where do you draw the line with sharks

[ROBERT REYES]

Were are you from?
I guess it all depends on the behavior of the particular shark, most of the time, is no big deal.
The smart thing would be to get out of the water as soon as you see one.
I guess am not too smart.

 

[gutshot]

I’ve just bought a shark shield from the states and it has given me a bit more peace of mind, so if a shark were just swimming by I’d stay in however if it showed any sign of aggression I’d be out in a heartbeat.

Podge, i have to ask, where do you use this shark shield? i only ask as i see your location is somerset so i assume you don't use it around here!

 

[podge]

Hi Gutshot, I bought it because of the mako problem they had down off Portland.
A few very experienced spearo boys had the shit scared out of them buy a 4 meter shark buzzing bumping and taking fish from there stringers and the last thing I what is to become is fish food.
Happy diving
Paul

 

[Old Man Dave]

Over here in Guernsey we are just entering our time for the inshore movement of porbeagles into our bays at night. A 130 lb-er was netted a few days ago.

We are night diving these bays for sole, red mullet etc and trailing bleeding fish. No one has seen a shark - YET! Some of the guys are nervous, some are not. Porgies are supposed not to be dangerous but they got teeth, they're sharks and it's dark.

Personally i'm not too bothered. In fact I am probably gonna change my night 75cm gun to my 90cm with the reel. If it's under 100lb the porgie may be in more danger than me. Not sure if it's a 300 lb-er though.

Dave

 

[gutshot]

I would love to see one of our uk resident sharks while diving! It would make the dive for me. I certainly won't be trying to keep them away from me. I wouldl change my mind if it is a white pointer but i stand more chance for shitting out a winning lottery ticket than seeing one of those!

And before i get the "wait till you sea shark and you will shit yourself" comment, i have dived with loads of sharks in other countries. I just don't feel threatend by them unless i am surfing and i can't see them. It is a privalige to be in the water diving with them.

And yes, i do understand that in countries with a lot of sharks they can be a pain in the arse trying to nick your fish. I have the same problem here but with the seals sniffing around my fish on my belt.

I aggree with Decca about people being more important that the sharks but you also have to realize that we are putting ourself into direct competion for their food. We know the risks we take. If we were to get bitten noone is to blame but ourselves. Easy to say for me living and diving in the uk but we do have our sightings of white pointers around this part of the atlantic or so the rumour goes!!

Stay safe,

Gutshot

 

[miles]

Hiya

I have the same problem here but with the seals sniffing around my fish on my belt.

Having fish attached to a body stringer in area's where you KNOW there are sharks isn't a bright idea!! Even a seal can serious damage you should it decide that the fish on your belt is to its liking. Even a small shark can accidently bite you if its going for your fish attached to your belt, so rather put your fish on your float, much safer that way.

Regards
miles

 

[gutshot]

I aggree, but sharks just are not an issue here. the seals are more funny than anything else. It does have and advantage of stringing fish to your belt though. other bass see the bass on your belt and tend to be slightly less shy of you. I do string them onto my buoy if i have a lot of fish though.

Rest assured if i was in an area with lots of shark the fish would be on my buoy!

Cheers,

Gutshot

 

[foxfish]

Gutshot, I would agree with most of what you say. I have been spearfishing since a boy & have yet to see a shark in Guernsey. I have seen sharks from my boat & shared in the consumption of the ones that are caught in nets. There is no doubt sharks are present close in shore, as Dave has mentioned this is the time of year they come in real close. Porbeagles up to 300lb but mainly smaller enter our bays, I guess to feed on the red mullet?
15-20 years ago there was a shark fishing industry in Guernsey but they were fished out very quickly. It would seem they are comming back! The ones that are caught now are accidents, fishermen set thier nets for the red mullet & the occasional porbeagle gets tangled up.
Now if I came across a shark in our waters I dont know how I would react but I would love to see one.
In Podges defence regarding his shark shield, there has been some Mako activity but this has been kept discreet. I will send you a PM with more info.

 

[gutshot]

I got the PM, thanks for the info.

 

[joe123321]

Spearing is all about shooting big fish that taste good and sharks fit both the requirments for a valid kill in my book. I am hoping to get me a few black tips this year, there are to many of them on the west coast here in Thailand, one or seven wont go a miss. I love watching sharks they arey amazing animals but if i get the chance to spear one and have the BBQ of a life time, then "it is on like donkey kong".

Right, like enugh sharks arent being killed already.-_-

 

[Craig Thailand]

Hey Joe,

Right like enough fish aren't being killed already, what a dumbass thing to say.
Get off your high horse buddy, I have been living here in Thailand for the past 8 years, I am a dive master and have been in the ocean since I was knee high to a grass hopper. I don't appreciate such retarded and delayed qoutations as these.
If you think that there are not enough sharks in the world then your right, but me taking out a blacktip is not going to make or break the ecostystem, agree?? Why don't you comment on Black Marlin, Sailfish or any other of the major game fish being shot?? If you really like sharks that much then please feel free to come over to Thailand, the place I was talking about is full of blacktips, seven or more tail to tail.

