SHARKS

Just curious about sharks. Here in the states they dont get much press except for the rare attack or multiple recent sightings in New England.

Are great whites that much of an issue in Oz and SA or is the problem overplayed?

Do you even think about an attack when you fall in ?
Here in Florida I'm more concened about alligators in the rivers than sharks in the gulf.

Just curious if it is an issue for any of you or do just put out of your mind ? From what I have read attacks are a very rare occurance but try telling that to a victim of an attack ?

I am not aware of any shark attacks on surf skis in Sydney. In Sydney we have had a few non fatal shark attacks on surfers and swimmers over the last few years (these were bull sharks I believe and resulted in loss of limbs). Enough to have my ocean swimming friends and I reconsider our open water training swims: we now generally now only swim far offshore in one of the many organised summer races.

Most of the above attacks were bull sharks and occurred in the usual risk zones of dusk or dawn, murky water etc. We regularly see bull sharks swimming round the Sydney Harbour Heads at dawn, but they never show any interest. My friend actually played chicken with one a few years back that was swimming straight towards his bow. He didn't want to turn in case it hit him and knocked him over side on, so just kept paddling towards it. He called the sharks bluff and it dived!

I'd wager that sharks don't see surf ski's as food. We do splash so they might be attracted but we do not given off any signs of life such as EMPs. I do make sure I keep my hands (and legs) out of the water when we see them though. I've never fallen off after seeing a shark (thank heck). I don't really think about them when I do fall off: pre-occupied with getting back on. But then we are all pretty comfortable in the aquatic environment.

Three years ago I was chasing two other distant surf skis paddling far off Bondi in fairly wild conditions. They about turned and came paddling flat out back towards me. When we got within ear shot they stated that they had just seen the biggest Tiger shark ever. I too turned and fled for shore. Tiger sharks and Great Whites are a different cup of tea: they don't seem to fear anything and often have all sorts of stuff in their stomachs that they have "tasted". I think that is why they are known to nibble surf skis in South Africa.

Western Australia has had a nasty spell of great white fatalities off their popular beaches, and even a recent surf ski nibble in June.

I once paddled into a rather large fish just outside the Heads (entrance of Sydney Harbour) that I assume was a shark... it was moving away from a large school of fish trashing about 50m ahead of me. The 'shark' would have been swimming in my direction just below the surface and was very powerful as it pushed the paddle away and in a fell swoop got the ski to change direction which was rather unnervy, however because I did not see anything and was focusing on paddling away from the school of fish which I know would have attracted predators. The only other fish I ever saw in or out of the harbour have been tiny! Thank God!

I find that the only time I ever think of shark as I'm paddling are times when I am worrying about something else, otherwise I'm generally enjoying my surroundings and of course the paddling itself to ever think about them in the first place!

Enjoy your paddling... there are far more interesting wild life to come across out there!

JDF

I tend to paddle a lot closer to shore than I used to. Used to paddle a kilometre or 2 out to sea once, usually on my own....not anymore. In my defence, I still paddle most days, just closer to shore.

The stupid thing is there are probably no more sharks in the water, just more media coverage.
I've read stats that say more people die from bee stings and eating peanuts than die from shark attacks. I read something last week that stated 2500 people die in the US every year because they were killed while driving and talking on their mobiles.

So my advice is keep paddling, but don't eat peanut butter, walk through fields of flowers or drive on your way to the beach and you should be fine.

I'm a lot more conscious of sharks than I used to be. But now we have shark spotters who broadcast sightings onto Twitter so I get to hear about every single sighting!

But in 12 years of paddling in the "shark infested" Cape, I've only ever seen two sharks (had another one come up behind the ski to have a look at me!)

The odds of encountering one are minute; the odds of being involved in an incident much less.

I cling to the belief that in downwind conditions, the crashing waves make it much less likely that I'll attract unwanted attention but I have to confess that I do think twice about paddling in False Bay on a flat calm day from Sep-Jan when they come inshore.

Here's an article on ski/shark encounters in South Africa

Rob, what is the Shark Spotters twitter address?

Thx - they do a great job.

@SharkSpotters

Yep, they do a great job...

Where I live in California, I believe the drive to and from the put-in is more dangerous than my time on or in the water.

I do feel more protected in, or on a boat, versus being in the water swimming or body boarding.

I try to avoid hanging out with marine mammals.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Triangle_%28Pacific_Ocean%29

Rainer Lang

Not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but each time there's a lot of press on sharks, it's usually around spring or the beginning of summer when the media seem to want to scare people... the sharks are always there!

My other belief is that fear is the thief of dreams and Im not one to lead my life based on these one of more fears...

If you focus on your stroke, catching the next run or simply admiring the serenity of your surroundings there will be little or no room for much other nasty thoughs of any kind.

Keep paddling!

JDF

Im with JDF, put your head down and paddle, or as he says look around at the beauty of where and what you are doing. I have paddled in shark infested oceans for close on 35 years and I can count on one hand the amount of times I thought I saw a shark.

