Author Topic: Maui Shark Fatality  (Read 5601 times)

RideTheGlide

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Re: Maui Shark Fatality
« Reply #15 on: June 04, 2019, 05:00:04 AM »
This is to Pono,
I understand statistics a little, and I think that you could spend every day in the water in Hawaii and Oregon and not get hit.  However, the east coast of the U.S. is different.  The locals know there are bull sharks in the water and they generally do not wade in very deep.  I think if you spent every day swimming for an hour outside of the surf zone in the Carolinas or Georgia you would not last long.

It surprises me that diving the wrecks and artificial reefs is as popular as it is here in NC. It's not crazy popular, but there are a few dive shops and people that go regularly. There are even a few spear fishermen; if that's not asking for trouble, I am not sure what is. We just had a near shore attack the other day. But there are people who swim out past the breakers pretty much daily. It only increases the odds from essentially zero to almost zero.
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spirit4earth

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Re: Maui Shark Fatality
« Reply #16 on: June 04, 2019, 07:46:31 AM »
This is to Pono,
I understand statistics a little, and I think that you could spend every day in the water in Hawaii and Oregon and not get hit.  However, the east coast of the U.S. is different.  The locals know there are bull sharks in the water and they generally do not wade in very deep.  I think if you spent every day swimming for an hour outside of the surf zone in the Carolinas or Georgia you would not last long.

It surprises me that diving the wrecks and artificial reefs is as popular as it is here in NC. It's not crazy popular, but there are a few dive shops and people that go regularly. There are even a few spear fishermen; if that's not asking for trouble, I am not sure what is. We just had a near shore attack the other day. But there are people who swim out past the breakers pretty much daily. It only increases the odds from essentially zero to almost zero.

Are you at the Outer Banks?  Are you talking about the Atlantic Beach incident?  If I were a diver, I’d dive the wrecks for sure, just because it would be so cool.  Whenever I go to the beach from WNC, I’m always afraid of sharks.  I get in, but I don’t go out far and I don’t splash around a lot.  I know that not doing those things really guarantees nothing. 
It’s interesting that the last three “attacks” (I don’t like calling shark incidents attacks) that I know of in NC were teens.  The one on Sunday, and two in 16 or 17.
There are probably more that I don’t know about.

TallDude

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Re: Maui Shark Fatality
« Reply #17 on: June 04, 2019, 08:31:08 AM »
The 'fear of' is what thins the potential crowds. Jaws came out when I was about 11 years old. I was surfing and boogie boarding almost daily with my friends. It freaked us all out pretty bad. We turned to mostly skateboarding. It took a while to get it out of my head. It didn't help that my cousin who lived with us was bit by a shark surfing in Mexico right around that same time. It just made it more real. My kids grew up swimming and in the surf, but the recent frequent shark sightings at the beach right by our house has curb any interest to surf or even go to the beach with me. 

Probably a Tiger shark. My cousin lost part of his hand to a Tiger shark. They are unpredictable, as if any shark is ::)

Really I haven't heard of any sightings, where and when.......this might just deter me from buying a new wide aquatic.  >:(

The sightings were well publicized the last few years. Haven't hear of any this year yet, but the long stormy winter hasn't produce many favorable beach days. I don't think the sharks like our toxic runoff any more than we do. It's cleaning up now. Get out there and surf! Buy that new board and tell us about it.   
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PonoBill

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Re: Maui Shark Fatality
« Reply #18 on: June 04, 2019, 09:33:10 AM »
 

Rationally, he two most worrisome things are the stupidity of another human, followed closely by our own.

Pretty sure you got that backwards.

The argument that people on the East Coast or in Florida, or shark alley stay in shallow water, or that the water is cold, or people know there are sharks so they just wade can only be made if you've limited your beachgoing to the place you live--or you just haven't paid attention. People at a beach are not in the water--everywhere. Hawaii, Fiji, South Africa, Australia. Look at any beach picture, of any beach. 90 percent are on the sand, 9 percent are less than waist deep, .9 percent are swimming, .1 percent are in deep water. Shark attacks take place in shallow water because that's where the people are. That's where sharks and people intersect. And that's why we aren't their food--we're unreliable.

I'm not claiming sharks are nice, I'm just saying we aren't their food and that's a good thing. And we have a phobia about something that is a minor threat at best. The result of that phobia is that when people hear that millions of sharks get their fins cut off and are dumped back into the water to slowly suffocate, they say "good". It's not.
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SouthCounty

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Re: Maui Shark Fatality
« Reply #19 on: June 04, 2019, 06:27:05 PM »

The sightings were well publicized the last few years. Haven't hear of any this year yet, but the long stormy winter hasn't produce many favorable beach days. I don't think the sharks like our toxic runoff any more than we do. It's cleaning up now. Get out there and surf! Buy that new board and tell us about it.   

LOL thats what i wanna here;).... going to demo the wide aquatic sat or Sunday, 10'4 x 32, seems really big but i am a newbie. Was in  the shop Monday talking to Dave and he said this would be a good starting point for me as a newbie to stand up paddle surfing, just seems like a lil bit of a BIG board
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PonoBill

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Re: Maui Shark Fatality
« Reply #20 on: June 04, 2019, 08:34:30 PM »
The Foote Triton 10'4" is 10'4" X 33" and it's the best big board I've ever used. For me it's a one board quiver, I don't use smaller or bigger in surf. It's foiling or the 10'4". end of story, unless I've lent it to someone else. My brother Stoneaxe loves it just as much as I do, so when he's in Maui I have to pry it out of his hands.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.


 


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