my first shark ecounter

[spearheads]

i was out diving today and i was just swimmming back in to the pier when all a sudden every one on the pier started to shout shark shark. So i turned around and saw this 3 meter shark swimming up to me. I was so scared i just did nt know what to do so i took a dep breath and dived down and layed on the bottom it swam right over me as if i was not their i them swam up to the surface and my heart was beating like crazy i looked around and saw the fins of the shark just cruising away so i then swam back to the pier and every one was saying are you all right what type of shark was it and i said i dont know. I never thought i would see a shark and in the uk my heart is still thumping now. Im not sure i will be diving that spot again for a long time rofl but i am happpy i have seen a shark as i dont think i wil be as scared if i see one again. Has anyone else in the uk hade a shark encounter. I dont think many people will belive this thread but o well.

 

[Marwan]

good to still have you with us mate

 

[Jez]

Spearheads, which pier are you talking about! Suprised you can dive near a pier in the UK without getting bombarded by macky bashers' feathersrofl

 

[greendiver]

Yep!! I have had my first encounter a couple of months ago..:martial (spearfishing encounter)..and you are right, people do not believe you..every time I pass the same spot I have this strange feeling...

 

[spearheads]

Spearheads, which pier are you talking about! Suprised you can dive near a pier in the UK without getting bombarded by macky bashers' feathersrofl

babacome pier

 

[spearheads]

i think it was attracted their by all the fish guts from of the pier from the macky bashers and bait in the pots. The the shark did nt seem interested in me it went around the corner towards hopes nose. I still cant belive i saw a shark that close to shore next time i diving i think i will be a bit more catious and not have fish on my stringer as long as normal i wish i could tell what type of shark it was.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Most likely a basking shark, a plankton eater, if it was 3 metres long and swimming on the surface. Just possibly it could be a porbeagle but 3 metres would be a whopper, also they seldom swim on the surface and they're not common inshore near piers. Blue sharks are much longer and slimmer with big pectoral fins but almost never come close inshore unless sick or injured. Mako's are very rare and you'd recognise a thresher because of its huge tail. Great whites have never been officially recorded in British waters although they are probably present.

Dave .

PS with all the interest you've shown in sharks you should be an expert and according to your profile you're only 14 years old. Amazing.
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=65174"]sharks in the uk[/ame]

 

[spearheads]

i think it was a basking shark because it was on surface and it had veary short fins and a big head.

 

[Jez]

I was diving Hopes Nose last summer and some guy passing in his kayak said he had seen a shark around the bay earlier on. Come to think of it, local fishing reports have said that seals are now appearing in the bay again (one see noff Hopes Nose anyway). Maybe its just a case of everything following the mackerel back in shore again. I don't think there's enough seal life around Torquay to sustain large predators (great whites) but there is the rather large fishing fleet in Brixham dropping guts everywhere as they return home. Hmm...shark vindaloo is supposed to be tasty, time to order a bigger gun:t

 

[stuckinsurrey]

Me and my friend podge were bodyboarding (life before spearfishing!) at Sennen Cove in february of last year and we saw a 'shark' about 15 metres from us, around 60 metres off the beach. The visilibility was excellent so we ahd a really good look at it. It looked around 7 foot long and was quite chunky (much thicker looking than a tope), it was also travelling at quite a rate of knots. We unfortunately were the only two people in the sea at the time so we decided that the odds weren't really in our favour so decided to get out double quick! Have spent every trip since convincing ourselves that it was probably a dolphin, preferably flipper.

 

[podge]

Ah the shark at sennan what a day that was i must be 4inchs taller and just a bit heavyer (as the nick name may tell you) !! but on the sprint back to shore i was the one swimming up the sand first.

 

[Amphibious]

haha next time you see one, take a deep breath, count to ten, and ENJOY IT


they really are amazing to watch

 

[podge]

Amphibious but reading your reply you must have seen a few sharks in your time I was once told that as long as you can make yourself look larger than the shark then he will leave you alone is this true?

 

[stuckinsurrey]

as long as you can make yourself look larger than the shark then he will leave you alone is this true?

No good for me as i'd still only be a bite sized morsel, even the sandeels give me a menacing glance!

 

[Jez]

Hey dudes, check out this local fishing report from Babbacombe pier. Seems to confirm that there is a Basking Shark cruising around Torquay at the moment. Still waiting to have my ear hoovered after 3 weeks out of the water so I can't go looking:crutch Pants

www.torbayfishing.com

 

[spearheads]

Hey dudes, check out this local fishing report from Babbacombe pier. Seems to confirm that there is a Basking Shark cruising around Torquay at the moment. Still waiting to have my ear hoovered after 3 weeks out of the water so I can't go looking:crutch Pants

www.torbayfishing.com

looks like it is staying in the bay and keeps coming up to the pier then i think i will try and see it again next weekend:t

 

[Amphibious]

Amphibious but reading your reply you must have seen a few sharks in your time I was once told that as long as you can make yourself look larger than the shark then he will leave you alone is this true?

I just keep my eyes on them. and stop fishing untill they leave. usually to facinated by them to fish anyways. if a big boy shows up, or they get to currious I just leave.

not sure about the "looking larger" thing. sounds luike urban myth to me.

 

[deep thinker]

You guys should come spearing in south africa, my first shark encounter was in struisbaai. A 5m great white came at me while hunting bonito, the vis was about 2-3m and I came up to see where the birds are trying to follow the movement of the fish, as I looked around me I saw a fin sticking out the water which at that exact moment turned and came directly at me. I saw the boat on its way to me and stuck my head back in the water with my gun in the direction of the shark, our boatman actually had to run over the shark to get it away from me. Ofcoarse I felt saver being on the boat the rest of the day but Im looking forward to our next club competition this weekend.