I wonder if there is a spotting site for leathal drivers out there, at least we can then stay away from what is really dangerous!

on the gold coast I have seen a few over the years and once was even so relaxed about it ( it was a small one ) that on a downwind run I aimed and spooked one that was cruinsing straight at me. That said I have more scary encounters with whales at dusk.....
like someone said take it all in as we are luck to be able to share it with the ones that live there.

We have a shark problem in Western Australia. Numerous sightings across the state and several fatal great white attacks in the past 12 months. Its not only isolated areas either. Sharks are regularly spotted at main beaches. I've been in regular contact with the guys from ESDS Hawaii (electronic shark shield) whom I believe are developing a product for kayak use. Yeh!

I've recently read a shark behavioural study conducted by the ZAR and Auz. governments. The gist of the report was: a) South Australia Test - even though a static bait was protected by a Sharkshield device the bait still got taken in the end b) Houtbay ZAR - a mobile seal decoy towed behind a boat got attacked every time while the test same test using the decoy+ Sharkshield none a single got taken. I would conclude that you are vulnerable even with a sharkshield type of device. Being stationary in the water one is more venerable than when mobile. Either way its not great reading for a paddler in his 2nd year of downwind paddling here in Perth!

I only came across a shark once while paddling, and that was when i was in the zone and not even thinking remotely about sharks. It was a juvenile bronze whaler, and that only about 200 meters from the beach around a reef. The shark got more of a fright than I did by the chance encounter.

I also did fall off the ski when surfing some waves about 50 meters from the beach and landed amongst some Rays in water about 5 feet deep. They just swam away from me and were not in the slightest aggressive.

Here is an interesting link:

www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/isaf/isaf.htm

So from the responses it seems that it's best to take in the day and put the sharks out of your mind.

I had posed the question as i am new to surf ski and am still staying in the lake till i gain more stability.

As I mentioned in my original post gators are more on my mind. The lake i paddle in is about a mile across and vegetation dense. I haver never seen a gator in this lake. That being said yesterday I took a swim and was just exhausted. While holding onto the ski and getting my energy back i had thoughts of a 12 footer clamping down on my ankle and pulling me under.

Yeah, not a good thought but it crept into my mind. Seconds later on the ski and off i went .
I think i am focused on gators after watching a documentary on the "saltys' down in Qz.

RE: paddling. it's slowly coming around.

Yeah - the shark alarm went off this morning just as we were about to head out for a reverse Millers downwind run. We had to wait 15mins until they opened the beach again.

The problem with having Shark Spotters is that they spot sharks! (Just joking, they're great guys, it's a wonderful service.)

The run was worth the wait though - we had spectacular conditions, the best reverse Millers of the season... Fantastic.

robin.mousley wrote: Yeah - the shark alarm went off this morning just as we were about to head out for a reverse Millers downwind run. We had to wait 15mins until they opened the beach again.

The problem with having Shark Spotters is that they spot sharks! (Just joking, they're great guys, it's a wonderful service.)

The run was worth the wait though - we had spectacular conditions, the best reverse Millers of the season... Fantastic.

Curious: Are these spotters in towers, aircraft / Are the beaches protected by nets?

The spotters are on the mountain that overlooks the bay. They have a great view although the guys were struggling today - it's much more difficult to spot the sharks when the cloud comes over.

Nets are problematic because of a) the environmental conditions (big waves and build up of kelp) and b) gill nets kill lots of marine life apart from the sharks.

They are putting up a barrier net (ie small mesh, doesn't kill) in January to protect one end of Fish Hoek beach. This is the culmination of years of research and planning.

robin.mousley wrote: Yeah - the shark alarm went off this morning just as we were about to head out for a reverse Millers downwind run. We had to wait 15mins until they opened the beach again.

So the shark swam out of Fish Hoek..... towards Millers Point??!
Anyway knowing there are sharks around does wonders for one's re-mounting skills

Rod Thomas wrote:

robin.mousley wrote: Yeah - the shark alarm went off this morning just as we were about to head out for a reverse Millers downwind run. We had to wait 15mins until they opened the beach again.

So the shark swam out of Fish Hoek..... towards Millers Point??!
Anyway knowing there are sharks around does wonders for one's re-mounting skills

Haha! Unlikely that the shark was going in the same direction as us - they usually cruise along the shore so he'd have turned right towards Glencairn...

The last time it happened we were already on the way when the alarm went off. What to do? We decided to bunch up (you've never seen such a tight diamond) and carry on. As it turned out it was the correct decision - the shark was visible from the clubhouse and they could see it coming in on our right. It ignored us completely. But if we'd turned, the group would've split up and we'd have been coming back on top of the beast - it might have been inspired to examine someone more closely!

robin.mousley wrote: The last time it happened we were already on the way when the alarm went off. What to do? !

Watching you guys do regular Miller's Runs I often wondered what you do when they spot a shark and put up the white flag. Do you come in to Fish Hoek regardless or divert to Glencairn or Kalk bay? I'll be there in Dec/Jan but it is a scary thought paddling there. I saw one from the catwalk just 30m from the shore...