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Diving Safety, Accidents and Incidents Post here to discuss accidents, incidents, ideas, gear, or anything else to improve spearfishing safety. Memorials and condolences threads should be placed in that separate forum. |
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12-07-2018, 02:58 AM | #1 |
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Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
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12-08-2018, 02:40 PM | #2 |
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
In Indonesia I often had encounters in the Waves/shallows with Blacktip Reef Sharks. When they were in their migration there could be many. You could count sometimes 50-75 from the cliff. Being around those sharks in waves in shallow water is not a great situation. You could get brushed up on coral and then start bleeding a little. You could be carrying fish.. It's always good to have depth on your side. I would have swam out. Then if he harrass you. I would have given him a nice Sharp Poke. My experience is that if the water is deeper, they will stay down and give you more space.
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12-08-2018, 11:28 PM | #3 | |
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
Quote:
I dived a spot in Indo last year and after some deeper dives I moved inshore just on the inside of some small pinnacles which the waves broke against. The place was just full of life. Big life. A moray as fat as Arnold's thighs cruised over the reef - freakishly impressive seeing that monster freeswimming, two rays kept doing doughnuts just under me and plenty of good, assorted dinner fish was there for the picking. But I also had a humongous blacktip checking me out for the longest time. I am by no means used to sharks yet, but tried to keep my cool as he seemed more curious than aggressive, but he did come closer and closer. I did notice that as long as I had a visual on him, he would keep his distance - but every time a big wave broke on the pinnacles it was like diving in champagne froth and I would loose him for what felt like ages and when the foam cleared out, he would often pop up right next to me. Eventually, I chickened out, hollered for the boat and changed spots, haha. Swimming to deeper water would have been counter intuitive to me at that point, I but I'll try to store that one. |
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12-12-2018, 09:27 AM | #4 |
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
Going back in you had to brave sharp coral. How did you get out there in the first place?
Given that I had a plan on how to get out of the water I would always choose clearer water (eg going out deeper). Breaking waves & low vis is when you're the most vulnerable and likely to get a test bite from a shark, particularly if it was following you in the first place and sees you as potentially escaping food. Option 3 could be carrying a powerhead. Maybe that reef shark is legal where you are diving and could make some decent tablefare. Situation dependent and everyone is different but if I felt like I was forced into an unsafe situation by a shark I'd definitely prefer to have the option of removing the shark from the equation. |
12-12-2018, 10:22 AM | #5 |
Pacific Spearo
Join Date: Jul 2007
Age: 62
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
Freedivers dont normally carry powerheads....its not in our sport.
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12-12-2018, 10:41 AM | #6 | |
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
Quote:
You don't use them for sport, Sport.
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12-12-2018, 10:46 AM | #7 |
Pacific Spearo
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
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12-12-2018, 03:15 PM | #8 |
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
Thinking this through again. There's something else to mention. Back in Indonesia when I would encounter a lot of these Blacktips, they had this particular area which they congregated in. a few hundred yards up or down the beach and they were uncommon, but in certain areas, I could sometimes see many. A buddy asked me one day how I brought my fish in through there, and I told him I didn't. Even though it meant kicking through the stream of the current out off the ledge, that was the protocol. The last thing you want is to be in the shallows, with waves, with a bunch of sharks, carrying fish. My point is that just because that shark was harrasing you right there in that spot, doesn't mean that the whole coastline is like that. Don't force situations unless you need to. That shark liked that spot. It was his spot for whatever reason. Kick out to the deeper area, and move up or down coast and pick a good spot to come in. If it's the only spot to come in.. then use a long line attached to your float and leave the fish up high on the float. The thing to consider is that if a large wave breaks it can carry your float and lines in and tangle you up, so try to keep that in mind and set up your diagonal. This is my experience with BlackTip Reef Sharks..
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01-16-2019, 10:52 AM | #9 |
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
This is definitely something divers and spearo's are facing more and more. In the Gulf of Mexico we run into bull sharks all the time, and what we noticed was that some of these sharks are actually living on a single wreck or rig because they get so many free meals from spearfishermen. We had a massive bull shark, 10ft+ that was very easy to identify, who was living on the same sunken bridge span for several years. Every diver who hits that spot had encountered him and we ran into him ourselves about 4 times over the course of 2 years. He was super aggressive. You'd see him first way off in the distance, then as soon as somebody shot a speargun he was right in your face. He rammed several divers, split up groups, chased people into the boat, etc... and every time you went back he was there again.
I think some sharks are behaving like problem bears at camp sites in the mountains. When they figure out that they can get an easy meal by scaring the crap out of somebody, they just park there and harass people for food nonstop. Even the most conservative national park rangers go in and kill problem bears that behave like that, because they aren't behaving like a wild animal and they are a danger to everyone who goes there. On popular dive sites with problem sharks I'd support people wanting to cull that particular shark. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a shark killer, but when they behave like that for extended periods of time, they are a real danger. The occasional shark passing by and making a run at your fish is a different story, sharks are sharks and they like food. So you can't just kill every single one that gives you a look, and in the case of the video above it seems like he just wanted that guy out of there. I guess my point is that there's a couple of major shark behavior types out there, and one that spearo's are starting to encounter is the problem shark that has parked himself over a popular spearing site in order to attack divers for their fish. My experience says that those sharks are big, super aggressive, and won't back down if you poke them. That bull shark I mentioned had about a dozen holes in him. I jabbed him one time with the tip of my gun and my spear tip went in all the way to the end of the flopper. He didn't even flinch. |
01-16-2019, 12:49 PM | #10 |
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
If it is close for me to poke it, I am pulling the trigger. Sorry.
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01-17-2019, 09:44 AM | #11 | |
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
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01-17-2019, 11:47 AM | #12 |
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Re: Harassed by a shark: a dilemma
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