Sharks and diving - Page 3

Dell'Oro · #51 11/02/2004, 04:39 PM

Hi,

I've been pretty lucky with my diving, white tip and black tip reef sharks, wobbegongs and Port Jacksons, and earlier this year got to do cage diving down in South Australia with the Great Whites:

However my biggest scare diving was snorkelling in Vanuatu where my wife and I received unwelcome amorous advances from an adult male dugong (similar to a manatee). Tried to grab us between its flippers and have its evil way with us!! Fiona had a huge mark on her leg for weeks where it gave her a hickey!

Can I mention that I also get freaked out by moray eels.....

Cheers

Paul

snarfe · #52 11/03/2004, 11:41 AM

nice pictures man! ur lucky not that many people in this world will be in the presence of such a beautiful animal. congrats on being face to face with one of natures most feared animals. and i hope you got more pictures than that!

ghostbear29 · #53 11/03/2004, 04:26 PM

thats hilarious! a Manatee thingy attacked you guys. I mean it in a funny way. I understand it wasn't then(sorry). But just have to ask, did you let it finish? Just kidding.
My story sucks compared to all that. I just feed the dogfish at San Diego. They usually chase the anchovie to the shallows near La Jolla. My Girlfriend and I had a blast this summer. The most dangerous thing was a garibaldi that nipped at my legs and mask trying to defend his nest! Pulled hair and everything. ha ha! If you want a good site, check out underwater times.com classic shark attack pics and stories.

Dell'Oro · #54 11/03/2004, 04:35 PM

Apparently many years ago the local speared his mate, so he's lookin' for love. Kinda scary and kinda funny at the same time - when he wraps his flippers around you and tries to suck you with his big bristly mouth, its an experience that I'm not in a rush to repeat.....

kickboxer0213 · #55 11/03/2004, 06:35 PM

I was doing a dive in seattle and i saw 3 six gill sharks out on a dive at about 85 feet down. it was one of the best dives ever.

BBP · #56 11/03/2004, 09:43 PM

I've only seen one shark on a dive and that was a 6 footer, reef shark, in Kaua'i. He made me suck a little more air but not near as much as the big jack trevalle that didn't appreciate me invading his space.

BKB

Meisen · #57 12/26/2004, 02:27 PM

I just found this thread.....Cool. I have seen a few sharks while snorkeling and its always a rush. Definitely a bit scary sometimes when you realize you are in the water with one of these critters. Here is what I have seen: reef shark in Puerto Rico, just outside of the little inlet I was snorkeling in. Nurse sharks....almost everywhere, especially in Belize at Shark Ray Alley. I also saw a tiny 1' nurse shark in shallow water at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys. I also saw what I thought was a hammerhead shark out by 7 mile bridge. A decent sized 6-7' thin shark with a definitely protruding eyestalk came within 20' of me in about 8-10' of water. It only came into view for a flash and then out again just a qucikly. I realized what might have attracted it was blood from a fresh scrape on my leg (dont ask...). Doh! Anyway, seeing as how rare hammerheads are, I think it might have been a bonnethead though I didnt realize they got that large. Anyone who knows sharks really well know the size/range/habits of the two species?

gregmoeck · #58 12/27/2004, 10:58 AM

I've seen a few sharks wall diving on east end grand cayman, these were big and just checked us out and left. It's like a big dog checking out his territory. They are fast swimmers with plenty of power. Another time I was snorkeling with a buddy off Vero Beach and I looked down in the poor Vis to see a big black shadow under us. I freaked out, remained calm and told me friend do not splash but let's get the hell out of here. We turned our backs to the shoreline and kicked hard with our fins and got back to shore so fast it was amazing. I'm sure it was a nurse shark but without visibility it was scary. I would rather be diving, down in the water with them than above them on the surface with my legs dangling down.

