That’s why “Sharkstick” was/is so funny.
any surfermag or surfing mag collectors out there: it was in a 83-86 issue I saw dat. Maybe somone can find the advert and post it here.
Joni,
You just need a visit from a friendly Chinese (PRC or Taiwanese) trade delegation to secure rights to fishing zones in your area, and Chinese buyers to educate the local fishermen to the great economic benefits of selling them sharkfins. (sharkfin soup?)
15 years ago here we had a huge shark populations on both coasts, but now it’s rare to see a shark anywhere around the Balboa/Panama City area, or nearby offshore islands. I remember as a kid, Pier 18 in Balboa (large pier for the largest ships transiting the Canal) in the 70s - you would see these small, white-hulled, chinese longliners with sharkfins hangin all over the ship - this pier is about 1000ft long, and you would see these small 200ft long fishing boats tied up, two abreast, the whole lenghth of the pier regularly - sharkfins hangin off of every available space drying out.
You talk to the older water heavies here, adn they recount stories of run -ins that would keep the current schoolboy “yeye” surfing population way down , if conditions were the same.
there are still sharks - but you see em few and far between now.
It seems only the developed countries like the States, NZ, and Australia – where they make laws to protect sharks, and which peeps abide by - only there do sharks do well.
so soon, Joni, with the help of the Chinese fishing fleets, you’ll be able to swim with little fear.
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I know those - what we call bang-sticks or power heads.
Nope, what I was talking about was like a gimmick thing - just a short wooden baton about 12" to 18" long and 1-2" diam, packaged in clear plastic with like a cardboard backing – it was advertised in an edition or two of Surfer or Surfing in the 80s. On the cardboard it said something like, “actually tested on sharks in Hawaii”, and they all had like these cuts on them from shark bites during testing.
It was marketed as Sharkstick, or something like that - “perfect for divers, surfers, beachgoers…”
Although it was a serious attempt to market a sharkstick - - everyone thought it hilarous.
The Club for surfers…
-Samiam
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what was that about never yell ‘shark’ in a crowded room of surfers?
in the end, you’re much safer in the water than on the drive there. the same applies to skydiving.
have fun on the water today everyone.
Pat
Right after the movie “Jaws” hit NJ shore theaters in 1975, it was surfing Nirvana. There was a swell running, it was the middle of summer, and us locals had the most popular surfing beach pretty much to ourselves for over a week. When the shoobies started to get back in the water, I had a project in mind to mount the dorsal and tail fins from a largish shark on a 6’ two-by-four, attach a battery pack, motor, prop from a model boat, and rudder, and weight the whole thing so that the two-by-four would float just under the surface. The idea was to run the contraption through the lineup by remote control whenever it got excessively crowded. Unfortunately, the economics of remote control at the time weren’t conducive to a fund-challenged surfer pulling the project off.
-Samiam
Howzit sam, I think that fall is the time for shark breeding and we all know that horney animals are unpredictable. Fall is when we see more sharks an the islands. In 1974 turtle fishing wasoutlawed in Hawaii and now there are a lot of them swimming in the line ups, gues what is one of the tiger sharks most favorite snacks, turtles. The shark bites offf 1 of their flippers which makes the turtle swim in circles and can’t get away from the shark. Aloha,Kokua
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Howzit sam, I think that fall is the time for shark breeding and we all know that horney animals are unpredictable. Fall is when we see more sharks an the islands. In 1974 turtle fishing wasoutlawed in Hawaii and now there are a lot of them swimming in the line ups, gues what is one of the tiger sharks most favorite snacks, turtles. The shark bites offf 1 of their flippers which makes the turtle swim in circles and can’t get away from the shark. Aloha,Kokua
The extra wide head of a tiger shark enables them to actually swallow a turtle whole…pretty scary considering turtles are pretty big so something big enought to swallow one whole is big enough to cut you clean in half…or worse.
Whole intact turtles have been found in the stomachs of Tiger sharks
Always thought about a remote control clown head that I could raise up and down. Too many surfers would stay in the water just to be cool after a shark fin sighting but I bet not many would hang around if a clown head popped up 20 yards away and then went back under. 
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Always thought about a remote control clown head that I could raise up and down. Too many surfers would stay in the water just to be cool after a shark fin sighting but I bet not many would hang around if a clown head popped up 20 yards away and then went back under.
Ya gotta make the clown look like Pennywise…
Today, most surfers might stay in to look cool. In the summer of ‘75, though, there was a minor panic among the tourists over the movie. Don’t forget, it was set at the Jersey shore, and there were a lot more similarities than differences between the fictional Amity Island and resorts like Ocean City. While Peter Benchley always denied modeling Quint on real-life shark fisherman Capt. Frank Mundus, whose stomping grounds included Long Island and North Jersey, Speilberg and company definitely embued the screen character with some of Mundus’ attributes. Also, in the early 70’s, it wasn’t unheard of around here for shark fishermen to chum by dumping 50-gallon drums of chicken blood from jetties in the middle of the night at beaches that would be full of bathers and surfers the next day, so not all of the fears were completely unfounded…
-Samiam
Iam2Sam - there was a drawing on the cardboard backing of a guy on a surfboard sticking his arm with a ‘sharkstick’ into the open jaws of a shark (sharks’ coming out of the water for him, y’see) . Cuz the sharkstick would not allow the jaws to close – he wuz spared a gory end. (he he )
Jaysus, I’m surprised no one’s chiming in on this one – i’m almost 40 – did alla you stop reading surfmags way before den?
