Shark attack St Martin..

[auwekamanu]

Was a death in Penobscot Bay in the ‘80’s that was probably a shark attack. A graduate student from the Univ of Illinois who was diving on a research program with a faculty member. His body was never recovered. It may not have been an attack, but most assume that it was.

[JPA Cate]

Some sharks behave more territorially than others: tiger sharks and grey reef sharks come to mind. Sounds to me like the shark above wanted the human out of his space.

Do not swim with them at dawn and dusk.

Swim in clear water, not murky.

Just bucket off if you're too hot.

If there are more than a couple nearby, consider getting out of the water, calmly, no splashing or acting what will seem like "wounded fish" to them. Don't swim with mobs of sharks.

Otherwise, most black tipped reef sharks are biting people on their lower legs as they walk out. These people are tourists. When you're walking, they only see a tasty tidbit, if they see your whole body, they will swim away from you if you swim towards them. Cruisers usually inform themselves about the habits of sharks before they swim every day where the sharks live.

A diver in a black wetsuit may look like safe food to eat to a great white, a lot like a seal.

Read up on dangerous marine animals' behaviors. It's interesting.

Ann

[old pirate]

Just watch a re-play of the old film "JAWS" and be cured of the desire to swim in the sea !

[davenrino]

This gal swims with sharks on a regular basis. This video is from a year ago off Oahu and this shark is thought to be the largest in the world. I do still swim here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoqRcwBJxa8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuE_ubJiCQs

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by arsenelupiga

we did in water hull cleaning, and 2 days after croc attack on swimmer in same area in lizard island. sydney harbour - apparently the highest density of man eating sharks. We swimmed often. Not anmore due to pollution. Sharks seem to get used to people else there would be plenty attacks. One should be really afraid of crocks. They are real doers.

Have to call BS on this, when I was 18 I worked as a diver in the harbour, many locations, I am now 67 and can assure you that the harbour is far cleaner now than then.

[hafa]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

There are sharks that are territorial, bull's in particular. I saw a video the other day where a shark attacked a diver, bit him on the shoulder in a blatant act of aggression.

The shark displayed all the tells.....fins down, back arched and swimming in fast jerky motions This particular shark made a FAST pass by the diver, then turned around and swam FAST directly at the diver before latching on to his shoulder. The shark BIT, then swam off....he did not try to EAT the diver.

I'm no "shark expert" and my experience is limited to Micronesia, but as a divemaster with >1000 dives and lots of time around sharks, I've witnessed this kind of behavior from bull sharks many times. There are defined territory lines with them and it's obvious when you cross them. The interesting thing is that if you slowly back away from the line, they tend to settle down quickly. IMHO, I believe that they see you as a competitor, not prey.

The larger sharks here (tigers and oceanic white tips being predominant) tend to congregate in deeper waters where they can find larger prey (no seals in Micronesia). There have, however, been rare sightings of them making occasional incursions into the deeper parts (i.e., shipping channel) of the lagoon here. Nonetheless, shallower lagoon areas here are among the safest places in the world to swim in the ocean.

As JPA Cate observed, smaller sharks like black tip and white tip reef sharks generally won't go after anything they perceive as larger than themselves. Unless breeding or feeding, they are typically really shy and will flee at the first sight of a diver.

[a64pilot]

A Bull is definitely territorial, but so is a Cotton mouth water moccasin, neither has much of a brain though, don’t confuse behavior with intelligence.
Don’t contribute human traits to animals. I can’t come close to spelling the proper word.

Now it’s my belief that many marine mammals are intelligent, but a shark isn’t.

[hafa]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

A Bull is definitely territorial, but so is a Cotton mouth water moccasin, neither has much of a brain though, don’t confuse behavior with intelligence...

I'm fairly certain that I did not ascribe specific causes to the behaviors I related in my post. Even the most primitive of animals will react differently to competitors VS prey.

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Don’t contribute human traits to animals. I can’t come close to spelling the proper word...

Anthropomorphism; something I don't believe I was guilty of; please see previous comment (also, apologies, but attribution VS contribution).

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Have to call BS on this, when I was 18 I worked as a diver in the harbour, many locations, I am now 67 and can assure you that the harbour is far cleaner now than then.

ok, i thought pollution only goes worse - entropy laws etc. Me and my wife swam in harbour close to heads, in clean looking water, and both had 1 month long difficult recovery from whatever was in the water. Looks like things turned south again.

[Alistair242]

Originally Posted by tarian

To blame a tourist is silly, it can happen to anyone a pure chance encounter,
Everytime one enters the sea there is risk, more chance of getting struck by lightning

These are the facts. You can minimise risk by taking a few precautions but the risk is always there, like crossing the street.

[MicHughV]

I've been diving for about 35 years now, and have seen my share of sharks in that time...

this is my takeaway....that shark can see you long before you see it..if it wants to take a chomp outa you....it can be on you, long before you have a chance to think about it..it can come from any direction....any depth...

I don't think sharks specifically hunt out humans....it's more a case of mistaken identity....

[picklesandjesse]

Originally Posted by arsenelupiga

ok, i thought pollution only goes worse - entropy laws etc. Me and my wife swam in harbour close to heads, in clean looking water, and both had 1 month long difficult recovery from whatever was in the water. Looks like things turned south again.

The 4 granite pylons that support the Sydney harbour bridge were nearly black from pollution in the late 50's. They were steam cleaned, took many months, but are still clean today. Sydney also suffered from what we called 'Woofal dust ' if you opened a window to let some air in, it landed on books etc at school. There were about 30% of the trees that you now see too, in the northern suburbs anyway.

[MartinAdelaide]

Originally Posted by dwedeking2

The secret is to go diving with people that swim slower than you...

Divers carry knives so they can stab their buddy and make them the more appetising choice.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

... Now it’s my belief that many marine mammals are intelligent, but a shark isn’t.

This is a common misconception. They are capable of learning. You can get sharks to respond to some types of stimulus, such as giving a reward. Sharks can exhibit complex social behavior, and some species can communicate with body language, live in groups, and even hunt in packs. Sharks and rays have some of the largest brains among all fish, with brain-to-body ratios similar to birds, and even some mammals.
They have some cognitive capacities. Not like humans, but they’re not mindless.
➥ https://www.sharksinfo.com/intelligence.html

[MicHughV]

I've never had shark fin soup before...but I have ate shark....very occasionally....in the past...I have seen it sold in fish markets...but not lately...the meat is steaked rather than filleted...much like a swordfish....as the shark does not have bones per se...just a backbone......I thought it was quite good eating....not the best seafood I've ever had, but certainly not bad...
but these days...shark fishing is banned....at least around my neck of the woods...

fishing for other fish....I've caught many a shark.....but they never come on the boat....ever......