Mobbed by sharks

Tiny clean waves were made a lot more entertaining by a fair number of sharks around me for the entire 2 hour session.

The GoPro makes them look smaller and farther away... but they were very close and most around 5' to 6'.
I love watching them swim in such clear water and better yet... cruising in a wave in front of me.

Last year I was out during a migration, with 100's of sharks around me at all times, but I didn't have my camera on me.... so I was happy to film this mob

Wow! That's hectic. You are a brave man Mr Rick.

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moogengronko said..
So STC , what do you think of your Casey flow ? Compared with acid (keeper) , creek ( keeper), placid ( keeper), hipster ( keeper) , and flow version 1 (sold)

I agree with your list!

The fact is, I really need a good session to run this board.
I am hopeless in the daily Florida surf.... the prima donna in me can only surf waves with nice walls and workable faces.
It did shine a bit on that one tiny wave, but I honestly can't say I know anything about this board yet. Hopefully soon!

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FRP said..
Thanks Rick

Your video helps to put into perspective the risk of shark bites when surfing. It is tiny. Not zero but very small. The risk of injury driving to the surf beach is orders of magnitude greater than the risk of being bitten. You have managed to control your fear which is an impressive accomplishment.

Cheers

Bob

Thanks Bob....
I appreciate your feedback!
I tried to show that while they can make mistakes, they should be viewed with awe, not fear.

When I felt the odds for mistaken bite in the whitewater were getting higher, I left.

I fell off my board once when being stalked by big shark. Funny thing is I was totally dry when I got back on the board.

probably a good exercise to surf with well seen sharks for when you go back to cape cod... enjoy that Florida sunshine, cause its cold up Nohth.

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Kela said..
Super powerful and quick, impressive looking shark when diving with them. Would hate to land on one after a wave, I'd be scrambling back on my board in a hurry.

Yes... very robust fish, really fun to observe.

They are amazingly fast when they want to be.
Here is a drone video of a big Hammerhead chasing Black Tips.... the speeds they all achieved during that drama was eye opening!
Last year I surfed in the middle of this migration... hundreds of Black Tips near me for an hour session. And me without my cam
That's why I was so stoked to get the footage above!

chase starts around 1:15

Geeze, I'm scared sitting here.
When we did the whale shark swim thing in 2018, there was a hammerhead basking n the surface nearby.
The dive master bloke said they were timid, and with all the sensors in the hammer, were basically scared of themselves, and no danger.
I'm glad I hadn't seen this before then

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supthecreek said..

supsean said..
probably a good exercise to surf with well seen sharks for when you go back to cape cod... enjoy that Florida sunshine, cause its cold up Nohth.

Yeah Sean.. it has really helped me understand actual shark behavior.
It has made me more at ease when surfing with the big boys at home.

Super crazy spookie. But yea, we are visiting their garden, and the way you deal and share it is great.

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micksmith said..
Not so sure about that nozza, there have been numerous hammerhead attacks on people. We think we know but we just don't

He also mentioned small mouth underneath the head doesn't give them the ability to bite big things easily.
But they must eat something to get that big........

This is what I love about SUPing.... theres no way I'd be out there dangling my toes in off a shortboard!

Defo makes those sharky breaks a heck of a lot more accessible

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PTWoody said..
Attracted to the red board?

Actually, sharks are color blind, they see only black and white..... we are just silhouettes to them.

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cantSUPenough said..
Look after yourself Rick. It is all fun until it isn't...

Thanks CSE, I fully understand that the Black Tip can deliver a nasty bite, but I keep my wits about me.

