I've been waiting for a good day to get up there cos I've heard is really nice but not so sure now

I used to love it in a SE & was going to go there again but maybe not..ugh re arm .I thought it wasnt that bad from news reports..

I was surprised to watch a nature show one day that talked about the most prolific breeding ground of great whites in Australia... and guess where it was?

It was on the other side of the sandbar, the ocean facing beach, but still very close to one of my favorite sailing places!

They are supposed to only be juvenile sharks there, but I still tend to uphaul when I feel nervous about spending too much time in the water.

Update: I just heard she gets to keep the arm. Still plenty of damage to her neck and face that requires fixing though. The stuff of nightmares.

Shout-out to the lady.

Bryan

Haircut said...

Mobydisc said...



Seems to be more and more shark attacks. Why? Are there more sharks? Are there more people in the water? Is there less food for sharks?

I don't think GW's used to be a protected fish, now they are (apparently for last 15years or so?) maybe that means more of them around

I'd imagine , given half a chance, wouldn't mind a an oportunity to "thin out their numbers" so to speak

In NSW, Great Whites are still declared a vulnerable species under threatened species legislation. Vulnerable species face a high risk of extinction in the medium term future.

These dudes are some of the most majestic animals in the ocean and play an important role in marine ecosystems. At the end of the day, it's their world and we should feel priviledged to play in it. I reckon the risk of shark attack is a small price to pay for the bliss of windsurfing. For me, I'd much rather be chomped while windsurfing than wrapped around a tree on the highway, or rot away in a hospital bed. Incidentally, I think statistically the risk of dying in a car crash is much greater than the risk of shark attack.

We all have to go sometime. It's all about the number of hours you can cram in on the water in the meantime...

Wet Willy said...

needsalt said...


We all have to go sometime. It's all about the number of hours you can cram in on the water in the meantime...

That's a good philosophy!

Yes but,
the more hours in the water,the more chance of getting nibbled on,

Your right though,charge life full on , enjoy what ever you want to enjoy, cause you dont know when the man will point the boney finger at YOU.

If you worry about all the different threats and ways you might get killed,
you might as well live in a bubble.

Mobydisc said...

Statistics when it comes to shark attacks can't really mean all that much. The vast majority of people rarely go for a swim or enter the water where sharks patrol. So those who do enter the water regularly must stand a higher chance of being attacked than the general population.

As great whites are now protected their numbers will increase and the number of shark attacks will rise. There is no way of getting around this.

As this thread has already highlighted, great whites have been protected for many years. Without doing a full literature review, I'm pretty sure that the science indicates that numbers are still declining if anything. Hence they are still listed as vulnerable. Protection only means they can't be targeted by rec or commercial fishers. They still fall victim to shark nets (non commercial), bycatch of rec and commercial catches in NSW, and lots of targeted fishing beyond Australian waters.

If you really want to find things to worry about and reasons not to windsurf, try bull or tiger sharks. Neither of these species are protected, although science indicates that most shark species are in decline.

I'll save my worry for the health of the ocean. Reckon trying to look after the ocean is the least I can do in return for the joy of windsurfing.

And sailing is still safer than driving. With regard to sharks anyway. Not if you count all my enormous stacks

don't get me wrong, i'm not "pro" shark fishing, but listening to the radio about it, there are plenty who'd love a witch hunt (shark)

i don't catch or eat them, so therefore i'm hoping they won't eat me

Shark attacks are horrible, but will happen when humans enter their domain.

This is pretty loose, but over fishing (commercial) is the biggest issue by a country mile!!!!

Mecky said...
Would it help to wear a diving knife?

Only if you are Tarzan.

I know there's sharks in Lake Macquarie & I was out at Coal Pt on Monday pm by myself.It was overcast , late in the day and no other sharkbait offered.I was on the big board so I can uphaul & didn't fall off much but near the end I fell off & waterstarted & kept imagining fins..I decided as it was dinnertime for sharks it might be a good time to call it a day..Where was everyone ? It was a great 15 - 20kt NE ? A few extra morsels on offer would have given me more confidence.. Thats the problem with winter ..generally I'm the only one out..