Sharks

[surfpainter]

I've only had one significant shark encounter (lots of insignificant ones) An 8 ft bull while snorkeling/spearfishing. One of the most beautiful/frighteniing things I think I've ever seen. Especially frightening when you're 15, have a bag of bleeding fish and a just a stinky little homemade hawaiin sling for defense. I guess my friend and I made enough weird noises and gesticulations that he decided we probaly wouldn't taste very good or something. He stopped...looked at us for a sec, then just kind of double around himself and with a quick flick disappeared into the murk. We decided it was time to go clean the fish we had.

Stoneaxe, in VA Beach, the shark attacks reported here were all Bull sharks. Mostly fatal, if not fatal, nasty bloody messes, still rare though. Byrons right ...mostly no big deal, its comforting to be standing instead of sitting for a wave.

[PonoBill]

then suddenly it came right up to the surface...  another shark, maybe five feet long, likely a reef shark, surfing in the wave with me, close enough to touch...  one of the coolest, most beautiful things i've ever seen while surfing...

It made me realize I love being in the ocean every day and SUP way too much to spend time worrying about it --  if it happens it happens -- and just like that the panicky feelings disappeared.   .

That's the ticket! They are there, but they are so cool. Getting to see one is a privilege (as long as it doesn't eat you) and a thrill you'll remember all your life. I love the view from a SUP, I wear Maui Jim's all the time so I can see as much as possible--their polarization technology is just the best, like X-Ray specs for water.  Just be sure to get a floating strap, losing $300 bucks every time you fall in can be a bit draining on the wallet. 

[Weed]

I can attest that Maui Jim's are great sunglasses, had about 8 pairs over the years although I have to admit I get a "Good Guy" deal from the Maui Jim Rep.

[surfpainter]

I also wear Maui Jims exclusively but for the water, Sea Specs make more sense.

[Shawn Michael]

Sea Spec do not quite have the lense quaility but they are a really great design (look a bit funny) but they vent well and stay on your head and do all they are advertised to do...great price if you get the free thrid pair.

[Shawn Michael]

back to the sharks we have a lifeguard in palos verdes who paddleboards back and forth to catalina.  He says concentrated soap (like the concentrated Joy detergent) makes sharks flee the scene.  Anyone have an anecdotes about fending off or detering sharks?

[Yohan1973]

This is why you need to have a paddling partner. Preferably someone with an open wound.

Aloha

Byron

Or at least one that is much slower! lol

[kurtr]

  
And I thought I kept getting invited along on open-water paddles becuse of my winning personality.   

[tautologies]

Pono..that sounds like a lot of sharks...

My one encounter on a SUP was a 10 foot Hammerhead at big lefts at ala moana. I guess it was as curious as I was, so it took another round around me. An extremely impressive animal. I was in awe. :-)

This pic was taken at the North shore...we were lucky enough to be visited by two of these ladys...

[Yannick]

what, that's a guppy mate!

Try surfing the shark bite capital of the world.

Saw an 8' Bull slash through a school of mullet off the end of the sandbar I was SUPing 2day (not the sharkbite capital, but I almost always see bulls of that size here).

He swirled up and charged them at the surface upside down.  Witnessed this from about 20 yards.

Broke another paddle shortly thereafter, so I paddled back out to that spot on my 6'6" quadfish.

[PonoBill]

Yup, but most of that was diving, and looking for them. Except the Hammerheads. that was kind of out of control. Well, that and the great white in Monterey bay. I do a lot of diving. I'm not really that into it, just something to do, but I have hundreds of dives logged, and not all that many shark stories.

When I'm in Maui I wear a fossilized great white tooth around my neck--a present from my wife. The people she bought it from say it's a guaranteed shark bite preventive. If I get bitten she gets her money back.  

so I've got that going for me...

[tautologies]

what, that's a guppy mate!

sounds like an awesome (and scary) experience. FYI, the Tiger on the pic was about 15 feet. Dunno what kind of monster guppies you guys have. She looked pretty big to me.

[tim mellors]

just got my holiday snaps back, this was a suprise!

[PonoBill]

Yeah, I hate it when that happens. \\Nice job.