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spearfishing with sharks in the area

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
As far as the shark shield, I am not sure I want a 6' "tail" dragging behind me when I spearfish. It is another entanglement risk and it may affect your kick-stroke. Has anybody tried it freediving around reefs/kelp/etc?
Michael,
Seems like you are really getting bit by the "spearfishing bug" now? :wave
 
Sturgeon,

Great tale, puts mine to shame. Thanks for the detail; the vertical approach sounds just like what I saw. Maybe I wasn't as close to being bit as I thought at the time. The "leaving the fish" behavior is odd, but I've seen the same thing. Had a bull ziping in and out of (90 ft) vis, dropped my stringer full of hogfish and the bull came roaring right up to it, stopped dead and stared at the fish for a second or so, then ziped away super fast, in and out of vis a couple of more times and then gone. He never did take the stringer, which I recovered.

Connor
 
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I am not sure I want a 6' "tail" dragging behind me when I spearfish. It is another entanglement risk and it may affect your kick-stroke. Has anybody tried it freediving around reefs/kelp/etc?
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Frogman, its good to hear from you again! I have read some reviews about it and they were surprised how little it affected their kick. I don’t feel I would have an entanglement problem in my environment, but if you were going down and laying on the bottom in coral, maybe. But I think it is only held on by Velcro, so with calm thinking it shouldn’t be difficult to take it off and swim back to the surface if entangled.

Mark’s buddy used it how I would. That is I wouldn’t wear it unless there were sharks in the area. On the deep oilrigs here we never have problems with sharks, but the ones in 160’ and less range and to our south, they have been bad. Last year I was in a tournament and could have really increased my catch if I could have dove a few shark-covered rigs. Those rigs were holding and incredible amount of fish.

My main concern about purchasing one is there probably going to be better and cost less in another year or two.
don

PS Scott, Frogman, & Michael. My dad just bought a house south of Miami. I would like to dive with you when I go visit him. Maybe finally take the deep-water part of the PFD course as well, or just jump up to the advance course. How is January for you? The PFD course is the 14 – 17. I think they just started offering the Advance course in Miami.

Frogman, are you ever coming to Corpus?
 
Frogman, two dive buddies have shark shields, the one has the scuba one and the other the "tail" one. Like i said earlier the scuba one shocks you so this guy only wears it when necessary and i think only turns it on when he's worried, cause he has to weigh up electrocution with sharkbite.
The guy who has the tail one just got it about a month ago after that spearo in cape town got killed. all our recent diving has been shore entries and hunting the backline, with lots of rocks and surf to contend with, and so far he hasnt complained about it and was also surprised at how little drag there was. that said, if i got one i would try to mod it a bit to fit the battery pack in a pouch in the small of my back and then run the tail down my leg. the tail isnt that long, maybe 3-4ft. he got the one with the 4hr battery life so he leaves it on all the time which i think is the best way - i always hear the shark that gets you is the one you dont see. so far no noticable effect on the fish.


connor, i've also had a shark acting aggressively and leaving the fish on the stringer. i thought that maybe some sharks get terrotorial on you?

cheers
Mark
 
sturgeon said:
Connor,

Yes, I've had them come strait up from the bottom fast with their mouths wide open while I was floating on the surface.... him very fast almost within touching distance with their mouths wide open.

Scott
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I had a similar incident happen beginning of last month, solo diving in about 110’ of water (scuba, others in the boat) off Jupiter, FL. Bonito everywhere and when I got to the bottom ran into two separate pods/packs of bulls. 5 to 7 sharks in each pack, all big and one looked like a station wagon. The second pack took interest in me and one swam right up to me, than veered off at the last second, but like in slow motion. I had no fish, so I took that as a good sign to leave. When I got to the surface, I looked down just in time to see a bull coming fast at me from below, moving very erratic, but again veered off at the last second. First dive in 30 years that I was very happy to be out of the water!

A month later off Ft. Lauderdale, I hit the bottom and as I turned saw a large bull swimming away from me, already had checked me out. Last year off Pompano I had another big bull check me out on a 60 ft reef, again, in close and veer off. No fish with me that time either.

At least in this area (S. FL), I have seen more bull sharks in the last 2 years than in the prior 28 years of diving. About ten years ago the State banned long line shark fishing in State waters. I think we are seen the results. There is a great book called “Tales of Old Florida”, fishing/nature stories from the turn of the century in Florida and all of the short stories that mention sharks, mention a ton of them. Can’t wait to see what these waters are like in another 10 years! Any divers/spearos out there in S. Florida also notice an increase?

