Sharks and other scary stuff

[tuffr2]

My brother sent me a YouTube video of a deep sea fisherman that caught a large marlin. The fisherman is battling the big fish with waves banging off the back of the fishing boat as the captain has it in reverse. As the battle continues and the big fish gets closed to the boat all of the sudden there is additional splashing and low and behold the fisherman reels in just the head.

Then I see YouTube videos of people in the water hanging into a rope being dragged thru the water behind the boat. One guy makes his own water foil so he can control up and down.

So...I have to ask. Is it a good idea to troll with people? Seems there is a small risk as you become part of the good chain everytime you get into the water.

How big of an issue are sharks?

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[Cheechako]

It's just hard to say. One thing for sure, they are out there and Shark and Barracuda take many fish while they are being reeled in.... would they do so with a large man? less likely I think but anything is possible. I've never seen that with Marlin, as they are big dangerous fish.

[DefinitelyMe]

In Bermuda we actually call it 'shark baiting' when you hold onto a rope and drag behind a boat. I've never known anyone to do it in areas where big sharks are common though and i would feel very, very exposed doing it myself.

A couple of years ago i had the pleasure of going out with some friends who were filming a documentary ('Ocean Vet' - look out for it soon!). We basically went out to a well-known fishing bank, chucked a load of dead stuff and blood into the water over several hours and waiting for them to turn up. It was pretty surreal; normally if i were out swimming off a boat and a shark turned up there would be a general rapid migration of people out of the water and back into the the boat. This was the exact opposite - 'Hey there's a Tiger!' At which point we all jumped eagerly into the water amidst all the dead fish and blood (armed with a broomstick) and swam around with them. They were completely non-threatening provided you were looking at them. At one point i was freediving about 30 feet under the surface following a smallish tiger that was disappearing into the depths. It took off ahead of me and i lost sight of it. When i got back to the surface my friend on the boat immediately called 'Look behind you!'. I turned around and there was a much bigger tiger about 10 feet away and closing slowly. As soon as i turned to face it and it could see it had been clocked it lazily swam away. In that environment they were not threatening at all. However, i would not have liked to have been out there without a boat to retreat to, and i certainly wouldn't have wanted to be dragging behind a boat. I think then it would only have been a matter of time before one of them came in for a closer inspection and decided to have a taste.

[DefinitelyMe]

Oh, and there's some amazing footage that i've seen which may or may not be made available to the public at some point of a tiger shark attacking another tiger shark, killing it and then attempting to swallow it whole! (It doesn't manage it............)

[tuffr2]

As I re-read my post I see that is says 'good chain' when it should have said 'food chain'...ugh

I just thought a person dragging behind the boat was not a very good idea. Looks fun though.

Some of the newer sailboats have really nice swim platforms and ladder. Looks like if you can get to it you can get out of the water very easy and fast...fast enough??humm.

Just kinda wondering if my thought of swimming from the boat is an ok idea or not.




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[Steadman Uhlich]

An interesting question.

Sharks, in addition to being attracted to blood in water, are attracted to vibrations in the water, caused by splashes and fish in distress.

While being pulled behind a boat, or dragged by a line behind a boat may be fun for a while, I think the possible negative consequences would outweigh the fun for me. Everyone has different levels of risk tolerance. While I have bungee jumped, skydived, and even swam while becalmed in mid Pacific, I would not want to be trolled like bait behind any boat.

Also, I see a big difference between "swimming with sharks" versus being dragged through the water like bait.

I suppose those shark week videos sticks with me, the ones where they drag a rubber mock seal behind the boats to attract a shark attack at the surface.

[rgscpat]

Hanging off the back of a boat exposes people to much more danger from carbon monoxide, being slammed against the boat, or prop strikes, than from sharks.

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[a64pilot]

Many years ago when I first started diving, I was really worried about sharks.
Jaws had just came out and that movie really ruined me, we used to go out 20 or 30 miles fishing and if it got hot, would go swimming. Well, no more swimming after that movie, not for years, still gives me the willys, and how many years has it been?.
Anyway supposedly back then of all the survivors of a shark attack, not one ever saw the shark prior to being attacked. Apparently they were ambushed, not stalked like in the movies.
I used to spearfish quite a lot on Scuba, and often saw sharks, usually Bulls and sand sharks, but Bulls in particular have a reputation for attacks, but never got attacked, but you could often see them right at the edge of visibility, they would hang out right where you couldn't quite see them.
Only real run in I ever had with a shark was with a big Hammer, about 6 or 7 ft., and Hammers are not supposedly man eaters. Only thing that saved him was I couldn't get the power head on my gun in time, he came in at me at least three times, and twice I sank the "kill spike" into him, and it didn't seem to really bother him all that much. Coming up the anchor line was really un-nerving especially as I had a 5 min or so deco obligation.
He had been hanging around for the first part of the dive but seemed to have left, I had sent the family up the line as I always sent them up first and about 5 min later would untie from the "wreck". So after I had sent them up this big red snapper came back to the wreck begging to be shot, so I obliged, he dove off the side of the boat and this hammer came right over my head from behind going for the snapper and I though I'm going to lose my fish to him, but he turned and came at me several times. I assume he thought I was the source of the fish dieing vibrations / noise?

[sailstax]

Actually hammerheads are quite aggressive and known man-eaters

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by sailstax

Actually hammerheads are quite aggressive and known man-eaters

I'd have to agree, but remember reading that they weren't, supposed due to some extent to their relatively small mouths, and placement of the mouth, but this guy had his mouth wide open, but I don't think he could see me when he got close to me, cause I could duck him and poke him with the gun.


