Shark Paranoia

[WaveJunkie]

Nothern Oregon Coast here --

Every time I check an online link to a spot locally it always lists "Sharks" as one of the hazards.

There's not been an attack here in 30 yrs. -- which makes me think two ways:

Attacks are rare.

or . . .

We're over-due. Like an earthquake.


When I'm at the beach, and I'm a newbie, I ask about sharks. What I get is . . .

"I've seen them in the water."

"I've never seen one, but my buddy got bumped by one."

"They're out there."

-- Makes me think about selling my board and taking up croquet.

[sarge]

We have the same problem with the media and sharks here in the uk. This summer the papers are full of Mako sharks, Great whites and in yesterdays paper a bull shark. No one as ever been attacked by a shark here in the uk as far as i know. The papers we have you believe there are more sharks than people at the beach these days!!!! [/b]

[gulfsurfer]

Sharks are no big deal to me anymore. I've fished all my life so im used to seeing them, theyre like cockroaches theres so many of them here. If a sharks coming straight at me then i'm going to be scared, but if i just see him swimming then its no big deal. We've got all the dangerous sharks here in the gulf, tigers, bulls, makos, hammerheads, a few great whites, blacktips, whitetips, and some more.

[WaveJunkie]

Interesting poll here.

Three votes, three different answers. This might make you think there is no "right" answer. *LMAO*

[deathfrog]

Sharks are no big deal to me anymore. I've fished all my life so im used to seeing them, theyre like cockroaches theres so many of them here. If a sharks coming straight at me then i'm going to be scared, but if i just see him swimming then its no big deal. We've got all the dangerous sharks here in the gulf, tigers, bulls, makos, hammerheads, a few great whites, blacktips, whitetips, and some more.

I thought the gulf was too warm for whiteys?

[gulfsurfer]

Theres not a big population of them in the Gulf, but there are some.

[TokyotheKid]

sharks make a good steak, thats all i gotta say

[gulfsurfer]

Yes they do

[Brent]

Where I grew up in the south-eastern south island of New Zealand and where I surfed for many years (breaks like Aramoana, Blackhead etc) all have deep dark cold water with large seal populations nearby and a deserved reputation for sharks. Namely Mr Greysuit.
They are there yes. Often "sensed" by surfers but rarely seen, you just get a gut feeling & feel vunerable all of a sudden, what fish are about disappear, seals in the bull-kelp nearby all climb out of the water onto the rocks & boulders & make lots of noise...and you just get this feeling. Fishermen in boats slightly off shore see them all the time. Huge fat beasts.

I think it's not a case of it's all fleshin'...just a case of they're much better at selecting marine life rather than us for food than we give them credit for.

[deathfrog]

Yes they do

bleh blue sharks...

[vbsurfer]

Grew up & started surfing at 6 in Florida, where on average 1/3 of the world's shark attacks happen.
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/st ... statsw.htm

It was rare to surf a week WITHOUT seeing a shark, granted they were mostly spinners, sandsharks, blacktips & the like, but I did see a fair number of hammers, bulls, tigers, and a white was caught off a pier 10 miles from my homebreak. All of those years I surfed almost every single day, I was never bitten, brushed yes, but not bitten. Over the same time period I took a fin to the face, had multiple encounters with the reef & shorebreak sandbars, rip currents, multiple wave hold-downs, etc. I guess what I'm saying is, sharks are the least dangerous part of surfing, IMHO

[WaveJunkie]

sharks make a good steak, thats all i gotta say

Yeah, maybe that's the solution --

Get serious about eating them before they eat you?

[WaveJunkie]

OK, I've decided . . .

Before I surf, I put out some incense, do some chants. Give my kharma to the surf gods.

What could be a better way to go?

"He was out in the water on a really good set and the biggest fuggin' White we've ever seen swallowed him whole in one bite."

Beats the poop out of having a stroke sittin' on the commode, eh?

[gulfsurfer]

You sure thats what the incense are for??

[WaveJunkie]

You sure thats what the incense are for??

Yeah . . . Straight from a Tibetan Buddhist Monk. The incense smoke connects the earth bound to the spirits in where-ever.

Never hurts to burn some for the sharks.

[sinistapenguin]

I've never seen a shark in the water, but I reckon

a) you're more likely to get hit by a bus on the way to the beach!

and

b) If people can go out and surf the Cortes Bank, which is like walking into a dining room with sharks all gathered for a feast and lying down on the banquet table, then I doubt most of us have much to worry about.

I think the chances of having a FATAL shark incident are really small because really most of the sharks you could get attacked by would cause you some damage, but the ones who are going to kill you are in the minority out there, because they are in deeper water where seafood is plentiful!

That;s not to say I'm not scared of being attacked though!!

[DanJS14]

never saw a shark, but i would go to hawaii or anywhere for that matter with no fear.

if i had to die i would choose to be eaten, swallowed whole by a shark, doing the thing i love to do most..surfing!!

[babyboarder89]

yeah heard about the uk makos. we were laughing about that, perhapos yelling shark to get some of the crowds out the water
wjhere did they see bull sharks?
i personally dont see much of a reason as to why there shouldnt be great whites here, deep cold water, loadsa seals. hell why not? just cos you dont see em doesnt mean theyre not there!

[k mac]

bull shark was apparently spotted at gwenver the nothern end of sennen on the western tip ofcornwall

[gulfsurfer]

the ones who are going to kill you are in the minority out there, because they are in deeper water where seafood is plentiful!

Not true at all. Lots of very big sharks very close to shore. Saw a 10ft+ tiger thrashing around in about 3 feet of water at SPI.ive seen many 8 footers in waist deep or shallower.