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Old 03-06-2020, 08:51 AM   #1
montauk diver
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shark shield

Hey fellow spearos. I'm interested in some feedback about the shark shield. I want to know if it is an annoyance to wear. Do you feel it while swimming? Is it annoying getting in/out of the boat, or walking around in the boat? Do you worry about breaking it while walking around in boat? Is it annoying to put on or use? Obviously I'm considering buying one and I just know that if it is annoying in any way whatsoever, it will end up on ebay.
Another question is more about your personal feeling of the danger of Great Whites. I live in an area on the east coast that is currently seeing a burst in the population of whites. From babies to adults, we have never really witnessed any in our nearshore waters and now we see many(although I have not personally seen one yet). For about thirty years I have commercially spearfished these waters and always carry a stringer to hold fish(bleeding and thrashing) until it is a good time to get back to the boat and unload. Also, I am in water that generally has 4-8' of vis. I have never in 30 years been approached by a single shark(at least that I saw). I now try to minimize my practice of keeping fish on my stringer but it wastes a lot of time bringing each fish back to the boat. I'm curious how you west coast guys who dive near whites feel about this info. Please comment. Thanks
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Old 03-06-2020, 12:55 PM   #2
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Re: shark shield

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Originally Posted by montauk diver View Post
Hey fellow spearos. I'm interested in some feedback about the shark shield. I want to know if it is an annoyance to wear. Do you feel it while swimming? Is it annoying getting in/out of the boat, or walking around in the boat? Do you worry about breaking it while walking around in boat? Is it annoying to put on or use? Obviously I'm considering buying one and I just know that if it is annoying in any way whatsoever, it will end up on ebay.
Another question is more about your personal feeling of the danger of Great Whites. I live in an area on the east coast that is currently seeing a burst in the population of whites. From babies to adults, we have never really witnessed any in our nearshore waters and now we see many(although I have not personally seen one yet). For about thirty years I have commercially spearfished these waters and always carry a stringer to hold fish(bleeding and thrashing) until it is a good time to get back to the boat and unload. Also, I am in water that generally has 4-8' of vis. I have never in 30 years been approached by a single shark(at least that I saw). I now try to minimize my practice of keeping fish on my stringer but it wastes a lot of time bringing each fish back to the boat. I'm curious how you west coast guys who dive near whites feel about this info. Please comment. Thanks
I dive with one in the Monterey Bay solely because of the increasing amount of sharks, and sightings/encounters I've had. I trust the technology, otherwise I wouldn't wear it because it is a nightmare to deal with. I dive solo almost all of the time, and do a lot of night and very early morning dives in very green water (3-10' vis). Its big and cumbersome and annoying for sure, I do worry about breaking it, and I worry about it getting tangled in floatlines/shooting line/kelp/etc. The best thing to do is tuck it into your weight belt when you're on the boat, walking down the beach, etc. As you now, one more piece of gear is one more thing to remember, lose, break, etc, so it takes some getting used to. Actually diving with the thing (after getting it turned on), isn't terribly bad. You will get shocked by it. BUT, I want to get home to see my son, so I wear it.
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Old 03-06-2020, 01:13 PM   #3
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Re: shark shield

I don’t wear one, but a lot of my friends do. Personally I think it’s a waste of money and a huge annoyance. Maybe I’d feel differently if I had another run-in with a GWS, but the only thing my buddies’ shark shields ever shock are me, them, and deckhands. I also do most of my diving around Monterey Bay, and it’s all upside-down, waist-deep in cracks in bad visibility kind of diving. It’s shockingly easy (pun intended) to drift into your buddy’s cable in conditions like that, and it doesn’t feel great. It also makes me wonder about what would happen in the event of a shallow water blackout rescue. Obviously when the sh*t hits the fan you’re going to do everything you need to do to keep your buddy alive, but having a six foot cable repeatedly shocking you as you try to get your buddy up and conscious would certainly complicate things at a time when you really don’t want things to be more complicated than they need to be. And statistically SWB is a much greater risk to divers than a GWS encounter.

IMO, the best defenses against sharks are the ten pound sack of meat behind your eyes (be smart about when, where, and how you dive), buddy diving (a buddy in the water reduces your chances of getting bit by 50%...), and first aid preparedness (tourniquet, pressure bandages, etc. on the boat, kayak, or float).
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Old 03-07-2020, 05:46 PM   #4
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Re: shark shield

Interesting thread considering the increase in sightings. I’ve always wondered if it would be effective if left dangling from a kayak or float, and then being vigilant about diving within close proximity?