John
 
I don't dive SE Florida anymore, but did a ton of spearing all through the Keys from the late 60's to the late 70's. In all that time and thousands of fish, I only saw one bull. Might be my depth, 20-45 ft and mostly well inside the reef crest, but I don't recall any of my scuba buddies, who were diving in 70- 100 ft, telling many bull shark stories. I suspect they were not as common then.

Connor
 
Having used a shark shield (with the whip), I can say that the slight vibration I feel in the opposite knee is nothing compared to the piece of mind.

A word of warning though, the shark shield will NOT work on Sand Tigers!!!!
 
I ordered mine. I’m hoping it will pay for itself in fuel saving by allowing to dive closer to shore rigs, that are normal covered with sharks. There are so many positive reasons to have one. I can’t wait to use it.

Earl, what is your experience with Sand Tigers and the shark shield?
don
 
Don, are you wearing the shark shield because of the murkier water closer to shore? I've seen a few sharks at the flower gardens, but I didn't realize that they were heavy near the rigs. Do you ever spear some of the smaller one? Maybe a little "Hell Divers Rodeo" action?
 
Dallasdiver,
The last two years there have been many sharks to south of Port A. On rigs 160 feet deep and less. About 40 miles south sometimes the water gets almost hot, probably in the low 90’s this time of year and when you get in a warm area, the sharks are plentiful.

Depending on the vis from storms, etc., the shallower rig can definitely hold sharks and be murky at the same time. Not a good combination.

To the north of Port Aransas their doesn’t seem to be as many sharks, regardless of the depth, but even to the south, if you get deep, like over 200’ the sharks thin out.
don
 
Ken,
When you come diving with us, just stay close to me. I will keep you shielded!
don
 
Hiya

Just a word of caution when using a shark shield. They are NOT infallable and therefor shouldn't be relied upon when common sense tells you NOT to dive.

I've used my ss in 2-3m viz. spearing at Struisbaai, a VERY well known Great White area. The ss gives you a sense of security, which makes you do silly things, like diving in very dirty water, in known sharky area's.

Another caution would be, NOT to poke a Mako with your speargun. It'll only agitate him and that'll make your dive VERY unpleasant rather quickly. Please don't ask how i know this...... :mute :mute

Regards
miles
 
miles said:
Hiya


Another caution would be, NOT to poke a Mako with your speargun. It'll only agitate him and that'll make your dive VERY unpleasant rather quickly. Please don't ask how i know this...... :mute :mute

Regards
miles
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Oh please . Do tell.
 
Miles

I would like to hear about this as well. My only unpleasant experience with a shark was a Silky shark off Coco's island in C.R. We saw dozens of hammerheads that would flee at the slightest approach, but this Silky shark saw us at about 50 yards swimming parallel to us and put on the brakes and turned a did a beeline straight towards us. He literally swam on top of my dive buddy's chest. I swift bonk on the snout with the video camera persuaded him to leave. Really no aggressive behavior was shown, but I think he wanted a taste test!!! :waterwork
 
One of the most striking observations I had with my shark encounter was the sense of intelligent of the animal. I guess from the movie Jaws and then the scientific views that no-one know why thy do certain things, gave me the impression that they were low on intelligent and acted mainly on instinct. But the moment that shark saw me I feel the curiosity and intelligence it had! It was nothing like a small brain barracuda. It sensed ever movement I made and I like wise. It was two higher-level animals closing checking each other out. :hmm An unforgettable experience!
don
 
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don,

sand tigers have something different in the 'brain' and they are not affected by the shock. my buddy was wearing a shield and the shark actually came up within a foot of the whip. the sand tiger was not shocked by it and casually went about its business. after the shark left, my buddy touched the whip and got the shock.....it was working fine!
 
If the disuasion steps dont work then, it´s time to get the power heads on!!!
 

haha just read this, and low and behold so they did, granted they werent having fun with a couple of bulls/mako's or even great whites. But he did put on a wire mesh suit and punched a bunch of reef sharks

Good call
 
Just a little note to say this is an old 2005 thread, incase you didnt know . I have just read it all through... pretty interesting stuff, i wonder how he got on with his ss in the end?

Huw
 
Yeah i know its an old thread, I like the debate about SS, my opinion about the whole thing is, if the SS can deter 8 out of 10 sharks then your 8 times less likely to be eaten So Im going to stop being brave (aliased to stupid) and get myself a SS too Cape Town waters just have too many GWS these days.
 
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