a blue moon I am sure somebody stones one; a bluewater cannon has enough force, especially at the kind range where a guy would be desperate enough to pull the trigger.

 

[landshark sa]

Does it work well? Which model do you have and are they good for freediving? I presume they work in the same way as the electronic muscle stimulation machines and create a current through the water which the sharks are hyper sensitive to?

Well... I still have all of my digits attached so, so-far it seems to work well.

But in all honesty, I can't say for sure - I've never had a run in with a big White.

I know they don't work on Sand Tigers (Ragged Tooth Sharks) as I have dropped the antennae right on top of one and it didn't seem bother it in the least, also on some other sharks and rays that are supposed to have ampullae of Lorenzini, the electrical receptors that the shark shield supposed to scramble.

They do however say so much on the website, so the fact that it doesn't work on some sharks wasn't really a surprise. Apparently it's only supposed to work on sharks that have a very highly evolved electrical system, like White's, Bulls, Tigers etc.

I have seen a video of a very hyped up Mako, a shark on which it's supposed to work, still gunning for the diver even though the shield was turned on.

Personally I have seen it work on pelagic Blue sharks and the best example I have experienced myself was on a specie that it's not supposed to work on, the Spotted Gully Shark.

Spotties are hardly the type of shark one would have to worry about, normally very docile (almost timid) and only grow to about two meters. I shot a fish in a thick kelp bed and swam to open spot in the kelp in order to add it to my stringer. In this open spot there where about 20 Spotties milling about. For sure the biggest congregation I have ever seen - not sure why there so many of them... possibly breeding or something. Either way, I was busy subduing and trying to get the fish on my stringer, but all the blood and commotion must have triggered the sharks appetite as within a few seconds I had quite a few sharks very interested in my catch.

I normally switch the shield off when hunting in kelp as I don't think a really big shark would venture in there and the shield does give one a unpleasant jolt should one touch the antennae underwater.

So I switched the shield on, thinking that its not going to make much difference, but I tell ya, those sharks bolted out of the area in a VERY big hurry!:martial

My personal opinion is that it will ward off any curious shark and potentially stop it from going into feeding mode. Whether it will work on a big shark in full on attack mode that's really intent on eating you... I don't know.

I use the Freedom 7 model and in terms of diving comfort, it does take a bit of time to get used to it while diving. Sometimes the antennae will drop on you when parking on the bottom after going down vertically and this will give you annoying little shocks. But you will get used to diving with it and the pro's far outweigh the con's in terms of confidence it gives me when diving sharky waters.

One more thing I can add is, Shark Shield's backup service is really good. I had one fail out of warranty and they replaced it, no questions asked.

 

[hogphish]

We hunt routinely in the Stuart Fl, Jupiter area. I don't think there is a more dense shark population anywhere else in the world. During cobia season (spring) we are often surrounded by 6 or 7 bulls at any one time. I have gone over the side (without chum) and have had two large bulls come up and sniff me like dogs...no exageration. We have to double shoot the larger cobias in order to get them out of the water before the bulls eat them. I really believe that they are now trained to know spearfisherman and have been conditioned by our presence. Its usually not an issue if you have 3 experienced spearo's. One to shoot, one to back the shot up and one who always has a loaded gun, ready to fend off a charging bull. You can tell when they get too excited and aggressive after a period of time then its best to carefully get back to the boat. They need to be respected but not feared.

 

[Antigua Sam]

Landshark SA, Thanks very much for the info i think i might invest in one in the near future and try not to electrocute myself too much!

Hogphish, do bulls / tigers come from below to attack? My concern is that now we are in deeper water it is hard to see the bottom from the surface, but from the bottom the surface is very clear. I am finding the biggest issue with my diving now is the fact that i cant seem to focus on diving in the deep as I keep thinking that a shark might be coming up at me from the other direction. Also I dont really dive with a gun to much, I'm not really a fish eater and so don't want to kill anything that I wont eat, do you think it best to just take one anyway?

Thanks,

Sam