SHARK!

[PonoBill]

Yeah, I saw one today, but so what. Saw some whales way out too. I didn't tell Headmount, he doesn't like to hear that stuff.

The Headline is because shark attacks are down dramatically this year. My suspicion is that it's because we are strip-mining the ocean as fast a possible in our quest to turn the planet into an ideal habitat for bacteria, cockroaches and rats. And not much else. Or you might think it's because we're learning to share the ocean with its myriad creatures. Yeah, sure.

Anyway, total unprovoked shark attacks worldwide are down to 66 with four fatalities worldwide. No, that's not because other countries are so primitive that they can't count. It's 66 attacks. Four fucking fatalities. There is literally no other threat at this tiny level. Sitting on a sofa is more dangerous. If you are changing your habits because of sharks you are simply immune to facts and run on the artificial adrenaline of media manipulation. Yes, your Uncle Waldo knows someone who was bitten. Treasure that.

[gzasinets]

I agree. Saw one on Tuesday while surfing in Boynton Beach, probably 9 ft or so. She was moving silently through the water. Great day in my book.

[burchas]

I agree. Saw one on Tuesday while surfing in Boynton Beach, probably 9 ft or so. She was moving silently through the water. Great day in my book.

Was she the same one moving silently around my board between Maui to Molokai? I remember you jumping in after her,
what is it with you and those female sharks

[oakfish]

Yes, shark bites were down last year, but that is almost 100% attributable to conditions in Florida.  Florida is responsible for the majority of bites.
Too soon for a respectable analysis to be completed, but I suspect red tide is probably the reason.  Either a) shark prey (fish) avoided areas of red tide so the sharks weren't there or b) humans didn't enter the water as much, reducing the potential for shark/human interactions.
For more information, here is the group that tracks shark bites:
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/

[gzasinets]

I agree. Saw one on Tuesday while surfing in Boynton Beach, probably 9 ft or so. She was moving silently through the water. Great day in my book.

Was she the same one moving silently around my board between Maui to Molokai? I remember you jumping in after her,
what is it with you and those female sharks

I fucking love'em, can't you tell? 

[JEG]

I like shark but I'm scared of them.

[mrbig]

Respect 'em, but they are hard on boards. Heard the bullet whizzing by.

This was my second encounter.

First was scarier as I saw a big fin coming right at me. Paddled my longboard faster than anyone and was chased right to the beach..

[gzasinets]

wow, mrbig, I am glad it was your board sir 

[PonoBill]

Yes, shark bites were down last year, but that is almost 100% attributable to conditions in Florida.  Florida is responsible for the majority of bites.
Too soon for a respectable analysis to be completed, but I suspect red tide is probably the reason.  Either a) shark prey (fish) avoided areas of red tide so the sharks weren't there or b) humans didn't enter the water as much, reducing the potential for shark/human interactions.
For more information, here is the group that tracks shark bites:
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/

Yeah, it's probably Florida. killing the ocean that everyone flocked there to enjoy with fifty years of irresponsible phosphate mining. I get a kick out of hearing that the state doesn't know why the red tides are so bad. You really have to work at that kind of myopia. Most of the bites in Florida are, oddly enough, from Blacktips. I've had blacktips brush past me in lava tubes and caves. Seen many hundreds of them, very close and personal. Right around the corner from where we end our downwinders at Makena Landing, where flocks of people go to swim, play in the water, and snorkel is Five Graves, a popular diving spot because of the caves full of blacktips.  I guess if you get a big enough flock of them, as Florida does during migrations, someone is going to get bit.

Mr. Big. I'm thinking it's you. Maybe your wetsuit smells like a seal. I know my rashguards smell like dead fish.

[toolate]

it may be true that attacks are rare. Still, close encounters are scary IMO.
Ever read captain cooks crews account of Hawaiians playing with sharks  for a different view of things?

[mrbig]

Sailors on the Idianapolis did not do as well..

[Bean]

Those were Oceanic Whitetip sharks.  Problem with that species is that we are on their menu...they are not selective like some others.

[mrbig]

Absolutely correct! Glad they are not here!!

[supthecreek]

Here's a swell quote on the Whitetip.
 The oceanic whitetip is rarely encountered as it inhabits oceanic waters. It is usually only seen if caught by fishermen or around disasters (plane crashes, ships sinking). It is an aggressive shark opportunistically feeding on almost anything it encounters and will not hesitate to approach swimmers or small boats.

[PonoBill]

Yup. The reason most sharks are not much of a problem is that they know their prey. They are very effective predators which means they specialize. Open ocean is a desert--there aren't a lot of fish or other life per cubic mile. Most shark species are coastal predators and their prey is literally printed in their DNA. It's not that we taste bad or that sharks fear humans, it's simply we are not a reliable food source, so we don't fit the characteristics of the special prey they have evolved to eat. Most bites are test bites--bite and leave. If you've ever seen a GW dismantle a sea lion you'd understand that is NOT what goes on when they bite a human and leave them alive. Given the equipment and power of great whites and the other big sharks, if they were actively hunting humans we wouldn't be able to go within ten feet of the water. But they don't, so we can.

Oceanic whitetips are different--they are generally open-ocean fish, with no opportunity to specialize in reliable prey so they eat anything they come upon. Mostly that means carcasses floating, but they'll try anything.  Given the vast volume of the ocean, the chances of encountering an oceanic whitetip are vanishingly small--unless they gather in response to a plume of scent that indicates food. A few people bleeding will do the job. Though it might take a day for the sharks to find the source, they'll eventually get there.



Most reports of sharks killing survivors have been somewhat debunked. They probably get some, but most Indianapolis sailors probably died from exposure. No matter what, you'll probably never see one, their numbers are declining rapidly from overfishing and finning.