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Posted By: RobertE Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/01/05 08:52 PM
Any experienced divers care to comment of diving in areas where Bull Sharks frequent? I am going to the Panhandle of Florida next month and plan on diving. There have been three attacks close to shore in the past two weeks (by Bull Sharks) and my thought is probably people were in the path of a food source. and splashing around.

Do Bulls tend to migrate close to shore/ brackish areas and small baitfish. Any thoughts/experiences on the topic?
Posted By: Wyoming Carla Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/01/05 09:26 PM
Don't do it RobertE. Who will take care of us at Reggae on the Rocks? laugh confused laugh
ABSOLUTELY

BULL SHARKS are actually the most dangerous sharks and responsible for more attacks on man that the GREAT WHITE shark.

I have had the privalege of diving with both species on many occasions and both are itimidating but absolutely a dream to be in the same vicinity with.

The problem with BULL sharks is they feed in SHALLOW WATER MURKY WATER AND IN THE SURF making visability very bad and while they feed on fish in the surf they occasionally make the mistake of a human calf as a fish due to BAD VISABILITY and this where the problem lies.

I can GUARANTEE you a BULL shark will not attack if its vision is not impaired (and no spearfishing activity)and it is fact that most shark attacks are not lethal because the shark comes back time after time to attack again but because the victim suffers from trauma and shock and loss of blood from the initial bite not because the sharks returns time and time again to finish them off.

The shark quickly realizes its mistake and does not normally attack again as we are generally deemed to taste rather bad for sharks.

You have to understand it is us that is encroaching on there feeding grounds that have been theirs for thousands of years and we continually to encroach more and more on there territory and we wonder why we have shark attacks.

But in a positive light or negative whichever way you look at it SHARK attacks are the lowest they have been for years and you are more likely to be struck by lightening that to be attacked by a shark.

SHARKS are awesome creatures, as anyone that has dove with them will tell you, but of course I can understand the sceptesism (ok spelling is wrong feel free to correct me) of the lay person that does not dive and merely believes everything they read in the news papers or the movie JAWS but sharks are extremely important in the delicate balance of the ecosystem and we have to understand that as we humans continually expand and encroach on the territory of the wildlife of the world we have to accept the inevitablity of clashes from time to time and this is NOT THE ANIMALS fault they are merley doing what it is they were designed to do.

Dive safe

Gaz
Posted By: RobertE Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/01/05 09:49 PM
Thanks Gaz,

The attacks I reference were in conditions you mention. Sounds like I shouldn't be too concerned as I'll be boat diving deeper waters.

-Robert
Posted By: Laguna Punta Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/01/05 09:49 PM
...Skepsiscum!!!
Posted By: mobunny Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/01/05 09:51 PM
World's Shortest Vacation

http://www.digitalfog.com/gallery/short_vacation.htm

mobunny laugh
Posted By: Denny Shane Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/01/05 10:53 PM
eek mobunny... laugh, very funny
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/02/05 12:56 AM
Robert E,
I live right at the Panhandle and have been on many dives there. Stay out of the shallows at all costs, but have a great time in the blue. The water has been really turpid (I think that's the word) and not great visability this year, but it's an OK dive for Florida.
Butch has spent hours in the shallows at Port St Joe (Cape San Blas) where the last attack was and has never seen any sharks there, so maybe that was a fluke.
I still think the biggest threat in the Panama City area are the jellyfish. I got an AWFUL ankle sting there a few years ago.
Have a great time. Stay safe!
Posted By: PattiCake Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/02/05 01:36 AM
Oh mygawd, RobertE! Ah ahgree with Carla, an' ah fear fo' yo' life. Do stay safe dahlin, y'heah?
Posted By: RobertE Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/02/05 03:34 AM
Patti - it is probably safer with the sharks than a day at Reggae on the Rocks with Carla and the crew smile !
Posted By: SimonB Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/02/05 04:14 AM
There's Bull Shark that frequently cruises around a to be un-named resort and it's never caused any problems. As Gaz notes, most attacks are in murky water where the shark has made a mistake. It's unlikely with the clarity of our water to run into the same problem. The land sharks in San Pedro are definitely more dangerous.
LOL ABSOLUTELY SIMON

lol
fyi

Bull Sharks are also the only species of shark that can live in fresh water.