Yeah Pennywise exactly.
bizgravy,
I guess that’s all fine and dandy. If your local sharks only eat fish.
In my case Bronze/Copper Whalers and Great Whites have a distinct appetite for large sea-bound mammals.
I suspect our blood and urine has enough in common with that of a Seal to generate some (note: SOME) interest and curiosity. probalem is, when these guys have a little taste of us it’s likely to be game over. Especailly with the GW.
samiam,
Yeah, that’s the idea 
All,
I doubt that anything not in your hand ready to use at the time will do anything except reduce your chance of survival.
some simple rules from someone with family that grew up in the ocean, in an place aptly named “Shark Country”
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stay out of the water after a rainstorm
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stay out of murky water
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listen (things get real quiet before they come)
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smell (sharks stink believe it or not you can smell a shark an older waterman taught me this)
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pay attention (they will show themselves on the outskirks 20-30 yards out before they come in they aren’t stupid and fish don’t just jump out of the water for no reason)
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always look behind you especially paddling out from the shallows as they like to come from behind as you are paddling back out.
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if you are bleeding go in (read Garrett’s story on surfer mag have some respect for others).
we grew up with sharks
we surfed with sharks
we killed them too
believe what you want about colors etc etc
if a sharks hungry and you’re a meal… bye bye
if they aren’t hungry, have other options or just curious they are just a nuisance
it’s their home not yours
you respect that you’ll be okay
nothing more you need to know
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All,
I doubt that anything not in your hand ready to use at the time will do anything except reduce your chance of survival.
Well, there is always the desperation tactic of shoving your board in the critter’s maw and hoping to choke it.
Anyone have an opinion about whether polyurethane/polyester or styrofoam/epoxy boards are superior for this use? <grinning, ducking, and running like Hell…>
-Samiam
Hey oneula,
Pretty spot on, IMO. I grew up in (and still swim/surf in) the waters of Gulf St Vincent and surrounds. One of the Great White hotspots of the world.
I’ve been in the water with those teeth a few times, unknown to me.
Always worse after heavy rains. Especially if there’s and a long dry/hot spell. Murk and junk in the water makes the old “spider sense” tingle like crazy now.
Last time was after heavy rains, dry-ish rivers discharging crap into the ocean, very murky water full of all kinds of junk… Things got really still an quite. I started to get spooked and moved to the next break… then got more spooked, got out and left. Chopper chased off a 4.5 meter Great White form that second break 10 minutes later.
Listen to your instincts!
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if they aren’t hungry, have other options or just curious they are just a nuisance
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I don’t know about that one. Many of the alleged experts contend that most shark attacks on humans are out of curiosity and experimentation. By the time a good-sized white decides that you aren’t a delicacy it probably doesn’t matter to either of you.
-Samiam
sharks never bite out of play
only killer whales have been know to do that.
a shark always bite out of hunger
once they taste you then they realize it’s a mistake they usually stop
if they are really hungry they won’t stop
there have been many instances where I live of hammerhead sharks rubbing up against our legs while paddling out or sitting in the line up.
There’s also a classic urban legend of me sitting way out side paddling for a set wave with a big shark coming at me at mach 10 without me knowing about it but the entire lineup freaking out and going in. Unfortunately I ate it taking off and was left having to swim in while everyone around me was scratching for the beach. Lucky I didn’t know as I would’ve freaked and been bit because of panic. That tells me alot of their sensory organs and our beliefs in amakua.
As far as Great Whites go look up what happened outside of Haleiwa this year and they were chumming to attract sharks for the tourists. Opportunity of a lifetime to learn a great lesson.
Yeah, heard about that. I think that’s the one I D/Led the video from.
I don’t think they play. But they do seem to get curious, hence the bump thing.
And if they are a bit peckish (but not starved) it looks like they’ll bump you and think “Hhhmmm… That’s soft enough to be food. Let’s have a taste”, then turn and take a test bite.
Oh yeah. Better you than me in that legend ;}
I got this one from Benny 1 or Dover. I’m not sure. Surf with someone smaller than you because predators attack the smaller, weaker members of the group. Mike
bearing in mind i’m in the uk so not had much shark experience, but i once watched a program (tv, a source of so much scientific fact) that mentioned that floating vertical in the water makes you look less like food, and more like some detritus just floating around, seems logical enough.
i caught a dogfish once.
tom
yea I’ve heard that too
but in all my years and as much as I was waiting for it to happen, I’ve never seen the guys on the sponges who have been dropping in on me all day gone down first.
I always thought they would the most tasty among a group of longboarders…
I’ve been chased in more that I wished surfing solo it’s all a battle of nerves some guys are just ironed willed even paddle out and surf our outside reefs on microchips. An outside reef where the pointed nose sharks are as big as boats big boats…
If want to test any theories just paddle out your 6’2" on the outside reefs next to the channel at the mouth of Pearl Harbor and just wait.
You’ll find out quick if your theories are true or not…