 

[tbgsub]

um......
firstly too many sharks are dying needless deaths at the hands of commercial industry for sharkfin soup in the pacific islands. those few (I hope) fisherman who paranoiacly protect their precious catch engage in negative killing out of pride and bravado.
in the Marianas, spearfishermen contribute to the marine taxman (agressive sharks) without question. sometimes bull shark dont get enough, and start arching for more, and you know it is time to leave, much like a disgruntled trucker at a bar who breaks a bottle in your honor. I dont believe in ever needing a powerhead because you shouldnt dive openwater alone, or without a boat nearby to exit the water.
I dont believe you should have to kill any shark unless your immediate life were in danger, I.E. 12-16ft tiger starts niping you even after you have jabbed him a few times, and given him all your fish, and your buddies poking isnt changing his mind, and you are prevented from exiting the water by said predator, in that rare circumstance the choice is up to you.

the rest of this poll is foolish speculation for someone new to the ocean world, and the predator prey dynamic.
sharks are like wild dogs, dont act like an easy prey and they will leave you be, respect them and most will respect you, after all, every time you plunge, you are in their world as a visitor, act like it. if in a large pack, even friendlies, you might consider leaving before they engage in group activities that are unsettling to your pallet.

and keep in mind the difference between hunting and Murdering, I hunt with humility and gratitude for food, to either feed the self and or a family, the rest is unnessary recreation, and dispaching any non prey fish; (sharks, or any sea mammal, and Turtles, stingrays, ect.) is murder in my book.

Like a shark, I stop when I have enough to feed me, and come back when I am hungry, it is still recreation, but with a higher purpose. and the permanent fishermen (sharks), AKA the Taxman, will sense this about you and give you some latitude.

thanks,

TBG

 

[Craig Thailand]

I think it is all down to the individual, i would take the shot long before it had me in a situation where i thought i may loose my life. If it's me or the shark, no matter how small the risk is, i would take a shot with out blinking. I have a wife and a child to care for a career to think about and although we are a visitor in there world i still don't think it justifys having to wait until my life is on a thread before i take a shot. I am not saying that every dive i go on sharks would be on the list but i would like to shoot one, just like you may like to shoot a sailfish or a huge bluefin tuna before you die. I don't think it is really that big a deal to be honest with you, i respect your opinion and i realize that it is the opinion of the majority but you should realize that like anything in the world it is made up of a colective body of different opinions and interests.
I am glad you are so confident in the water with sharks but i unfortunatly am pretty scared of them, i am not going to lie about it. If you love them so much that you would only kill one if your life hung on a thread then thats all very well and good, and believe me that is very brave of you. However my life and well being are of upmost improtance to me and as i said i would not loose any sleep over that. Hope you understand my point of view even if you don't agree. P.S we are talking about the same topic on another thread on this site it is titled indentifying sharks in Qatar or something like that, sorry i don't know how to do a link.:head You might find it interesting, thanks:wave

 

[ROBERT REYES]

Guys, you have to keep an open mind, it all depends on were you dive
and what species of shark do you encounter.
Still, the smallest shark, bits you far from land, and away from help,
you can bleed to death, and even in the best conditions, with help,
do you really want to risk a limb?
Sharks are beautiful creatures, comercial fishermen have really made
a big dent on them in many parts of the world, they should be protected,
but there are places were they are really abundant, and some of them
are really dangerous.
They have no hands, so to investigate they use their mouth full of teeth,
so , every encounter should be view in a diferent way, and act acordinly.


http://www.sharkattacks.com/
Go To :Victims Gallery and enjoy.

 

[naiad]

Look at my pics from Burma and you will see I shot a whale shark in the head with my speargun rofl .

Why? Surely they are harmless?

 

[Marwan]

im not sure naiad, i think he was making a joke, right craig?

 

[Craig Thailand]

Yes, i was making a joke. I was just stressing that i said in a previuos post that a blacktip or seven wouldn't go a miss and Joe seemed to believe i was planning on getting seven. It was just a joke, i plan to get one and thats it.
The whale shark in the picture was a baby girl, about 2.5m in length and stayed and played with me for about half an hour, wouldn't let me get out. :inlove :inlove

 

[seaman]

I don't shoot lions, I don't shoot wolves, I don't shoot grizzlies and it isn't just because the trophy tags are completely out of my budget, either. John Taylor, the guru of large British African calibers, would only shoot lions if they were eating up the locals. Otherwise, if he encountered one that wasn't aggressive he'd nod a polite greeting and call out "Good hunting, brother!" I feel that way about all the apex predators, and that includes sharks and billfish. "We be of one blood, you and I." Sooooo, I'd just get out of the water!

Dear Sarge, had you ever readed Man Eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett? the book is Amazing, I guess you would enjoy it a lot ...

 

[Craig Thailand]

JUST TO CONFIRM FOR THE VISUALLY CHALLANGED, IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AND ACTUALLY READ THE THREAD FROM THE BEGINING YOU WILL SEE IT IS THE TIP OF A FISHING ROD, THE GUY FISHING WITH IT COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT THE WHALESHARK, HE JUST WANTED TO CATCH AMBERJACKS!!!!!!!!:duh :duh

 

[seaman]

i didn`t even see the pics, i found the whale shark joke a bit rude, cause they are so sacred among divers. I got your point really good. To kill or not to kill that is the question, wetter tis nobler in the mind to stick an arrow in the head of an amberjack or to take arms against a sea lion,. the universal rule thou shall not kill, it`s just that universal. I really like to feed steel to most fishes though, so maybe i`am an hipocryte, guilty as charged. But i still have a code of honor that excludes certain creatures that are sacred from my( intersubjective constructed) sense of reality .. for some people there is no differences between a cockroach and a human baby, While others eat dogs. We westerners see dogs as friends and not food. But that is just a cultural thing that goes close with the norms and values system of the cultural structure. If you like to spear sharks, and eat them, go ahead and enjoy, just be careful, cause they are tough as nails. And for my particular and biased point of view, your particular life, worths for me more than all the sharks toghether for that matter ...