There have been documented FATAL attacks by the BULL SHARK 5 miles plus up a fresh water river the most famous and the inspiration for the movie Jaws was the incidents of 1916 where a BULL SHARK was responsible for 5 shark attacks over a 10 day period. You can read the whole story at

http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/saf_nj_maneater.htm

I am not posting this to add to the myth that sharks are mindless maneaters but more as an education piece, and it goes to show if the last freshwater attack was in 1916 you can see how rare this occurance really is.

Again i have a love for sharks and if we enter the water we enter there domain and we have to live by their rules and while the risk is EXTREMELY LOW of an attack it is possible under the right circumstances, but again it is extremely unlikely.

Dive safe

Gaz
Posted By: Wyoming Carla Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/05/05 05:14 PM
H E Y !!!! Robert E!!! I resemble that remark. So does Teenah!!! Waddever ya do, be careful PLEASE. We NEED you! laugh laugh laugh
Posted By: RobertE Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/05/05 05:57 PM
Carla - Depends on the visibility. if it sucks I'll be in more danger of getting splinters in my butt from a bar stool while bikini watching. Now where did I put those binoculars?
Posted By: Tradewind Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/05/05 06:36 PM
The Florida Gulf water has been cloudy because of the high rainfall runoff.

Two of the unfortunates were victims of kill bites under a prey situation. Both were seriously bitten in the thigh with flesh loss and exposed bone. Both had the shark return for further attack and were beaten off.

The third attack was on our barrier chain here and involved a famous Tarpon channel known for sharks taking advantage of large hooked tarpon. The water there was also cloudy. The man's ankle was cut to the bone but his foot was saved by surgeons.

The record giant hammerhead was caught offshore here at 996 pounds. Recently a tarpon fisherman said a 1000 pound giant hammerhead took a large hooked tarpon in one bite leaving only the head and then bit his propeller, badly damaging it.
Exactly

All information provided above proves that all these are in prey situations and the sharks are incited into attack mode by being in the vicinity of

1.) Hooked fish which give off distress signals which is the dinner bell to sharks and it absolutely understandable sharks in the area will zone in on the distress vibrations being given off as the angler reels in his catch.

2.) The shallow water attacks were again result of sharks feeding, shoals of fish being pursued by predators will head for shallow water and the sharks especially Bull sharks will follow into the shallow turbid water.

Since these sharks are already agitated and excited by the feeding frenzy they will bite at anything that remotely resembles prey and in turbid water with bad visability with sharks feeding on shoals of fish should an bather be unlucky enough to be in that vicinity an attack is likely not because they are the prey item but because the shark is in the middle of sharks feeding and once its a feeding frenzy the sharks may come back to attack again as competition for food is high.

Once on tv I saw a helicopter taping a beach off florida with hundreds of bathers in the water and they were literally surrounded by sharks (no attacks happened but they were reporting the large number of sharks that had come inshore chasing baitfish.)

It is a sad loss of life but again I have to reiterate the number of shark attacks based on how many people are in the water daily is miniscule.

regards

Gaz Cooper
Posted By: Wyoming Carla Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/06/05 02:21 PM
Whew....you were scaring me there for a second. Hopefully Cindy won't BLOW you off your barstool laugh laugh laugh Oh wait, that didn't come out right...you know what I mean! eek eek eek
Posted By: RobertE Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/06/05 04:02 PM
Carla - suddenly I am more excited about my trip to Florida !
Posted By: Katie Valk Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/06/05 04:19 PM
Bull sharks in the Belize River as far as and further upstream from Burrell Boom.
It does not surprise me Katie

Carla LOL funny

Gaz
Posted By: reaper Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/07/05 12:14 AM
I landed a pink and blue canopy in the Blue Hole, along with 8 other friends wearing brightly colored parachutes. The dive boats were chumming for the sharks to give the scuba divers their show while we were on final approach. Once again proving my theory that if sharks lived on people they would be extinct! cool
Posted By: PattiCake Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/07/05 01:30 AM
That sounds quite exciting, Reaper man. Chumming for sharks.... If people lived on sharks... etc.

