Surfing Waves

Has any body had a fear of sharks when ther out in the water?
how did you get over it? or have you still got it?

As i have been watching alot of shark shows it is beginning to have an effect on me.

Hey Nymph,

Yeah, ever since that poor girl got taken off straddie at Christmas time there have been an absolute xxxxx load of shark related shows on the TV, I guess nothing boosts ratings and sells advertising space like human fear.

I think everyone who goes into the ocean has a fear of being shark bait floating around somewhere in the back of their minds, I know I do and after a while you just sort of get used to it as opposed to getting over it.

There are a bucket load of posts on here explaining the stat's on how unlikely it is to happen to you, search and you shall find....being able to rationalise the fear is a great start to controlling it.

Notwithstanding, I just hope that if im ever one of the unfortunates that the Noah is big enough to take me in one gulp....the chewing thing doesnt sound like much fun.

My dad took me to see Jaws when I was about 8 years old.............scarred me for life!!! BUT as previous posters have said, you've just gotta get on with it and not think about it.

it's probably my least fear on the water. I am usually more concerned with the longboarder barreling towards me.

pat42 wrote:My dad took me to see Jaws when I was about 8 years old.............scarred me for life!!! BUT as previous posters have said, you've just gotta get on with it and not think about it.

exactly the same problem! - I watched jaws when I was about 7 or 8, Then when we went on a family holiday to the south of France I point blank REFUSED to get in the sea!

My dad eventually got me in the water by promising there were no sharks in the med.
Two weeks after we got back it was in the papers that they'd just caught the new world record great white off the coast of Menorca (I think that record still stands) which is a few miles south of where we were!

It was a good year or two before I got back in the water...!

i dont even think about them anymore - i'm aware of the water, but i never get scared.

There's no-one who can say they're not afraid of sharks, they'd be liars if they weren't.
But, that doesn't mean we should let our fear of sharks control our lives.
It's the same with driving a car. More people are killed in car accidents than shark attacks yet you dont see a decline in the number of motorists.
Just take the necessary precautions (stay clear of murky water, watch out for the fish runs etc..) and you'll be fine.
Just recently a kid got his leg shredded by a shark at spot where my wife and I usually surf.
Although she has a MAJOR fear of sharks, it's not enough to keep her out of the water coz we all know how much surfing means to us.......
At the end of the day, that which you love, will conquer your fears!

thanks guys its usually not that bad specially when theres a couple of people out at the same time as you but just mainly when your by your self or really murky water.