Sharks [Archive]

paul_sheps

8 Feb 07, 10:44 AM

Being as Florida has half the worlds reported shark attacks, do any of you go in the sea over there and is it safer in the Gulf or Atlantic waters?
We want to go to the beach on our August holiday but my son say's I can't go in the water:(

wombat

8 Feb 07, 11:27 AM

Hi,

Not a water buff myself I only go for a paddle.

Been in the sea at Clearwater, lots of lifeguards who seem to keep a good watch on what's going on in the water.

Don't know if this includes sark watching.

What about the saltwater gators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

icatqman

8 Feb 07, 11:44 AM

Personally, I wouldnt recommend it.

Florida - warm water - sharks...........no thanks.

wombat

8 Feb 07, 01:29 PM

Personally, I wouldnt recommend it.

Florida - warm water - sharks...........no thanks.

In fact I really keep away from all open spaces of water.

Better safe than sorry.

TerriWest

8 Feb 07, 01:45 PM

We had a three week holiday in August in Sarasota on the Gulf Coast in 2003. The water was like a bath - absolutely gorgeous. We managed to see some dolphins, loads of gorgeous fish with snorkels, but absolutely no sharks. They do have lifeguards posted pretty regularly along all the beaches. In fact we're thinking of going back to Sarasota maybe next year, if not, the year after.

FLGirl-UKNow

8 Feb 07, 02:38 PM

I would never think twice about it. I've grown up here and would never even consider do I or don't. Go to a beach with lifeguards and enjoy yourself.

Yes it is the sea, yes there are sharks in the sea but sharks/bites are not a daily/weekly/monthly occurance.

:wavey:

Perhaps this might help, from ISAF:

http://i6.tinypic.com/33ws1i0.jpg
http://i10.tinypic.com/2yocrqu.jpg

It is also worth noting that the amount of beach tourist/residents that this is calculated against is 70,000,000 per year. That is a lot of visitors with very little bites.

There was another graph that showed that out of all of the recorded bites 113 of them have been surfers. Their boards/fins/leashes peak a sharks curiosity.

icatqman

8 Feb 07, 03:27 PM

Great statistics........................just really really unfortunate if you happen to be that one fatality.

To quote Quint; "man goes into cage, cage goes into water, shark is in the water!"

Even if there were a battalion of lifeguards on the beach, I wont go beyond a depth of 3".

A real case of you take your choice etc etc................

I too learned to water ski off Sarasota in 1981, I was young and daft then, now I am old and daft!

Fiona

8 Feb 07, 03:34 PM

We always visit the Gulf Coast when we`re in Orlando. St. Pete`s is one of our favourites and we go in swimming every time. It`s sheer bliss. We`ve seen dolphins, but never sharks. I think the chances of being bitten by a shark are the same as being struck by lightening, being knocked down by a double decker bus etc. Life is too short to go worrying about something that may or may not happen!!

paul_sheps

8 Feb 07, 05:51 PM

Thanks for putting the chart up, it kinda puts things in perspective. On a program I was watching, Daytona Beach was the worst place in the world for attacks. I read the sharks can swim up rivers too in Florida :omg:

Vizeman

11 Feb 07, 09:42 AM

Hi,

What about the saltwater gators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saltwater gators? :dopey:

http://www.seaworld.org/ask-shamu/reptiles/alligator.htm

missl

11 Feb 07, 10:20 AM

forgot about sharks lol

easygoingeezer

13 Feb 07, 04:21 PM

I was staying on cable beech in Bahamas, I go and ask the outside bar staff if its safe to swim, are there sharks here. They had a good laugh at my expence. No there are no sharks here.

Off i go for a swim, goggles on looking at the pretty fish, not one, not two but three rather large black tipped reef sharks then merrily cruise underneath me hugging the seabed, one wiggled its tail a bit, rose from the other two and then decided to go back down.

I made a calm but hasty retreat to shore and told another person at the beech bar, who said well yes you might see one or two, there is a viewing area further around the coast.

Any excuse to tell my little story and I know it was the Bahamas, BUT at the end of the day the sea is where Sharks live, land is where we live, people might say you have as much chance of being hit by a bus, but then if you don't stand in the middle of the bus lane then you have no chance at all do you.

I wouldn't want to be a local celebrity sharkbite victim personally.

Chesterbhoy

13 Feb 07, 04:52 PM

Went to Marco Island for 7 days during 2004, we did not have a second thought about going into the water - it was calm, not deep and crystal clear.

Fiona

14 Feb 07, 10:34 AM

Any excuse to tell my little story and I know it was the Bahamas, BUT at the end of the day the sea is where Sharks live, land is where we live, people might say you have as much chance of being hit by a bus, but then if you don't stand in the middle of the bus lane then you have no chance at all do you.