TW: Was just in fla at a beach in West Palm that has a lovely white sand extending for almost a mile offshore. This is (apparently) a #1 place to spot sharks from the boardwalk. Hell, I was there alomst 15 minutes and saw nary a one!

Sorry friends, just making light....
Posted By: reaper Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/07/05 05:06 AM
Cakes..we're taking you on a leap into the blue hole next year for sure so you can get a better view than from the boardwalk!!!! cool laugh
Posted By: dolphin Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/07/05 09:43 PM
Shark Information:
The science of shark attacks
What provokes them, and what you can do to avoid them

By Bjorn Carey
LiveScience
Updated: 1:08 p.m. ET July 5, 2005


Despite two highly publicized shark attacks last month along the U.S. coast, at least one scientist says it's safe to go back in the water.

In fact, he points out that you're actually in more danger on the way to the beach.

"There are millions of people in the water at any given moment of the day," said John McEachran of Texas A&M University. "When you consider all of the people in the water at the same time, the number of shark attacks is very, very remote."

Every year across the globe, nearly one million people die in automobile accidents. More than 42,000 of those deaths occur in the United States.

Shark attacks resulting in deaths occur much less frequently than car wrecks, but they get much more publicity.

"Shark attacks are like airplane crashes," said McEachran. "The vast majority of airplane trips are safe, but when a crash occurs, it gets big headlines."

According to the International Shark Attack File, in 2004 there were only seven shark related deaths worldwide. That number was even smaller in 2003 and 2002, when four and three deaths were recorded respectively.

Should you get to the beach safely, there are still plenty of bigger risks to your health than a shark attack.

"A greater percentage of beachgoers are injured by jellyfish, stingrays, or hardhead and gafftop fishes, which have poisonous spines," McEachran said. "They are more likely to cause harm than a shark."

Even peanuts, McEachran says, are a greater threat to humans than sharks. About 90 people die worldwide each year from allergic reactions to eating peanuts.

There's a better chance you'll win the lottery than be bitten by a shark.

You're not dinner
Should you be bitten by a shark, it's not just bad luck for you. Sharks don't really like eating humans. They'd rather snack on a seal or sea lion - something with higher fat and energy content. We're too bony.

"Sharks don't eat humans," shark exert Peter Kimley of the University of California, Davis told LiveScience. "They spit out humans. Humans aren't nutritious enough to be worth the effort."

But most sharks don't have very good vision, and sometimes objects like buoys and people look similar to a seal - a shark's favorite meal.

"A human being of course, close to the surface, does a pretty good job looking like a seal, and one on a surfboard does an even better job," George Burgess, curator of the International Shark Attack File told LiveScience. "It's not like they're out there saying 'let's try to find a human today.'"


Most often, sharks spit people out after carrying them underwater for a ways. Because their eyesight isn't very good, they need to feel objects over with their mouths to decide whether they want to eat them or not.

Humans are usually spat out. Unfortunately, by that time they've either drowned or have bled to death.

How to avoid a shark
The best thing to do when you see a shark is move away, experts say. Move swiftly but calmly - sharks are attracted to splashing. If the shark is already swimming at you, no need to go quietly. Just get away.

If a shark bites you, try to get away before it takes you under for too long. Hit it on the snout, head, and eyes, and it may let you go.

Not all the blame for shark attacks falls on the beasts.

Attacks are more frequent in summer months, Burgess said, because "both sharks and humans have seasons where they want to be in the water at the same time."

Sometimes sharks bite because people provoke them, either by putting food in the water or grabbing one as it swims by. Other times, it's just because someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Surfers often unknowingly put themselves in one of these wrong places. The good breaks they crowd around are often created by seamounts on the ocean floor, which are popular feeding areas for sharks.

While the number of shark attacks and deaths is still much lower than car wrecks, attacks have been climbing steadily.

"Decade to decade you find that the number of shark attacks has continued to rise," Burgess said. "This is largely because the human population and interest in water activities has grown."

So what's the prudent course?

"If you use some good common sense in the water, you should be fine," said McEachran. "To put your mind at ease, go to a beach that has lifeguards. They should be looking for possible sharks."