kenny77 · #59 12/29/2004, 09:43 PM

most of my diving were in PR and i did 10 in Aruba. but the best were in PR east cost. shark everywere, eels, beautifull angelfish. but has far as diving with shark i will be more conserne with Baracudas. you dont want to see one. if there something that i haet of PR south coast are baracudas. i prefere diving with shark (wich they dont even care if you are in the water or no) than baracudas

rustang · #60 01/13/2005, 02:21 PM

There are HUGE hammerheads and bulls at Bahia Honda state park. They are extremely aggressive during tarpon season and regularly attack hooked tarpon (or any other big fish). They will attack them right at the boat, sometimes slamming into the boat and freaking out the fisherman.. I run into big cudas all the time snorkeling in the upper keys, they have never bothered me yet. I am very cautious to make sure that everyone in the family takes of all jewelry, no shiny stuff period. I know that cudas have bit people going after shiny jewelry..
My girlfriend and I are going on a Great White cage dive in the Farallon Islands in October of this year. It is pretty expensive, but HOPEFULLY this will be my only chance to ever see one face to face in the water...

rockytop02 · #61 01/14/2005, 10:42 AM

I'm just newly certified and I have only taken one dive in the ocean. I dove on the U.S.S. Indra just off Morehead City, NC. I saw a sand tiger shark about halfway through the dive and it was one of the neatest things I have ever seen. These sharks are not very aggressive and this one paid not attention to me as it swam by me. I can't wait to see another one.

Meisen · #62 01/14/2005, 01:26 PM

Hmm cool info Rustang....good to know about Bahia Honda as the gf and I vacation there a lot.

I knew about the 7 mile bridge being Bull Shark paradise but I didnt know there were hammerheads around too. Exciting though I really dont enjoy tempting fate around Bull sharks. I feel much more confident about saying it was a hammerhead now, thanks!

Sandtigers are a different animal all together. Very, very docile but intimidating nevertheless. I have worked at public aquariums where they routinely dive in with them.

Percy · #63 01/14/2005, 04:36 PM

you dont even have to dive to get attention from a GWS, ask the italian oil riggers about the one that rammed a leg on the rig whilst they were having dinner. I believe there is video of it ramming the leg again and again.

Percy · #64 01/14/2005, 04:49 PM

just checking out my ocky

jbt123 · #65 01/14/2005, 08:05 PM

i finally scaned the photos of my shark dive in nassau bahamas here they are im in the middle between my dad and brother

aquamanathome · #66 01/22/2005, 12:06 AM

I do alot of diving here in Florida, day and night. Well some people consider it alot, I think it is not enough! I have seen sharks many many times and several kinds but have only been scared a few times. On a wreck off of Jupiter there were three Bulls in the area (bait fish also) One 6' one 8' and one around 12'. the 12' passed within 3' of me twice. One more time and I would have gone into the wreck. He was too close.
At night the sharks seem to have complety different attitude. You can tell when they are aggressive by the way they swim.
One night I saw the cutest little white tip reef shark about 3' long. It was like a puppy. Swam around me for about 40 min. Bumped its nose into me several times, swam between my legs. Let me hold and rub its fin. It was the wierdest thing. I didn't catch many lobsters that night but will always remember it.

ratimpulse · #67 01/26/2005, 08:56 PM

I went to key west dont ask me what reef cause i forget its prolly in my log book. But anyways, out of 4 dives i saw a reef shark, nurse shark, baracudas, and dang a small sea turtle that was super fast.

quarryshark · #68 02/05/2005, 07:23 PM

Ran into a Bull about 3 years ago diving on Looe Key. The vis wasn't the greatest but we could see him come in and out of the murky water. Hung around for about 10 minutes. Needless to say we kept a watchful eye.
Other than that, tons of Nurse Sharks and a small Hammerhead in Cozumel last year.
Going to see plenty on this summer's trip. We are going to Turks and Caicos for 2 weeks in July. They are well know for the Carribean Reef Sharks....cant wait!!

NowasReef · #69 02/06/2005, 09:47 AM

Have fun in the turks......was their last spring.....amazing water....you will see a ton...where are you staying? I just snorkeled but saw sharks turtles rays and every fish/coral can imagine....be selective where you dive...talked to people that went on "resort" dive trips and didnt see half of what I did....better to find a local to take you out to the good spots...

quarryshark · #70 02/06/2005, 09:53 AM

We are staying at the Sands at Grace Bay and I am planning on diving with Caicos Adventures.
http://www.caicosadventures.tc/
From what I understand they will take you to the more remote sites .
Can't wait, I have been bugging the wife to go here for the last 6 years.

