Warning to Florida divers

[stevemc]

About shark shields they apparently will work on most sharks, but they do have their little problems. The company states they will not work on real big sharks such as tigers and great whites, or if they are coming in to bleeding fish, such as spearfishing. The rechargeable batteries will slowly get weaker to the point they only work for 15 minutes or so. But some of my friends use them religously, and have good results with reef, bull, and lemon sharks, even while spearfishing. Right now its lemon shark breeding time around Jupiter area. They congregate in large schools of 20-50 sharks, most 10- 12 feet long. The sharks apparently wont get closer than 15 feet unless you have fish. Then they say its still the same, hit them on the nose and get out of the water. I carry a .223 Beco slip/screw on powerhead and my girlfriend carries a 357 magnum Ray Odor PPD slip on powerhead, and we have not had to use it yet, but we do see a lot of sharks while spearfishing. I used to use a 12 gauge bangstick and it will make them stop circling you-permanantly!

 

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[Tommi]

Shark Shield™ has proven over many years, in both scientific tests and real life situations, that it is effective in deterring a wide range of sharks, including Great Whites.

When I finally get under the water I'm getting one, when I was flying to an island in a cesna I looked down at saw two tigers that were bigger then a centre console fishing boat which was near them, rough guess 6m's long and what was even more rare then seeing one huge tiger is seeing two huge tigers in the same spot!

Not far from where I saw those sharks, a lady was killed by bull sharks, apparently a group of them tore off her arms and she died of blood loss. A bit further down from where that happened 2 people where killed swimming in canel by bull sharks, and its pretty common for dogs to get taken too.

Hmmm.... my tip is just get into the water and swim! don't think about sharks.. or try not too.... last thing you want is to get all paranoid and be scared to go into the water!

 

[ScubaFinder]

I don't worry much about sharks either...I know them well, read lots on them over the years. I figure if you're going to be around them, you should KNOW what you're getting into. I filmed a feeding frenzy under a fishing boat once with about 8 Nurse, 10 grey reef sharks, and a few black tips (all between 5 and 8 feet). They were cleaning the days catch and throwing the heads and guts overboard...the sharks were loving it. I was right next to them, and they never looked twice at me, a few swam in for a closer look but if I moved towards them they'd run away. It made for some great video!

I do think you are somewhat at risk when treasure hunting though. #1, you aren't paying attention to whether or not a shark is coming up behind you, and #2, several times at Jupiter I had half my body up under rocks and was intent on digging. All a shark would have seen was two flailing legs sticking up, I doubt that would have been very threatening to it, and could have possibly exposed me to an attack. Being that the Jupiter inlet is a freshwater inlet, chances of Bulls being around are pretty good too. I don't think about it much, but we should all be aware that the possibility exists...no matter how remote. If a shark shield is effective, and $100, I'd probably buy one and wear it on the principal of "better safe than bleeding".

 

[Jimi D Pirate]

RULE OF THUMB 101

1) Look but don't touch!

2) Just a little bit of respect is almost always all thats required to ensure that you never have a problem KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

3) A meeting with a shark - is unlikely to happen at all, and IF it does happen it is very unlikely to have bad results(though there are exceptions) Who the hell set up this meeting anyway!

4) Never dive into the water with Sharks under your boat, unless you are a thrill seeker or just nuts. In that case cutt your finger and go for it!

5) Most free swimming Sharkswill disappear the minute a noisy, bubble blowing diver heads in their way, but some Sharks like to wander up to you to get a closer look!

6) Being buzzed or brushed by a Shark does not necessarily mean that you are about to become lunch, but will defiantly get the old ticker to pumping!

7) Some Sharks are territorial and can respond to divers as threats to territory and defensively attack!

8) Bright metal objects will always get their attention. A divers first stage can look good to a hungry reef Shark! Yes I use a metal detector with a shiny shaft but it gets duller every year!