I wouldn't want to be a local celebrity sharkbite victim personally.
I still think that the chances of being bitten and killed by a shark are very slim, the same as being struck by lightening, knocked down by a double decker bus etc. We love to swim in the sea down the Gulf Coast and I would never not do it "just in case" a shark decided to come and bite me. I think if anyone takes that attitude to life then they shouldn`t walk down the stairs "just in case" they fall down them, or drive their car "just in case" they have an accident, etc. etc. etc. etc. The list is endless!! I truly believe that life is way too short for worrying about things that may or may not happen. Just my opinon though, each to their own and all that.

icatqman

14 Feb 07, 10:49 AM

I still think that the chances of being bitten and killed by a shark are very slim, the same as being struck by lightening, knocked down by a double decker bus etc. We love to swim in the sea down the Gulf Coast and I would never not do it "just in case" a shark decided to come and bite me. I think if anyone takes that attitude to life then they shouldn`t walk down the stairs "just in case" they fall down them, or drive their car "just in case" they have an accident, etc. etc. etc. etc. The list is endless!! I truly believe that life is way too short for worrying about things that may or may not happen. Just my opinon though, each to their own and all that.

Fiona,

Its not "just in case", its assessing the risks.

i.e. would you smoke a cigarette when refuelling your car? Of course not!

Having seen many sharks at sea and whilst swimming.............I would choose to minimise my chances of being the main course for Nobby Clark and his mates.

Yes, statistically, it is very rare to be a victim but I want to eradicate the risk totally.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!

easygoingeezer

14 Feb 07, 05:13 PM

Fiona, I get your point but as my first warm water swim included three sharks
as unexpected companions I am goin to give it a miss, lol.

Just in case the next ones hungry.

Fiona

15 Feb 07, 10:39 AM

Go on, live dangerously and have a swim!! ;-)

icatqman

15 Feb 07, 10:42 AM

Go on, live dangerously and have a swim!! ;-)

I hope these don't become famous last words!

wombat

15 Feb 07, 11:29 AM

Saltwater gators? :dopey:

http://www.seaworld.org/ask-shamu/reptiles/alligator.htm

Hi,

Look at the following re Saltwater Gators.

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/flatsdude/gary072604.html

http://www.dakota-durango.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7457

http://www.wildtexas.com/talk/showthread.php?p=1385

I'll stay on the beach thank you.

rusty30

15 Feb 07, 12:02 PM

The Bahamas is one of the most shark infested places on the planet :D In fact when we flew in (just a short flight from FT. Lauderdale) and we were very low, you could clearly see them in the water. A lot of underwater footage of sharks has been filmed in the shallow warm water surrounding the Bahamas.

Whilst we were on the Gulf one year, there was a news report about a HUUUUUGE Hammerhead that beached itself on the public beach. On another trip, a guy was badly bitten by a tiger shark in Tampa Bay.

I could never ever ever ever swim in the sea - even a frond of seaweed brushing my leg would have me screaming blue murder!!

I know the chances are small of being bitten but I hate not being able to see whats in the water and could never relax. I dont even like the children paddling in the Gulf, thats how paranoid I am!

Fiona

15 Feb 07, 12:08 PM

I hope these don't become famous last words!
So do I, but then if they did, I guess it must be fate!! :erm:

Fiona

15 Feb 07, 12:09 PM

I dont even like the children paddling in the Gulf, thats how paranoid I am!
The only things we have ever seen in the shallows where you can paddle are little fish swimming about and pretty seashells. :)

Dollar_Bill

15 Feb 07, 12:13 PM

rusty30

15 Feb 07, 12:16 PM

http://think_pink.typepad.com/think_pink/images/shark_in_daytona-thumb.bmp

icatqman

15 Feb 07, 12:19 PM

I've happily swam at Cocoa beach, Clearwater and St Petes Beach and prefer St Petes. Whilst I understand its about risk assessment, the stats speak for themselves.
Its up to you, if you're too frightened to go in the water - stay out, simple as that. (at the same time don't cross the road in case you get knocked down, don't get in a plane incase it crashes......etc etc).:grin: :grin: :grin:

"frightened"................not at all. Cautious maybe, I dont think you can directly compare crossing roads or flying. Those are things I have to do, swimming in shark infested waters is something I can choose to do or not......

rusty30

15 Feb 07, 12:22 PM

Yeah, for me, just seeing one would freak me out. I genuinely do not like swimming in the sea but for those who do, I admit the risks are minimal. Considering that the Florida waters are truly shark infested, then the amount of "attacks" is quite low. Still wont get me in there though!

FLGirl-UKNow

15 Feb 07, 03:47 PM

I think the other misconseption is the type of sharks that there are. Even at Typhoon Lagoon you can snorkel across and view 'skimmers'. They all aren't man eating ;)

Fiona

15 Feb 07, 05:14 PM

Perhaps I`ve got a laid back attitude over all of this as living in Swansea we have fabulous beaches down the Gower. Our two teenage sons spend near enough every day of the summer holidays hanging out down Langland and DH and I go down there a lot too when we get the time. We have basking sharks here and even great whites have been seen about 10 miles off-shore due to our waters getting warmer. Will I stop our sons swimming down Langland because of this?? No!! They are strong swimmers yet I would be more worried about the current pulling them out than them being eaten by a shark!!

easygoingeezer

15 Feb 07, 06:00 PM

Sharks apart, I got very badly stung by jellyfish in SouthernSpain, my body looked like one of those red and white cones outside the barbers shop. I am not going to tell you how the pain was taken away:confused2

Also in Ibiza I was snorkeling and kept feeling something nipping my feet, I looked down and there was a very territorial and unimpressed parrot fish attacking my foot. There is all sorts in the see, thing is with a bus you have more chance seeing it coming lol.

Incidentally where was that photo taken on the other post.