Its perfect too..the inlaws are going with us. They can watch the kids so we can hit the boats in the AM.

NowasReef · #71 02/06/2005, 10:04 AM

Looks like a cool place...we stayed at Beaches which I think is walking distance from Sands.....don't know how old the kids, or inlaws, are but make sure you take them snorkeling at the "Coral Gardens" Its just down the beach to the left of Beaches...its a roped off "coral reserve" that has a ton of life and weak swimmers can stay real shallow and still get to see a ton...There are schools of 20+ atlantic tangs in under 10ft water...I saw a 5ft Barracuca in about 10ft of water and a ton of anemones and gobies and starfish and stuff.....make sure you get over there its well worth it...

condor13090 · #72 02/23/2005, 04:35 PM

I was in Cape Cod Last holloween standing on a sand cliff and saw a shark swimming about 200 yards off shore with it's fins sticking out of the water at least 2 feet. The fins were at least 10 to 13 feet between them...at first I thought they were bouys but we watched them follow the shoreline until it was out of sight. About a month before it was in the paper and on tv that a great white was stuck in an estuary for weeks...I wonder if this may have been the same one? I was on the bay side near North Turo. I also saw a harper seal sleeping on the shore...it had what looked to be scars from shark bites on it's body. I always thought these waters only had sand shrks in it. George

Meisen · #73 02/27/2005, 07:47 AM

Great whites are very occasional visitors to most all of the Eastern Seaboard coastlines (they seem to stick to mainly colder water). I have never seen one but there are reports every so often. Like any animal, they go where the food is....anywhere there are seals and seabirds pretty much. Human attacks are VERY rare but it does happen, especially when people do what seals do.

Last September, I was surfing out on the Cape and we saw a shark of some kind. I dont think it was a white shark. It was probably a sand tiger which are pretty much harmless. Even knowing that, it certainly gives you the willies knowing that something that big might be swimming below you!!!!

Mook · #74 02/28/2005, 09:30 PM

Well I live in South Australia where there was a fatal Great white attack at the end of last year 400m off one of adelaides metro beaches. I've been diving here for the last 3years with 50+ dives in waters close to the area of the attack and the only sharks ive seen while diving are wobbygongs. But after surfacing from local wreck dive and in the middle of packing up the gear on the boat to ruturn home we noticed other boats around us all pointing and looking near our boat. That when we realised that there was a 5m Great white taking an intrest in our float and line at the back of the boat that 8 of us had been using 2minutes earlier to hold onto while dives removed their fins and went up the ladder on the back of the boat. After about 10minutes and the great white dissapearing into the gloom we motored back to the dive shop where we caught up with one of the boaters that was in the area at the time. He informed us that the GWS had been playing in our bubble near the surface while we were at 20m. Now thats about as close as i want to be to a GWS without a gage but it hasn't stopped me enjoying my love diving. As previously stated the odds are on our sides so enjoy your diving and only worry about sharks when in there mouths

cabrerad · #75 03/01/2005, 12:09 AM

My favorite place to see sharks so far is the Galapagos. CS, that submerged volcano sounds like Gordon Rocks (off Santa Cruz). I would see nice schools of Scalloped Hammerheads every other dive there. Mostly in the blue water outside the crescent, but I had a couple come real close as I drifted around the wall. I also saw lots of white tipped reef sharks, and the occasional Galapagos shark. In Academy bay (also Santa Cruz) there is an inlet where 30 or so white tips relax on the bottom. You can snorkel in there to check them out.
I also like snorkeling at late day off the windward side of Peter Island in the BVI. You would see all the reef sharks showing up to feed. A couple years back a group of photographers on a dive boat got to jump in and see Tigers feeding on a floating whale carcass. Sounds a bit nuts, but they got great pics. I thought about that one time when our dingy line got caught in our prop and I had to go into the water under the boat in blue water to free it and the Captain said watch out for the Tigers.
I also want to catch a glimpse of the mating sand tigers off the atlantic coast in August this year.

David