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[Canibul]

One thing most people don't realize is that every shark within a huge radius of you already knows you're in the water. Do some research on them. Here's a start:
A Shark's Sixth Sense

yet, they don't come over and eat you. Because they know you're not a fish. Don't act like a fish and you should be okay. Those bozos on Shark Week are the television equivalent of today's "news" casters. Don't believe a word they tell you. They bait those fish into a frenzy so they can get that footage. Sharks are just big fish. Nothing more.

Most of them avoid injury if they can, because a bleeding injury to them could be fatal to them. Because they ARE fish. And the other sharks know it.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Canibul

One thing most people don't realize is that every shark within a huge radius of you already knows you're in the water. Do some research on them. Here's a start:
A Shark's Sixth Sense

yet, they don't come over and eat you. Because they know you're not a fish. Don't act like a fish and you should be okay. Those bozos on Shark Week are the television equivalent of today's "news" casters. Don't believe a word they tell you. They bait those fish into a frenzy so they can get that footage. Sharks are just big fish. Nothing more.

Most of them avoid injury if they can, because a bleeding injury to them could be fatal to them. Because they ARE fish. And the other sharks know it.

Yeah, it can be un nerving as heck how the suddenly appear in an area youve been diving or snorkeling in for quite a while... then... there he is right where you were 3 minutes ago!
In my book... all wild animals are unpredictable.. and should be treated as such. Just ask the brothers that ran the tiger show in Vegas....

[rgscpat]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Yeah, it can be un nerving as heck how the suddenly appear in an area youve been diving or snorkeling in for quite a while... then... there he is right where you were 3 minutes ago!
In my book... all wild animals are unpredictable.. and should be treated as such. Just ask the brothers that ran the tiger show in Vegas....

Siegfried and Roy, retired, and Mantecore (died March 19, 2014 at age 17). Not brothers, but closely associated from around the early 60s. The performers maintain that Roy Horn had a stroke on stage October 3, 2003, and believe that Mantecore was trying to move Roy to safety and accidentally bit Roy in the neck, causing Roy's paralysis.

[Cormorant]

The stories of sharks coming to life in the boat reminded me of this excellent eel story. Just one more thing to inhabit your nightmares!

http://seabreezenews.com/issues/2009...9/Page_01c.pdf

A R-eel Fish Story

Two weeks ago a group of four men, Steve Hoyland Jr. with friends Bruce, Ken and Erik, set off on an overnight offshore fishing trip. They left at noon on a Tuesday and went about 120 miles out into the Gulf. They were having a great night of fishing, catching big snapper, grouper, ling and kings. About 3 am, two of them went down below to catch some sleep. The two remaining on deck were catching fish and drinking beer, enjoying the warm tropical night air.
All at once, Bruce got a big run on his line. This thing went all around the boat and took more than twenty minutes to bring up to the surface. When they got it up to the surface, they could not tell what it was. It looked prehistoric.
Steve Jr. put a gaff in it and the two men dragged it aboard the 33 foot boat. As soon the big creature hit the deck, it went crazy, attacking them. It was an eel over 6 feet long, weighing close to 100 pounds. It had a mouth full of sharp teeth and was extremely pissed off.
The eel was later estimated to be sixty years old. Bruce said it came at him and Steve, Jr. like an anaconda, rearing it’s head up and striking at them like a rattlesnake. It was highly agitated and quite energetic.
In the midst of thrashing around, the creature fell down below onto the floor between the two sleeping men, Erik and Ken. When they heard the thud and turned on the light, the eel raised it’s head right above Ken’s face. Erik rolled over and grabbed his 9 mm pistol. Steve Jr. started yelling. “Don’t shoot the gun in the boat! We’re 120 miles from land!”
Next thing you know, all four fishermen were on the deck and the gigantic eel had sole possession of the bottom of the boat.
The four needed to work up a plan of action, so they drank beer while considering a strategy. It was determined that Steve Jr. would distract the eel because he had drank the most alcohol and believed he was bulletproof. He opened up the sliding door down below to see what the “monster” was doing. As the door opened, the eel came up the two steps biting at anything along the way. The four brave men then ran to the wheel house like women and slammed the door shut. They never did identify which one of them screamed like a girl.
Inside the wheelhouse, they started calming down and decided they would drink a couple more beers. Then they hatched a new battle plan. Steve Jr. went out on the deck to get the beast’s attention. The eel attacked and Steve Jr. climbed up on top of the captain’s chair. Ken threw a blanket on top of the giant eel while Erik and Bruce beat the hell out of it with a steel gaff and a large ice chest lid. After the creature was finally subdued, they put it into a large ice chest, and closed the lid on it.
The four brave sailors all got themselves a beer and were laughing at the situation when the lid of the ice chest was suddenly knocked off and the eel sprang out onto the deck and resumed his attack.. Bruce stated that the eel was clearly out for vengeance. The four men each picked up something and the fight was on. After beating the creature with gaffs, ice chest lids and fire extinguishers again, they once more subdued the massive carnivore and put it back into the ice chest. This time, they tied the lid down and put another ice chest on top of that one.
Eighteen hours later they returned to the dock and started unloading the boat. None of them was anxious to open the lid to the ice chest, in fact, they did “rock, paper, scissors” to determine who would pop the lid!
Above is a picture of Bruce Gordy with the eel that he caught and bravely fought in that epic and desperate battle for control on the high seas. (Steve Hoyland, Sr.)

[a64pilot]

Sharks and blood are a little interesting, back when I used to fish a lot we would occasionally catch a shark. I learned if you cut one open to where it's guts spill out and throw it in the water, it will eat it's own guts until it dies.
My Father had a trick, if you bent it's nose up with a big pair of pliers and turned it loose, it couldn't submerge, it would swim away right at the surface, small sharks, couple of feet. Learned the hard way not to bring a big one in the boat. Big ones, just cut the leader and let them go.