What would you do, shark sighting

Deaner!!!!!

 

I think, at least for me, that the number of other people out makes a difference in whether I stay out or not. If it's a crowded break, I figure my chances of getting bit are slim. Like many others have said, they're there, we just don't see them all the time. I've only seen a sizable shark (6+ feet) one time in VB, and I just kept paddling out. I figured he and his buddies were already all up and down the beach, and me moving wasn't going to change that.

That being said, the last time I surfed Boilers down on Pea Island, I started to get really sketched out. I was breaking way outside (at least 300+ yards offshore), and the water was super clear. Don't know why, but for a good 20 minutes all I could think about was what was beneath me... That's really the only time where I pretty much psyched myself out to the point of almost getting out of the water.

In response to if I saw an 8+ foot shark as I'm going down the line, I'm pretty sure I would head in. Just never seen anything that big in person outside of an aquarium.

 

where's the option to beat the fvck out of the shark?

 

Thats what I was thinking last month when I answered this poll.....

 

If they are schooling I peace out. But seriously, Seeing a decent shark 4'+ is an extremely common occurrence in eastern NC- If I hopped out of the water every time I saw one I wouldn't surf. Maybe I just have good situation awareness or some sh*t, but I see a shark nearly every time I surf.

They are always out there- conditions dictate how easy they are to spot. I've always thought the beach/ocean is like walking around Baltimore at night. Sometimes Sh*t happens, most of the time it dosen't

 

Yeah, great analogy, but if you spend enough time in the wrong part of Baltimore, something is GONNA happen for sure. Same with the ocean I suppose.

 

I just go all NJShredmachine on the shark, step over it then beat the crap out of the gay dolphin he's with. When the coast guard rolls up I'll run and hide on top of a lifeguard tower.

 

I watched some shark shyt last night,pretty disturbing.i know sharks don't creep up on u,great whites anyway,they come up from underneath.i seen a story yesterday how a shark felt this surfer was invading his territory(the thought was the shark was about to give birth and didn't want any kooks nearby) and the shark,idk what it did,didn't bite off any flesh,just gave him a little wiggle and killed the kid.

 

That's the position I get when out 100% of the time (When not standing on my board). The other way seem a lot like fishing. I won't get out of the water if I see a shark, but I won't paddle out If I see one from the beach. I wait until I don't see it for at least a minute or 2. I'll immediately flail in if there's blue fish about.

 

haha, you're on fire dude.

 

they say the thing to look out for is schools of little fish.and lots of birds over one area of water.if u see that the sharks hungry and u better abort

 

I was at Duck Pier in the 80's and a school of saucer sized manta rays kept jumping out. Later there was a truck at the Wee Winks with several tiger and hammerheads hanging off the tail gate.

 

I hear that all the time too, but I gotta say, no matter in Delmarva, CA or SC, that seems to happened about every other time I surf. in CA, there would be dozens of birds just dive bombing the same spot for hours at a time not far from the lineup. It never really gave me that "shark" feeling. Same here in SC. I guess maybe because I am more aware of how many critters are in the water from fishing etc, but still I see those dive bombing birds within close range all the time. Only time I was recently sketched because of that is because there was a school of bait fish moving parallel to the beach and I was right in their line. They were jumping and hopping and moving pretty fast, then next thing you know they are up on the board, slapping into me. I for sure lifted up the limbs for a minute or two until everything passed.

But like I said, fishing has given me a pretty clear indication of whats in certain waters. I have seen some large sharks hauled in off the OB pier before, like legit ones... But out of tons of times fishing in the surf and on the coast of CA, I have never hooked a shark there. Never. Not even by accident....

Fish time I fished here in Carolina, the first thing I hooked was a black tip. Then another. Then another. And this is 15 yards off the surfing beaches. Then we went to the shark hole and ohh my gosh. Put a chunk of mullet on there a little larger than the size of golf ball and on my first cast I had a healthy 4-5 footer on the line.... This is also the day my buddy got bit by a black tip right on his foot (Thank you SI member from JAX who mailed me that anti-shark band to give to my buddy. To date, he has not been bit again =)...

My final thought here, is, I guess I am glad that the water is always murky here. If it was clear like NSB, I would probably cut my sessions short quite often.

 

I have caught many sharks in the surf...sometimes when fishing for reds in early September, I end up catching non stop sandbars, aka brown sharks. It gets so bad that I just give up...they can range up to 6'...so if you surf and you don't see any, certainly doesn't mean they are not there. They are everywhere...keep surfing...at least in the mid Atlantic area.

 

Is that the "finban" band? Does that really work? I know the marketing is all over the surf forums.