© 2005 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.
© 2005 MSNBC.com

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8473619/page/2/
GREAT article TOM thanks for posting it

When I was diving in South Africa with Great Whites i met a guy on the boat who was writing a book all about different species of Sharks and he told me about when he hired a helicopter to take some ariel photos of the surfers in Durban S Africa and he told me he took some pictures of a HUGE Great white literally a few feet from surfers surfing and expressed how he would of loved to of found the surfer and showed him how close he was to the seas top predator.

I will say if you do go to S africa its one of the places you will not get me swimming LOL and if ya a surfer you certainly increase your chances of meeting the apex predator.

I prefer to keep me scuba gear on and view them that way LOL

Gaz
Posted By: GAY AND DAVID Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/08/05 02:13 PM
do we have bull sharks on the tx gulf coast?
Posted By: Wyoming Carla Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/08/05 06:48 PM
RobertE.....I truly hope it's not Dennis that............oh never mind. laugh laugh eek
Yes you do have BULL sharks in the GULF as well a a multiple of other species of sharks.
Posted By: Honey Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/08/05 10:20 PM
no sharks here in the Puget Sound.....
but swam with (in my kayak) with a pod of Orcas the other day about 9 of them...totally awesome..
Honey
AHHHHHHH but thats where you are incorrect

You have the deepwater 6 gill shark a very large shark that can grow to 16ft also the following might be interesting to you

PUGET SOUND - Lots of big sharp teeth and as wide as his boat.

That's how a Tacoma fisherman describes a close encounter in Puget Sound.

It was just over a week ago when Bob Salatino almost caught the biggest fish of his life. He was angling for salmon when something much bigger grabbed his attention.

"When I grabbed it, he came charging straight up out of the water," Salatino said. "He was solid teeth."

That's when Salatino says he knew he had a 20-foot great white shark on the end of his line in his 16-foot boat.

"The shark was definitely watching me, his eyeball was right on me," he said. "He just come out of the water he had my flasher in his mouth and he started throwing his head back and forth."

The shark spit the flasher back out, surfaced a couple of times, and swam away.

For reference, the largest fish in the Point Defiance Zoo's shark tank isn't even half the size of the one Salatino spotted.

Great whites have never been officially recorded in Puget Sound.

We suspect, given their range and the nature of their natural history and patterns that they probably do make occasional sorties, little investigative runs into Puget Sound," said John Rupp, Pt. Defiance Zoo's Aquatic Animal Curator.

Salatino's encounter won't count as the first official sighting -- the record keepers need more conclusive evidence like a photograph.

But Salatino, with the tooth-marked flasher in hand, is positive.

"Soon as I seen his teeth come out of his mouth I knew it was a white shark," he said.

Was he scared?

"I've fished all my life and I really don't get that excited," he said. But is looking forward to another encounter?

"The shark business is over for me as far as I'm concerned," he said.

There are other sharks this big in Puget Sound, and other sharks that exhibit this kind of behavior. But the Point Defiance aquatic curator says that a great white is the only shark that fits all of Salatino's description.

By the way, Salatino is retired after working nearly 40 years for the aquarium at Point Defiance, and he's described as someone who really knows his fish.

Great Whites inhabit all the oceans of the world hell we even had one caught in Belize City a few years back (was a juvenile though)

regards

Gaz
Posted By: PattiCake Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/11/05 03:28 PM
Goodlord BelDis, GAZ!!! I was in Lake Huron three times this week, never saw anything larger than a 2" minnow, but you certainly have the ability to make me NERVOUS!

Dolphin, I'm getting in the bath RIGHT NOW to practise my snout, head and eyes-WHACKING!

Reaper darling, the blue hole jump is a DATE! Tell me when!
Posted By: Shark Bait Re: Bull Sharks - Gaz, Pedro 2, anyone - 07/12/05 04:40 PM
If you read the Intl Shark Attack File, the diving stat is interesting. Divers are on the lowest rung of attack victims. Surfers were the highest (try not to look so much like a seal), followed by swimmers/snorkelers, then waders, then fishermen, and finally, divers.

I found the discussion of provoked and un-provoked attacks quite interesting also. If someone grabbed my tail, I'd bite them too (unless she was cute!)
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