So how do you feel about sharks?

i just keep thinkin i'm the smallest dude in the lineup, no way a shark will try to eat me before anyone else

good call getting out though after a 2nd sighting. some people haven't been as lucky recently to get a 2nd chance like that

also i don't surf right at dusk or dawn. that's feeding time for them... so i try to avoid them and hopefully they'll return the favor?

 

I third the dusk/dawn thing. Other than that, I just try not to think about sharks.

 

about the dusk to dawn thing, does the dusk part mostly refer to 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.? because when one of our few good swells comes in i love to get out there around 6 30 but i hope i'm not making a mistake..?

 

I like to wait until the sun's up in the sky a bit. Maybe 7:30 or 8:00 in the summer. As I mentioned in the bodyboarding forum, I think I saw a big shark in the water last August, just before Labor Day weekend, around 7:00 am. I took that as a sign to start coming to the beach later as the sunrise got later.

 

Ontop of the dusk/dawn surfing. If you see a shark, don't flail around like an idiot. That attracts attention. Looking like an injured fish is their main reason for attacking, that and murky waters. Unless you see a shark already circling around you, don't be hectic.

 

man sharks are allways out there 24/7 they will not bother you just keep doing what you do and nothing will happen

 

unless it does.

 

i just got back from oz 2 weeks ago and their waters are way more notorious for sharks than ours. everyone just told me to be on land right at sunrise and sunset... otherwise, during the day, the breaks are filled with mostly fish, rays, dolphins, and an occasional turtle.

i had one of my best sessions at broken heads which is just north of ballina, nsw where that 16-year old kid died of blood loss from a bite to the thigh about a month ago. he was also surfing at 7am (fall season) at the mouth of a river

 

Just a few days ago i think i heard a swimmer yell shark when i was surfing but ididnt take it serious cause it was memorial weekened and the tourists are here. But sharks do scare me just as well a jellyfish.

 

was out on the LB today in myrtle and me and my buddy saw about a 4 or 5 ft shark a few feet from us....we got out....drove 15 minutes to another spot and saw 2 more at 48th ave.

surf wasnt good enough today to risk it.

 

sharks arent gonna bother ya

Just ignore them.

its their home, your surfing in it.

just be on the look out for when the fishermen clean off there fish and chuck their chum off the pier near where your surfing haha.

then ya kno to peace!

i've had my fair share of shark encounters. never been bittin, and im still surfing.

 

Remember if a shark does try to bite you clock it in the noes.

 

They make "Shark Repellent" things, and "Anti-Shark" things. They produce a bit of electrical energy. Which clutters the sharks brain.

Think of it this way, the sharks head has upwards of a few thousand small receptacles which receive differences in electrical fields in the water (to attract them to prey) Some sharks can detect 1/billionth of a volt. These products produce a small electrical field in the water (attaches to the ankle like a leash) which gives it like a 10ft radius. I was watching this on Discovery channel. They were saying that someone tested a slightly stronger one, the diver was in the water with a few white sharks and as soon as the shark would get near, it would sense the STRONG field around the person and freak out and swim away.

 

If the waves are the typical mush and I see a shark, i may head in for a few minutes and then head back out if I really want to keep surfing. If it is good, I will usually brave it out for a little while until my nerves get shot if the shark is still hanging around. I seem to get more freaked out in september when all the fish are running and all of a sudden the water around you gets really dark from the school that is surrounding you. I don't usually wait to see a shark then, I may just head on in or paddle away from the fish if possible.

a couple of years ago something got ahold of my arm, but let go immediately. It felt like alligator's teeth (rounded vs sharp like sharks), but I didn't see anything in the water. Needless to say, I freaked out and held all my limbs in the air for about a minute, then hightailed it back to shore. It just happened to be a decent day then, so I walked up the beach about half a mile then went back out.

About the statistics for dying in a car accident vs being in the water, you gotta consider that going in the water many times increases your chances. I would like to see how the statistics are for the average joe surfer getting attacked by a shark vs everyone that goes into the water.

Their gills are also very sensitive and close enough to grab a hold of if you can think clearly while being attacked. Ever try punching underwater?

 

The way the surfing one works, it attaches to the leash... so unless you surf without a leash I don't think it would hinder the surfing at all.

 

Ever try doing anything but flailing around madly when being ripped apart by a shark? Your best bet is to punch it in the nose because once that animal sinks its teeth in you're pretty much screwed