Author Topic: SHARK!  (Read 8496 times)

Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #15 on: February 04, 2019, 05:44:50 AM »
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.

Whenever I look at that picture, I think "What a beautiful fish." Blue sharks are also amazing.
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southwesterly

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #16 on: February 08, 2019, 02:36:54 PM »
Strange that there hasn't been too many sightings up here in Nor-Cal this year yet.

The water has been real clear though.

Bean

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #17 on: February 09, 2019, 10:13:40 AM »
Sheit, that's it, I'm taking up bowling....

mrbig

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #18 on: February 09, 2019, 10:41:46 AM »
Tenpin, duckpin, candlepin?
Let it come to you..
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Weasels wake

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #19 on: February 09, 2019, 10:52:14 AM »
Taken by a friend of mine, Brian Caserio, a few weeks ago at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery, on the central coast of Ca.  It was just a taste test (?), maybe, which begs the question, what, it didn't like the taste of an elephant seal?  I wonder how it got away?
It takes a quiver to do that.

Noo Noo

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #20 on: May 21, 2019, 09:00:52 AM »
Strange that there hasn't been too many sightings up here in Nor-Cal this year yet.

The water has been real clear though.

CHEEEESE

Noo Noo

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #21 on: May 21, 2019, 09:05:13 AM »
Taken by a friend of mine, Brian Caserio, a few weeks ago at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery, on the central coast of Ca.  It was just a taste test (?), maybe, which begs the question, what, it didn't like the taste of an elephant seal?  I wonder how it got away?

My guess that first hit wasn't obviously enough to disable the seal. Plus it's on the seals back so I wonder if he saw him coming at the last minute? They're pretty thick skinned too....ahem

White pointer attacks are a long way away from being 100% successful.

toolate

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #22 on: December 15, 2019, 04:46:12 PM »
Was out in small surf at Waikiki this AM. came about 10 feet from a 12-14 foot tiger. not at all aggressive action (assuming I know what that would look like) but it  took a few snake like twists of its body as it made its way past me just past the break.
I had seen a 10 footer out there a couple years ago. this was way bigger. So big that at first i thought whale calf. Paddled in, after letting the two others out there with me on surfboards what i had seen. They too paddled in.
I guess I feel fortunate to have had this experience and also pretty unnerved. I mean I know they are out there whether or not we see them but when you see one this big it kinda sticks with you.

Dusk Patrol

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #23 on: December 15, 2019, 06:27:20 PM »
Wow I can imagine a bit unnerving.
Which area/break at Waikiki?
I always imagined sharks would not be drawn to the area because of decades of sunscreen laden tourists result now in not much sea life/shark food.
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toolate

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #24 on: December 15, 2019, 07:37:53 PM »
was at sandbar, kaimana.
This was the 5th shark sighting in as many years for me there. 2 months ago a large hammerhead went under my board. But this was an order of magnitude different.

Wetstuff

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #25 on: December 16, 2019, 09:57:15 AM »
'Too Late' is an ominous log in name... You're pushing the odds. Scary stuff.

Jim
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toolate

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #26 on: December 16, 2019, 10:23:00 PM »
never thought of it as ominous. Are log in names like rabbits feet?

eastbound

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #27 on: December 17, 2019, 04:20:27 AM »
i have never seen a shark while surfing near home--like, anywhere from Maine to NJ--prolly more than 1000 sessions over the years

KNOCK WOOD!!!


FL? fuggeddaboudit....see em just about every time i look at the water (kidding--but, in fact, i have seen all sorts of sharks in FL, just looking out from shore.)

scuba? of course

but my local? never
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JimK

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #28 on: December 17, 2019, 06:00:03 AM »
Not to "Burst Your Bubble" Easty,

just this summer I was teaching an SUP Surfing lesson with 2 guys at Ventnor Pier.
A guy on the pier caught (not landed) a 5/6FT Thresher Shark.
So we were SUP Surfing with a pissed off shark....I pointed it out to my students
They said they were having to much fun and it probably swam away.....

Just saying...
JimK
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Bean

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Re: SHARK!
« Reply #29 on: December 17, 2019, 08:10:01 AM »
never thought of it as ominous. Are log in names like rabbits feet?

toolate to change now ;D



 


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