Nice video Rick. Love it. Just a couple of days ago I was chasing a little hammerhead around my lake entrance. I was so brave. It was only about 50cm long. Haa!
Good to hear that you didn't take more chances in the white wash.
The clearer the water away from white wash the better chances of making an escape. Which I always new. But maybe not from the shark that zeros in on you. Better chances on a paddleboard.
But I always took chances in dirty & white washed water heaps of times on a short board.
And yes the day came when my luck ran out just sitting there on a short board when a shark bit my left foot as you may remember a year ago January 17th Windang beach entrance area New South Wales Australia. Run out tide on a rainy windy morning 8am. Shark & fish activity probably escalated due to more water running out to sea.
So no more prone surfing for me ever in those conditions. But yes still sometimes only on a paddleboard. And I get back on it super quick! Haaa!
And lucky for me my foot has recovered enough from severed tendons, artery & 2 nerves to be able to get back on the water doing what I love.

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bigmc said..
I have developed a bad habit of standing in the water up to chest depth in the whitewater zone and pushing my board in to the whitewater until the sets stop. This probably isn't a good idea. I feel it is easier to hold ground whether on SUP or longboard as they can't duck dive. I am going to change my habit as I am around your (Seajuice) stretch of coast often. Had a small one approach me a few years ago on south side of Sandon. Spooky

I think a lot depends on location. I was in an area where I think the shark feeding was high due to lake water run out for a full 6 hours before I jumped in.
I was also about 100 meters out in about 2 to 3 meter depth in a wide gutter between the breakers. Probably making chances of being bitten also high.
Its a fairly deep beach with gutters running along the shoreline as well. So most times its quite difficult to stand up.
I've caught 2 Bronze whalers there in the past and heard that a lot more have been caught there.
On other beaches I do stand up to push my SUP through waves without any concerns.
I also think the shark could just see my foot below the wash thinking it was a fish. A foot would be similar in size to most of the fish getting washed out of the lake in my view.
I now where a Sharkbanz around my ankle. It's said that it may deter an investigative bite. I wouldn't be so sure if it would deter sharks competitively feeding when zeroing in at high speeds.
In Summer, Bronze whalers & Bull sharks would be my main concern because they can frequent shallow waters. Tiger sharks coming second to that in deeper waters.
The Great White sharks through winter.

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supthecreek said..

Seajuice said..
Nice video Rick. Love it. Just a couple of days ago I was chasing a little hammerhead around my lake entrance. I was so brave. It was only about 50cm long. Haa!
Good to hear that you didn't take more chances in the white wash.
The clearer the water away from white wash the better chances of making an escape. Which I always new. But maybe not from the shark that zeros in on you. Better chances on a paddleboard.
But I always took chances in dirty & white washed water heaps of times on a short board.
And yes the day came when my luck ran out just sitting there on a short board when a shark bit my left foot as you may remember a year ago January 17th Windang beach entrance area New South Wales Australia. Run out tide on a rainy windy morning 8am. Shark & fish activity probably escalated due to more water running out to sea.
So no more prone surfing for me ever in those conditions. But yes still sometimes only on a paddleboard. And I get back on it super quick! Haaa!
And lucky for me my foot has recovered enough from severed tendons, artery & 2 nerves to be able to get back on the water doing what I love.

Seajuice, I am super glad to hear that you are back on your board!
And that your attitude is healthy and not overly sketched by your misfortune!

I had to laugh about your wee Hammerhead.... a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to see a small hammerhead while paddling flatwater in a tidal river....
It was a very impressive shark, even in a small size..... very lithe and strong.
I got a video of it, but in disturbed water, it is too hard to get a clear screen shot of it.

You are right about the hunting zones where bites are more possible, when a shark mistakes a limb for a fish in those areas that fish and surfers mingle..... right along a bank and a gutter. I don't linger in the water in those areas.

Thanks STC. I think we think alike. My main love is the water. Always happy to be on it. Yes the baby hammerheads are fast. It's satisfied my curiousity of what type of baby shark I saw just over a year ago.
I'm still jealous of your van. I want one! Haa! Would be nice to just jump in it without loading boards in or on top including foils etc. And just drive to your surf location, choose board type or exchange over if wanted on site.
Have fun and take care.