OK I’ll freely admit that I’m 100% positive I’d surface right into the thing repeatedly until I got it figured out, but like mentioned, I like the idea of coming home to my kids...
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Old 03-07-2020, 11:18 PM   #5
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Re: shark shield

Dive with a gopro instead. Dozens of encounters, zero injuries/fatalities, and none were using a shark shield. Point is, it will not deter a hungry predator.
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Old 03-08-2020, 11:47 AM   #6
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Re: shark shield

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Dive with a gopro instead. Dozens of encounters, zero injuries/fatalities, and none were using a shark shield.
That’s not exactly true. A few years back a father and son were diving out of Stillwater South and the son was hit and very nearly killed. Also a kayaker was knocked out of his boat near the aquarium.
That’s kinda like saying thousands of people drive millions of miles without getting into an accident, so don’t bother wearing a seat belt.
The way I look at it, if the safety technology is there, and practical to use, (and that’s the questionable part), then it’s reasonable to do so, but that’s just my opinion.
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Old 03-08-2020, 01:33 PM   #7
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Re: shark shield

...Haven't seen any research showing shields actually detour large sharks...but, in your limited vis situation, I strongly advise not putting your fish on a belt stringer which makes you a swimming bait trail....Instead, consider a float with a stringer you tow behind you..Hopefully, if stuff hits the fan, that will give you time to make the boat...Researchers say that sharks can pick up a tiny blood trail a quarter-mile away..Up in your area, there were 6 tagged gw's just off one beach...Me, I always carry a big gun in open water where we chase tuna and yellowtail.
...Had a 16' gw almost get me (love those CA kelp beds!) and hold the U.S. spearfishing record for Blue sharks after a 9 1/2'er came straight up at me and tried to take a chunk out of my then-skinny body...Of four attacks on kayakers in our waters, all kayaks were either red or yellow in color..Commercial guys say sharks are attracted to their net buoy colors yellow and red more than other colors, but, like anything in life, it is subject to change....

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Old 03-08-2020, 01:56 PM   #8
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Re: shark shield

I’ve spoken with two freedivers who have been buzzed/charged by large GWS. One in Fort Brag the day before Randy Fry was hit, and the other in Stillwater North. Both said they didn’t know the shark was there until it was pretty much on them. Neither were actually hit.

I don’t own a shark shield. The “precautions” I take, are that I always have a CAT tourniquet easily accessible on my float or kayak, and always have a Fox40 whistle handy. That’s about it so far...
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Old 03-08-2020, 02:00 PM   #9
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Re: shark shield

Oh, and my fish go on a stringer hanging from my yak or float. I tried putting them on top of the above, but the darn sea gulls kept getting them!
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Old 03-08-2020, 02:51 PM   #10
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Re: shark shield

...You want to eliminate the blood trail...Otherwise, you are still in the feeding zone..An innertube with a closed-lid plastic container would likely solve the issue. Even better, a kayak with a box, which I use currently, then, you can climb on the kayak or use it as a shield if something goes down..my kayak is yellow..hopefully, it will attract the shark to it and not me...
...If by chance you are injured, a kayak will get you to shore a lot quicker than trying to swim and provides a platform if others need to bring you in. My kayak has a bow rope/clip for kelp quik-disconnects and an anchor/line set up for open water..cut the line and you are out of the red zone quickly...

In the ocean, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...

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Old 03-08-2020, 05:18 PM   #11
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Re: shark shield

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Originally Posted by Ron S View Post
That’s not exactly true. A few years back a father and son were diving out of Stillwater South and the son was hit and very nearly killed. Also a kayaker was knocked out of his boat near the aquarium.
That’s kinda like saying thousands of people drive millions of miles without getting into an accident, so don’t bother wearing a seat belt.
The way I look at it, if the safety technology is there, and practical to use, (and that’s the questionable part), then it’s reasonable to do so, but that’s just my opinion.
Was the camera on?
Fact is there is no proof it will even slightly deter a hungry predator. Dozens of videos out with divers freeswimming with large sharks, not being attacked. 1000’s of divers in California waters each day are not being attacked, with a very rare exception. I would spend the money on a well equipped trauma kit, which I have.
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Old 03-08-2020, 10:15 PM   #12
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Re: shark shield

Doen't fit a GWS' M.O..... He sees a silhouette from underneath and shoots up like a rocket, hits his prey and strolls off waiting for it to bleed out. The speed that he is going will pass through your cord without deterring him.... Now if he was made more like the "licky" and "bumpy" sharks they have down in Florida .... then maybe. Haha
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Old 03-09-2020, 07:54 AM   #13
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Re: shark shield

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. Some good "food for thought"
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Old 03-09-2020, 01:04 PM   #14
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Re: shark shield

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