You're gonna need a bigger boat!

[stoneaxe]

Yup...the stats are stupid, there IS an increased risk, but the hype is over the top, and peoples fear of sharks still isn't rational...its emotional. Despite the stupid stats I don't think there is any question that 20 somethings texting while driving is a much greater danger to me than GW's. That doesn't mean that I don't also emulate Connor when getting back on my board after falling on the Cape....

Really...shark signs at Stephens Field....

[gorgebob]

I would like to see someone from the surfing industry to find out how much shark week causes in lost revenue from the discovery channels hyped hysteria.

[BWilliam]

Yeah....it's kind of funny to see folks react as they do. I'm headed out to paddle Plymouth Bay as soon as Sue gets home. I can hear the comments/questions from the beach now...."You know a shark attacked some kayakers out there"......probably from some 350 lb guy eating an 8 lb fried fishermans platter with a greater chance of dieing from a heart attack during his meal than I do of even seeing a shark....

Tell me about it.

I have some time for an early morning paddle today so I head over a local spot to head out. Tide is high, a little breeze, sun is shining, a little cool but nice. I start to unload and two older women are near by and they start commenting on my board…

”Oh, that’s a big one, is that a paddle board? I like the design on that…..did you hear about the Great White that attacked that kayaker?”

Oh yes, I heard about that. I guess the lesson there is don’t hang around where groups of seals congregate.

“Oh, well then, don’t go out into the Bay because there are seals out there.”

Depending on time, sometimes I paddle out into the Bay, but I’m fine paddling around the coves here as well.

“Oh, seals come in here sometimes as well….but you should be fine.”



Thanks.


You know, I saw JAWS at an impressionable age and I haven’t been comfortable swimming in salt water since. Fresh water, no problem. I’ll even go out in the ocean on boats , but swimming…uh uh, not doing it…and I grew up around Puget Sound and on the Pacific ocean. So for me to get into paddle boarding, and go out into the Bay on my own is a big step for me. So the last thing I need to hear as I’m getting ready to shove off is about how I might be shark bait because there are seals around. I know I know, chances are slim to none. The fact that you can’t see anything in this murky water…."WHAT WAS THAT SPLASH BEHIND ME?!?!?!"


Irrational and emotional, I get that, but it’s still back there in the murky reaches of my brain stem.



W.

[SaMoSUP]

Saw a 3 ft baby great white swimming along the lineup of about 50 surfers on Saturday. I followed it around to study it's swimming pattern. Not often you get a "safe" opportunity to do so. Very different swimming pattern than dolphins. The baby GW swam around somewhat mechanically while dolphins look like they're dancing ballet on the water.

Some people got freaked out by seeing the little fin swimming towards them. I was wondering if the mama GW was lurking around close by. They're beautiful creatures nonetheless.

[PonoBill]

Almost all my boards are red an yellow. It's a little joke I played on my wife. She thinks they are "safety colors". Don't tell her.

Yes, the way people use stats are crap, until you get to real extremes, and then there's almost no way to screw them up. Sharks almost never eat people. You are in much more danger from dogs. Yes, you have to go in the water to be eaten or bit by sharks. Yes, no one has good stats that combine water play and attacks. It would be challenging to do because the numbers are so low. 

It's a phobic fear. Stats don't change it. People carry all kinds of strange crap in bear country to feel better about being helpless. If it really bothers you get a shark repeller. Of course you might be ringing the dinner bell, serving up the prone surfers nearby, but sometimes that might seem like a good thing.

[breakbad]

Kayak in open water = 'Ooops, my mistake'

Fisherman in waist high water with bacon wrapped around his ding dong:
http://fox10tv.com/2014/09/06/dipd-fisherman-bit-by-shark

Media labeling it an 'attack' doesn't help much. Title should read 'Shark starts biting things in bait ladened waters'.

@BWilliam - I was about 8 y/o when my parents took me to see Jaws. I share your sentiment. It is always in the back of my mind, can't dissuade myself. After I take a spill and I'm holding on to my board, my legs feel like two sausages dangling down into the deep unknown.

[Weasels wake]

"It's a phobic fear."
No kidding, I have no phobic fear of sharks when compared to my phobic fear of ticks! 

[kayadogg]

Ha, me and JayInSoCal were just talking about this yesterday.  We paddled with three 7'-9' juvenile whites last fall for a good 45 minutes and never felt threatened and it was an amazing encounter.  That day made it easier to realize that they don't care about us, especially juveniles.  We were surfing at Trail 1 yesterday though and both agreed how quickly we get back on our board after falling, despite knowing they could care less about us.  Seeing them on a 12'6 board is a little different than a 8' board that is mostly submerged.

I have given many lessons to first-timers over the past few years and would always end my on-land instruction with "Oh yeah, one more thing.. if you see a shark, just turn your paddle over and jab it with the handle and it should leave you alone".  Half of the people would laugh while the other half would have eyes the size of softballs and probably needed to change their bathing suit.  I actually had one lady start crying.  It took 5 minutes of me reassuring her that I was joking and that there was nothing to worry about before she agreed to get in the water. This was in Narragansett Bay too, where I've never even heard of a shark sighting, despite a winter population of seals.  Why stop off in little Rhody when there's an all-you-can-eat buffet just 2 hours away...

[stoneaxe]

3 ft is a real tiny GW pup.....like just born kinda tiny.... . That's actually almost too small, might have been a mako or other instead of a GW.

