Time to rival the "shark stories" thread.

Everybody put their vote for sharks down here and we'll see if we can beat the thread of the scare mongers out there!

No surprises here, I'm a shark lover from way back.
If I get eaten, at least I'll get on the telly! What a way to go!
If anyone gets the chance to do a shark dive with grey nurses, do it! There's something deep inside you that tells you to get the hell out of there when you see a huge shark shadow emerge from the gloom, but the dive instructor told you they're like dogs, so you keep going and hang out while a dozen 3m Nurses cruise in and out of visibility. Awesome!
Then when you get back you see the pics of Nurses with 15cm hooks stuck in their mouths, and read about the local fisho's resistance to even a 500m no fishing zone around known Grey Nurse habitat.
It's their ocean you're in. Get used to it or get out.

yeah i agree, sharks are sweet as ay, they are perfectly designed to absolutely destroy their prey, how bout those fotos of them jumping for the seals thats impressive. i also like other animals that are cause people to shiver, ive got a python its awesome. "glennb" near wet himself when i showed him today and its only a juvienile lol. i also like crocodiles as well they all have such efficient ways of killing their prey. but back to the topic sharks are sick get over the fact that they are in the kite areas and enjoy their beauty if u see one but **** ur self at the same time.p.s had a false alarm today only a dolphin but it still had the ability to get the adrenalin pumpin.

X x Snakey boy

MMMMMMMMMMMMM...Beer Batter.

I still remember the first real shark I saw spearfishing, I was in a 15m deep channel and saw this streamlined shape, absolute unmoving streamlined perfection gliding past me, the tail and fins weren't moving a millimetre, but somehow it was cruising along very comfortably. My first instinct was to panic, then the rational part of my brain took over about half a second later:

"If you swim for shore, then it can beat you with no problems whatsover. If you sit still then it might swim away..."

So I extended my speargun, and charged at the shark as fast as I could. Fight fire with fire, I say! My last image of it is the eye (which looks very much like a cats eye) looking disdainfully at me as it disappeared in the murk, fins still not moving while I was thrashing wildly trying to keep up with it.

Since then I've swum with bigger sharks, had sharks buzz me when trying to knife a speared salmon (charge at the shark, keep the fish near and it won't take your hard earned dinner!) and watched sharks take the odd fish or two.

Sharks mostly bite things out of curiosity, the more I watch them the less I'm afraid of them. As other people said, they're a lot like puppy dogs. Just watch for the danger signals: Back arched, pectoral fins down means the same as ears back and hackles raised. In that situation it's a good idea to get out of the water.

Now as for grey nurse shark protection zones... as far as I can tell they're more a political ploy than anything else, the number of GNS sightings by spearfisherman far outweighs the "official population", it's gotten to the stage where if you see a GNS then you daren't tell the authorities because then they'll slap a 1km exclusion zone around it, and you won't be able to spearfish there anymore. Scuba divers do far more harm to GNS's than spearo's (camera flashes, grabbing onto coral, going down into the GNS cave to get a close look at the little 'uns etc) yet most exclusion zones allow bubblies yet no spearo's?!?

Sorry for the rant

the first time i spearfished was in south Africa only 20kms from were a series of shark attacks had happen recently (fish hook) but after seeing 5 or so sharks i realised that they weren't interested in eating me. this led to me and a couple of friends going out in a boat 1km from fish hook were we had sharks come and circle the boat. this is because tourist come and pay big bucks to see the "man killers". the tour operators throw buckets of blood and other things to attract them, this is the believed reason for the huge increase in shark attacks in south Africa.
so you can say that we are to blame for the attacks.

If I get munched while I'm out kiting it probably won't be the most pleasant way to go.
But at least I'll go doing something I love.
It's their territory so leave them be.

tobes, all spearfisherman who are serious about the sport share the same views as nebbian. We all respect the environment and take proper precautions to keep it intact. And as you said, with sharks being seen with hooks in there mouths, this is what frustrates me about line fishing, whats humane about that, and people still whinge about putting a spear into a fish, at least it is quick for the animal.

I`m into sharks.

Every waterman understands, it`s their home, we are only visitors trespassing on their turf.

I`ve got a simply Karma theory that has worked well up to this point, I don`t eat them and they don`t eat me!

Had one freak out expirence though. While spearing off Cape Moreton, had a few fish on the ring attached to the float being dragged behind me and suddenly felt myself getting dragged down and backwards.

WTF?

Turn around to see a 2-3m Tiger mungin` on my fish.

Needless to say, I let him have `em.

Had oysters for dinner instead.

I love sharks, im just afreid that they dont like me.. hmm.. or they may like me too much

Love sharks....love nature
Their here before us...and probably long after we leave.

It sends a shiver seeing a big shark quietly, stealth like, cruisin by.

i went to the shark pool at seaworld last week.... now i know exaclty what a 3+ meter bronze whaler / bull or tiger shark looks like from above the surface, Scary!!!!!!!! I don't think I'm going to look down again

Sharkie warkies scare the **** outta me, seen heaps whilst diving off the coast and whilst kiting. Dont fancy being eaten but, and i still turn white everytime i see a fin or dark shape in the water. But I have to say that I would rather be taken by a shark than in a horrific car accident.

i think i would rather eat a large mud crab that a shark was thinking of eating itself, than die in a horriffic gory bloodbath of a multiple head on car crash scene with everyone screaming in agony with severed limbs.

quote:

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Originally posted by Rod

I'm with Tobes, I reckon leaving a big dirty hook in a fish/shark isn't on.

But I dont' quite get the spear fishing thing despite it seeming quite popular on this thread. I have come to think of it is an ego/macho blood type sport justified by eating your prey, and yes I did a little in my younger days albeit with gidgie. However I think kiting is such a soulful, love being alive and love the nature of the ocean and wind that I can't understand how you can then go out the next day and kill whatever passes in your ocean path?

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Yeah thats the thing, i love being alive and hence i don't like sharks.

Space Ape the thing is you have about a 1.5 in 20 million per year chance of a shark stopping you being alive, which you claim to dig so much. There's lots of other stuff you should hate more than sharks, eg smokers or drink drivers or nut products or bees.
Sharks are persecuted.
We all have a very natural fear of em, but IMO we should be more afraid of our own.
This vid was pretty gory though
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2827673828856319563&q=sharks
remember kids, they're wild animals!