Hi oneula,
Not my theory and offered up as humor. Not a theory I’d care to test on any account. This morning I paddled out alone on my fish, no cord. Everyone else was on the opposite end of the beach. Surfed for about twenty minutes until a friend paddles out and tells me, “so and so saw a whitey here last week. Didn’t you hear?” No way I would have paddled out alone if I had known. This is a pretty safe place. No seal rookeries for a couple of miles, clear water, white sand bottom. Mike
naw mike it was mostly for all those camo paint and electronic gadget guys.
I don’t think anything works unless you want to strap a big bang stick to the side of your board.
I always thought it funny to see guys on longboards pull everything up on top of their board when guys like Harry the shark (Courts/Big Lefts) pays a visit or other “uncles and aunties” come visiting and meanwhile the sponges are just fine splashing around dangling besides them… You never a see a spongehead get bitten in the lineup even with sharks around. It’s usually the surfers. Maybe we taste better.
Sponges usually get eaten when they are all alone.
It’s funny seeing a shark herd surfers into a big clump and then just make a bee line right through the pack. Guys usually freak seeing a fin slice right by them.
Fate has alot to do with it…
like why did Bethany get bit and not Alana Blanchard or her dad. or why did that girl get bit last week at leftovers but not the other two guys she was surfing with… That’s the hard part trying to figure out how the pick their target.
I don’t know if there are any good answers.
Oh yeah. I think fate is gonna play a big part of it.
But I still minimise risk sensibly (like, no rivermourths after heavy rains). More importantly I have developed a growing respect and sensitivity to my own instincts.
Good point about Bethany… And that was at Tunnels, of all places. First recorded attack there, wasn’t it?
Yah, oneula, a lot of it is fate. But, there is some common sense to be aware of too. Like surfing murky river mouths, surfing adjacent to seal/sea lion rookeries, or surfing down current from a beached whale(done all of them). Sometimes I just get that feeling I should get out of the water so I do. To tell you the truth I wish I had seen the shark. Would have been an honor. mike
well the water is usually dirty where I surf because of the strong side shores.
And personally I’d rather not see them at all
I’ve done that way to often
scratching out for the set only to paddle head on right into one of these guys as you pop out and have your heart stop depending on how big and how ugy they are. And the problem is the wave youneed is already pased by you.
I always just assume the sharks are there somewhere.
But once you see them and they see you seeing them someone’s got to make a decision and that’s the hard part.
Sharks that fly by under you are one thing but sharks that come up showing fin and tail are posturing for something and if they arch their back you’d better get ready to shove your board tail first into their big mouth with fins to gouge a lesson. Just make sure to take your leash off first. If you have the time.
Having monk seals and turtles swimming wuth you in the lineup doesn’t help either.
That’s another problem out here.
well the water is usually dirty where I surf because of the strong side shores.
And personally I’d rather not see them at all…
I’d rather they not be near, but if they are, I’d choose to see them. When I first started surfing the NC Outer Banks in the early 70s, the water was so clear that you saw everything, including lots of sharks. That spooked me until I started looking at the IGFA record book and saw how many record sharks were taken close to home in NJ, and not only in warm water, as I had previously supposed. For a while, many record and near-record Great Whites were taken at Montauk Point, NY, and most of those in May or October when the water is in the 60 degree range. Knowing that there were arguably as many sharks in the water here as in Hatteras, it was spooky not to be able to see them…
-Samiam
The Sixth Sense…
… COMMON SENSE.
Howzit oneula, I remember surfing Leftovers a few times since I had a friend who lived in front of it. On the other side of the channel there is a spot that has a sand upcropping and it was known as a sharky spot. the girl from Canada may have ended up there after the end of her ride. Also it’s not to far from the spot that a sponger was lost to a shark a few years back, the one where they never found the body just the sponge with a big bite mark out of it. Aloha,Kokua
QP, Kokua.
what’s the story on the 'girl from Canada"?
In 91 when I was in Kauai, i paddled out alone to the point at a place called Kalihiwai (sp?) – it was smallish and there were only 3 other local kids out there. Wanna talk about ‘that feeling you get’ – hows that place rank on the sharky-o-meter?
another question for HI types - Bull sharks? do you have them there?
Rgds,
Here’s one I just found…
http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/How-to-Avoid-Being-Bit-by-Sharks-16189.aspx
Magnets may be a great new addition to a surfboard, because, as you can see from this video, sharks violently swim away from the magnetic field.Not just any magnet will do, however.
Neodymium magnets are far more powerful, and would definitely be my magnet of choice for this application.
As you can see from the video, the sharks will not respond to a weak magnetic field, but they will unquestionably be repelled by a stronger neodymium magnet.
Dr. Mercola's Comment:This effect was discovered when researchers handling powerful rare-earth magnets dropped one next to a shark research tank in 2005. The lemon sharks and nurse sharks in the tank darted to the opposite wall.
After investigating the phenomenon, they theorized that the magnets overload the sharks’ ampullae of Lorenzini, which are small vesicles and pores around the head of the shark that form part of a sensory network.
One important tip if you want to use a magnet for this purpose when out in the ocean: encase it in some type of plastic enclosure so that the salt water will not damage the magnet over time and cause it to oxidize (rust).
At one time, I used neodymium magnets in my practice and was able to find a good source for them if you are interested (Bunting Magnets, 847/593-2060), but you can also easily find a source closer to you through Google.
Sure seems to me like the PERFECT swimming buddy when you are out in shark-infested waters. I can assure you that next winter when I head out to Maui I will most certainly be carrying this in my pocket.
Howzit DrStrange, What they need to do is some more research to see how the magnets will affect great whites and tiger sharks since tigers are the big threat here in Hawaii. Aloha,Kokua
Ultimately will likely need some new technology too as in the vid they had to get very close to that little “Lemon” before he responed. Big Tiger or Whitey would likely need a HUGE magnetic field to give them the buzz and would likely weigh more than a few pounds. Also, there are physiological effects on humans (magnets can be used for therapy and can cause disease) and several hours in the surf right next to the size magnet needed might well hurt the wearer. Nifty idea though just needs some work for sure.
Aloha backatcha Kokua!
Bagman,
it’s sharkcamo.com. Big sticker.
somehting else:
Instructions for fending off a shark attack:
Punch the shark in the nose with your fist…
if that doesn’t work…
poke it in the eye with your stump.
I think if a shark is desperate (hungry) enough, then there’s probably nothing that will prevent it from attacking. So there you go, if you don’t want to be attacked make sure all the sharks in your area are well fed.
pmsl
Instructions for fending off a shark attack:
Punch the shark in the nose with your fist…
if that doesn’t work…
poke it in the eye with your stump.
ROFL!!!
I get visions of monty-pythonesque surfers on their boards claiming “it’s only a flesh wound, get back here!!”
The best prevention…
…Stay out of the water.
I think we’re going to need a bigger boat !
We would save more lives by talking about how to be better drivers.
Howzit kendall, That’s exactly what the kid who was attacked on the south shore of Kauai did a few years back and it saved his life, unfortunately he lost a leg. Aloha,Kokua