Fighting off Tiger Shark

[magentawave]

I never saw any sharks when I lived on Kauai but had several close but harmless encounters when I lived on Maui. One time there was a feeding frenzy west/left of the channel at Kaua, but dang, that windsurf session in perfect head high winter surf with only a few of us out hooting and hollering was a memorable one so I'm glad I ignored them. There was another time when a live whale beached itself in Wailea. You could stand  there on the grass just yards from it and watch a dozen tiger sharks gnawing at it and marine biologists (or whatever branch of science it is that studies this stuff) flew in from all over the world to see this. And even after they removed the whale carcass, it still took over two weeks before they stopped seeing tiger sharks in the area. Sometimes fisherman would paddle a line out on a surfboard off of Makena and drop it and wait and it seemed almost routine for them to pull up tigers from 10' to 13' long.

What is it about Maui and sharks? Is it because the waters off Maui are warmer than Kauai?

I once had to fight off a baby sealion.  Well, "Shoo off" might be more accurate.

[SeaMe]

I once had to fight off a baby sealion.  Well, "Shoo off" might be more accurate.

Did you almost die from 'teh cute? 

[PonoBill]

Blacktips are stunningly friendly. I had a four-footer swim underneath my lycra jacket in the caves at Five Graves a few years ago. nosed me in the bellybutton and swam right up. Having two of us in the jacket was a little much. I've gotta take headmount and Covesurfer out there and stuff them in a cave mouth while I go in the other end and stir up the residents. Having ten sharks push past you is life changing. Sometimes shorts changing as well.

Of course having said that I'm probably gonna get eaten by a blacktip.

[covesurfer]

Sorry Bill, but that shark was probably trying to mate with you.

I nearly paddled right over one in my OC1 up near the top of Maliko a few weeks ago. He or she was maybe a little over 4'. I thought it was a turtle at first but then saw that it was a blacktip, just slowly cruising the surface behind a bunch of jumping baitfish. He didn't even notice me go by, my ama was 2' from his tail.