[TallDude]

Before Jaws came out, my cousin, and avid surfer (who lived with us) was attacked by a 10'+ Tiger shark. He and my brother were surfing in Mexico below Mazatlan on some tropical island. Waves were D.OH, water was 90 deg. My cousin paddle outside to rest. As he crested a bump the shark almost swallowed his whole arm. He said at the same time the shark hit his board causing it to roll away from the shark. He quickly pulled his arm out of the sharks mouth. The shark managed to tear part of his palm off, then left. He never saw it again. Luckily, one of the guys they were surfing with was a nurse. He put a mild tourniquet on, and they got him to a hospital more than an hour later. He had lost almost 2 pints of blood.
My mom would change the dressing everyday, and I watched it grow back kind-of. He had nerve and muscle damage, but can still use his hand. He still surfed for years after that. When Jaws came out, I thought this is so fake. Tiger sharks are way nastier. Everybody is so Great White focused, but they're not the mean ones. I can tell you first hand.       

[freetobeme]

As a local to the "shark frenzy" I can attest to some absurd comments and ideas from tourists and fellow locals alike. Thus, my "exactly" comment referring to the title of the second posted article. But, ya not the stats. If grad school taught me anything its how to review articles critically and understand where stats come from and how they attempt to sway the reader to agree or disagree with whatever ideas the writer is selling. 

Here are my thoughts from my Facebook post on the OP's article:

"Dear humans, despite the headlines a shark has NOT attacked any kayaker(s) in the waters near Cape Cod! However, a shark has bitten into a kayak most likely out of curiosity. Sharks are here. They have been here for quite some time now. They feed on seals NOT humans! But, hanging out near LARGE populations of seals will increase your likelihood of becoming an innocent bystander potentially resulting in injury or death. Though, you should not let this deter you from enjoying the Earth's ocean. Just remember it's the WILD and you are just a visitor. Respect its power. Use common sense and become informed about shark behaviors vs. sensational media headlines or Shark Week. As a quasi waterman, I'm not immune to brief irrational thoughts or mental pictures of Jaws, but I for one, will continue my bond with Mother Ocean ~ surfing her waves and exploring all her wonders. After all, you don't stop driving your car, riding your motorcycle, bicycling 6a or walking to the end of your driveway to get your mail do you??? Our roads are far more terrifying IMHO than a few seal hunters in the water. Maybe as a whole, we have just normalized and adjusted to vehicular injuries and deaths and continue to fear what we don't experience or understand."

Its natural to fear these sharks. In the moment I try to recognize the fear - relax - let it go. BUT, I too usually do the walk on water holy s*** Jesus routine after plunging into the h2o when surfing down Cape. I just don't think its "healthy" to let the fear keep you from doing what you want and love to do. "Healthy" meaning living life and experiencing yourself and the world around you. To me, bleeding out from a shark is less daunting than some disease that renders me useless and takes my life slowly and agonizingly.

[JimK]

Free,

Love your "Dear Humans" letter all you forgot is we humans pose a MUCH greater threat to sharks (google up Shark finning) than they do to us. My son a proner (mostly) has a motto "I (he) won't eat them (sharks) and they seem to return the favor...So far" (28 yrs and counting)

Lastly, I'm glad to hear Creek and I have something in common I don't know why but I'm a full on seal magnet too!

JimK

[TallDude]

To me, bleeding out from a shark is less daunting than some disease that renders me useless and takes my life slowly and agonizingly.

+1

[jpeter]

As stated earlier,  the odds of being attacked by a shark are low.   But it happens.  The shark attack is a random happening,  and you have little to do to control it.   It's an odd kind of demon,  hiding dragon.   No-one that I or most of us know have been attacked or died of a shark attack.    But I bet if 50 of us were standing on a beach ready to surf and a Great White swam visibly by ,   not one person would rush on out to surf.   Maybe some would after a few minutes,  others in an hour,  some might call it a day.   But no-one has been eaten and we still change our behavior because we see something that we all know is there SOMEWHERE. 

All the good sports have risk.   You can drown,  but that's really under your control,  somewhat.  Motorcycle accidents,  Bear attacks, hang glider crashes all dangerous.     I ski in Wyoming every winter,  and over the last 17 years,  I have known about 8 people killed in avalanches or falls,  and many more serious injuries.   It's far more dangerous than shark attacks but you are the one in control,   it's somewhat random if a slope slides when you ski it,  but it's your decision on if you want to ski a particular shot on a risky day. 

To be honest,  I put the fear level of shark attack in seal infested waters in the same worry level as an avalanche,  but I pick my days to stay in safe zones and when to go for it.

Surf On,    might be good in RI tomorrow.

JP

[PonoBill]

Are you kidding!  Empty lineup! Outa my way!

I know I'm kind of a whack job about this, but I get irritated when a beach gets closed for a shark sighting, and I would paddle right out even if a fin was still showing. To me it makes no difference whether you see one or not.

But then I've gone shark diving at night when there were hundreds of sharks around. I've had five or six sharks bump me in a mad rush to exit a cave.  So I'm a little jaded, but it's more the realization that sharks you see present little danger.

There are lots of incidents. In the past three years several friends have had serious but non-injury incidents including DP getting a board turned into a keepsake, and a woman in kihei getting her sup bumped several times and subsequently tailed all the way to the beach at sorrentos by a really big tiger. In most cases I find these somewhat reassuring.