9) Don't forget the "Yum Yum Yellow" rule. Sharks like the yellow strips on a dive suit!!! Some believe this some don't

10) Avoid erratic movements - this is just for underwater - on topside it is recommended- but can be illegal!

11) Stay away from the chum! (see number 10 above)

12) Descend as soon as you can:
A body floating at the surface is high on the list of desirable objects for a Shark to explore. In the ocean dead things float. Oily chum tends to create a slick on the surface that you may be covering yourself in while you remain there!

If your head is above water you are effectively blind to the movements of any Shark underwater!

A positive buoyant diver's actions are far more limited. It takes time to become negative and descend out of trouble and swimming at the surface in dive gear looks an awful lot like a thrashing animal!

Been diving for 30+ years and have seen quite a few Sharks, bumped by a few - twice while surffishing - I just cast ankle deep now!!
I find the real bad boys to be the Great Barracuda, Hammerheads and Bulls get awful big!

Jimi D. Pirate

 

[FISHEYE]

Salvor 6,

small sharks will attack anything large,no one knows what a shark will do.me an a diver friend of mine in hawaii was attacked by a small 4 foot hammerhead.he was trying to bite our bubbles from our double hose regs.we both killed him with our knives,had him for dinner.but got out of the water before mom or dad showed up.(hammerhead breeding grounds)another time me an a friend were spearfishing,both of us had 10 or more fish around our waists on coat hangers plus i had a clorox bottle on a 100 foot line with more fish on it.we were both on the bottom in 60 feet of water an a 25 foot tiger swam between us,the tiger was chasing a 2 foot tuna.the tiger didnt see us.we got out of the water as quick as we could an never went back to that area ever again.we were snorkling.locals told us plenty of fish there.they were right.every now an then i get a ring in my right ear due to blowing off the head of a 8 foot reef shark that shadowed us from a nearby island.it got too close so i blasted it with a 10 guage bangstick.i was close to a large coral head an got the cuncussion.his pectoral fins were in attack mode.the shark pod is effective but safer yet is a shark cage.limited diving though.

 

[Salvor6]

Hey FISHEYE, last year I ran into a shark on almost every dive. I carry a B&B .223 mounted on a separate shaft bolted to the end of my gun. I can use it as a bangstick (notice its longer) or unscrew it and screw it back on to the spearshaft. I also carry a Ray Odor 30-06 "disposable" slip on in my pocket. I have never used the 30-06 but I use the .223 all the time. Its great for bagging those big amberjack. The shotgun shells are no good underwater. They are not waterproof cartridges.

 

[spez401]

I've been diving for 17+ years and I've seen a total of 2 sharks in the water. A friend of mine is an Oceanographer in Mass and has studied sharks as part of his specialty. When I was younger he told me "If people knew how many sharks were in the water, they wouldn't even go to the beach". But... like has already been said, most sharks disappear at the first signs of people.

But a little common sense also goes a long way... don't get into the water if you're bleeding (DUH!), Jimi D pirate posted a great list. Use some common sense. They are wild animals and therefore by definition are dangerous. When I dive, especially for game, I usually carry my regular speargun for the fishing, but i have a small pneumatic "pistol" speargun that i leave a .223 B&B also. works great, and i don't have to change spearheads. plus... military .223 is waterproof.

I also agree with being agressive toward sharks. Typically if they bite a human, it is a mistake. A good thump on the snout is a great deterrent. But, every time I hear someone talk about punching a shark in the nose, I get flashbacks to comedian Robert Schimmel... he does a bit about exactly that. "Punch a shark in the nose... sure... and when that doesn't work you can poke him in the eye with your bloody stump." lol

steve

 

[ScubaFinder]

Spez, you must be diving in the wrong waters to only see 2 sharks in 17 years! Crappy pic, but there were about 20 nurse/greys surrounding me when this pic was taken. I'm pretty comfortable around them, even bulls. You can tell whether they are just looking at you, or looking at you as a meal. There weren't many of them, and I didn't get real close to them.

 

[spez401]

Scubafinder..

the majority of my diving has been in the New England. The two times i've seen sharks have been when I went to the carribean for vacations. I know the reason I haven't "seen" more sharks up here is because of visibility. On a good day up here you'll get 10 to 15' vis. I know they are there, I just havent seen them.

When I talked to my oceanographer buddy, the conversation started out after I returned from Grand Cayman and had seen my first shark. I said that I'd been diving up here (RI) for 10 years (at the time) and had never seen a shark. That was when he proceeded to tell me about all the sharks in the area. Oh... and the number of Great whites that had been caught several miles offshore.

After that conversation was when I started carrying the .223 B&B head when I was spearfishing or diving for game. I haven't had to use it yet (on a shark anyway). like salvor said... works great on big fish. lol

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Curious, what happens when you run into a shark that hasn't read "rules on shark attacks"? It would just be my luck that would be the one I would meet.

 

[ScottyLee]

Florida sharks are nothing, take a trip to the Bahamas with me some time and I'll show you how to feed them.

 

[diverlynn]

I've been on several shark feeds. Even though I've seen many off Port Lucaya in Grand Bahama, you can't even get good close photos when they are not being fed. The only close encounter I had was about '93 in 15' water in the Keys where a small bull was curious. After the third or forth approach, I bumped him under the chin and he was gone. Traded my night dive for a pitcher of margarita's!! A great white was sighted on one of our wrecks off Daytona several weeks ago on two separate occasions.
Gotta Love it
Diverlynn

 

[ScottyLee]

The only time they get close is if there is blood in the water. You have to be spearfishing or feeding them.

 

[Salvor6]

Hey Treasure_Hunter, sharks can't read- they just act on instinct.

 

[gollum]

THAT shark attack pic is an old fake, but this video of a simultaneous hit by two great whites on a surfer isn't. Check it out:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,68069.new.html#new


Best,

Mike

 

[Peg Leg]

I understand that the Tarpon Tournament over at Tarpon Springs was cancelled last year because of all the Bull Sharks that were there.
It may not be held again this year because of the same reason.
The area near Naples Florida has become a Major breeding ground for BULL SHARKS and has always been infested but it is getting really bad.
Salvor6 posted some information a while back about the dumping of waste water several miles into the Gulf and that this waste killed off all the small fish and may be effecting the coral reefs in the whole region as well.
Could this cause the Sharks to concentrate to where there is still something for them to eat that was not affected by the dumping of this waste mine water?
The State and the EPA strikes again.
PEGLEG

 

[ScubaFinder]

It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened. Somewhere overseas they had a cattle slaughter house on a river inland of a popular beach. Suddenly, they were getting 15-20 attacks a year when they had never had any before. They stopped the slaughter house from dumping the blood and entrails into the river, and the attacks ceaased within weeks.

Those sharks are there for some reason, and someone should determine why before that beach gets a bad reputation. I thought the sharks were gone now, but it sounds like they may still be around

Jason

 

[Jimi D Pirate]

Bull Shark breeding grounds have always been off Sabastian Inlet. Don't you just love those big guys!

 

[Peg Leg]

Jimi D Pirate,
I recall many years ago that when I was checkig out this area I took a aerial photo of the inlet and when it was blown up I counted about 400 sharks around this inlet with several in the Indian River.
I believe that this maybe be caused by the outgoing tide taking fish out to sea also Bull Sharks like to breed around fresh water mixed with salt water and at Naples this is the same condition. They do not like murky water all that much-so I am told
Pegleg

 

[Jimi D Pirate]

Hey Peg, Lots of fish around there. I've caught many fish outside this inlet thru the years and it's one of the best fishing jetty's in the state (just my opinion) Used to dive for lead in the cut years ago but to many sharks and fishhooks to contend with! Never seen much in murky water except the occasional crab biting at my feet!
oh yea.... don't be diving this inlet during tide change!!! it's dangerous enough just being topside!!!

Jimi D Pirate