Whos a shark expert that will make me feel better.

[LMMinica]

Alright I have this phobia about sharks...the big Jaws looking ones that wanna eat you. I really want to learn to surf once I am in Hawaii but my fear of these cuddly creatures makes me nervous. Legs dangling in the water,looking like a seal on a surfboard.Please someone make me feel better about that and tell me that the sharks are not out to get me. I watched "Open water" bad idea. Now I'm really freaked. Mahalo- Lisa

Coming to Hawaii!! Yeah!

[HADave]

Hey Surfer Girl, I'm no expert but just remember Sharks are like dogs they only bite if you touch their private parts. HAHHHHAAAA ))) Besides being scared is a good thing, you know what they say about "white as a ghost" well just wear a white swimsuit and surf with a white bottom surf board and only on sunny days and they won't even see you when they swim by and look up. I think you'll find that is why they are white on the bottom so they aren't easily spotted from below by even bigger biters.))) Beside the other thing I don't think they have ever reported a shark attack on The Big Island coast, have they? Isn't it mostly Maui and the other islands? ))) I'll bet most experts will tell you your in greater danger from overdosing on inhaled insects....))))

HADave Excited for You Guys!



Edited by - HADave on 01/25/2006 10:36:15

[Lee G]

I don't surf myself but have friends that do surf the East side. Yes there are Sharks and Tiger Sharks are not uncommon. I Googled Big Island shark attacks and there have been a few and one in Hilo. You are more likely to be killed on the highway here than in the water...

[LMMinica]

Very True- It's the mind over matter thing- Shark on the brain.........

Coming to Hawaii!! Yeah!

[Lucy]

Lisa, here is the place to look for some help. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/ISAF/ISAF.htm
I think some of the things at this site will surprise you and make you more calm about it.
Remember to be aware of others reports if there is a shark spotted on the east side, so you have notice to get out of the water. There are supposedly more sharks noted on the east side now, than before. Go out with expierenced surfers, especially when there are more out at one time. They are more likely to attack during breeding season, at dawn/sunrise and dusk/sunset than other times of the day as that is when they move closer in to shore to feed. If there is a reef out some distance from the shoreline there is less chance of sharks there, but for surfing that stops/cuts the waves and is only more likely on some of the other islands since BI is newer in age. So that doesn't help you with surfing just snorkeling. Definately Florida leads it in attacks, hands down. Don't go where there is a drop off as this is where the fish are that they feed on.
I understand your fear or respect for sharks. I have it too, but chances are that you will not even see them out there or not often at all.

Lucy

Having another Great day in Paradise, Wherever that Maybe!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheLanai

[Carey]

Lisa, I am not an expert, but I dove with the sharks at the Shedd Aquarium for over a decade. Most shark attacks are single bite encounters, and in almost every shark bite at an captured encounter (i.e. the Aquarium) the shark has backed down immediately (I got a small cut from one of our juvenile nurse sharks, and the shark swam rapidly away, mouth open, wagging its head to & fro... kinda like YUCK human! This same reaction has been noted & documented in quite a few captive species.)
Recent reports have noted a sharp decrease worldwide in shark attacks (which are beyond rare anyhow, on 9/11/01 the Chicago Tribune had an article on the dangers of sharks, you are more likely to be killed by your toilet, but I'm still gonna use one)(it is also very interesting to note the date of the article....). 2 common theories on the decrease are 1) people are fighting back, smacking the fish as they are approached, not something I would ever advise, esp. since every wild encounter I have had has been awesome, brief, and I would hate to get one of those guys pissed at me. The second theory is that the shark population has been so dissimated by overfishing that there are fewer sharks to attack....some fishery experts feel that popular eating shark species have been decreased by over 90% in the last 20 years....
2 good shark info web sites,
for world wide shark conservation:
http://www.sharks.org
for shark attack information:
http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com
Hope all of this helps calm your 'shark nerves....I just fear those big honkin waves, they can slam you into lava!
Aloha, Carey

[Carolann R]

Okay this is an old thread, but considering the quote I pulled off the dark side...
___________________________________________
"Hapuna Beach State Park, Waialea Bay (Beach 69), Mauna Kea Beach Resort's beach, and Spencer Beach Park have been closed to swimmers due to numerous tiger shark spottings in shallow water along the Kohala coast over the last week. Three or more tiger sharks were seen less than 50 yards from shore at various locations on Wednesday morning, August 30th. As West HI Today newspaper mentioned, "This is at least the sixth such sighting of tiger sharks in the area during the last month and the fourth in the last week, including sightings over the last three consecutive days, according to lifeguards, state officials and county officials." The beaches will remain closed for at least a few days till more is learned about what is attracting the sharks."
____________________________________________

HERE FISHY, FISHY!!




Carrie

"The opportunities to reach into the lives of others in an inspiring way arise in countless ways every single day..." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

http://www.hellophoenix.com/art

[Hazen]

OMG!

Thank-you to the more responsible of the posters here. LMMinica i respect your uneasiness. Here i Hawaii you have to respect the ocean. I've spent the last ten years living on four different coasts, the gulf of mexico (more shark attacks, bc humans feed and mess with them), SoCal, the Carribean (hundreds of dives, many at night), and now here in Hawaii.

Respect the ocean here, there are 3000 miles of open water between here and just about anywhere. We get more big fish and have a harder time overfishing because of this. Good! We also get bigger surf, including some truly scary rogue waves/sets. Yeah we also get an occasional tsunami/typhoon.

BUT, sharks are not a real threat. You are more likely to be hit by lightning and die than you are to get bitten by a a shark. Myself and thousands of others spend huge amounts of time trying to educate the public out of this irrational and unhealthy fear every year.

When i worked at various aquariums in Florida, we spent tons of time teaching people not to hate and fear sharks. You do yourself a huge dis-ervice by believing the sensationalist BS put out by an increasingly shallow media. I have seen many, many sharks in the water, have maintained their exhibits from the inside, underwater, have caught them on fishing poles, and handled many. Never had any problems.

You do face many dangers surfing. Namely reefs, collisions, urchins, jellies, and drowning. I do hurt myself surfing. Learn in a sandy area, I suggest the Kona side. You need to be an experienced waterbaby here. Poihiki and Secrets are dangerous breaks, Honoli less so, though you can get sick from the river there and the entry over the rocks certainly isn't easy on the feet.

Fear is your biggest opponent. Leave the sharks alone, they're beautiful and important to the health of our oceans.

You wouldn't stay in your house for fear of being attacked by a dog would you?

For the record i have seen NO sharks here in my two years, i am in the water at least once a week. I do see a lot of dolphins at Kehena though (when RIMPAC and the Navy aren't injuring them with experiemntal sonars). Dolphins often chase sharks away.

I'm sure i've been checked out numerous times here. Thankfully, the sharks here are well fed by the abundant, less threatening and tastier menu items. They're lazy too, if you were hungry would you attack a chicken or an ostrich? Sharks look for easy meals. If they get hurt eating something which is big enough to fight back, strange enough to maybe posess spines or poisons, or might be protected by is friends they have no way of fixing themselves up. They usually eat bite sized stuff or dead/sick things.

Just be smart, don't get in teh water when big ones have been seen locally, don't get in the water when there are dead animals in the ocean, onshore, or in the rivers and you'll be fine.

I've had a lot of fun introducing people to the ocean here. You'll have a great time. Just go slow.

Hope you arrive soon!
Sorry to rant so much, i get really fired up over this issue. It's like when people kill wolves and tigers. GRRRR....

H-

[Carolann R]

Thanks Hazen...I love the sea life. I can't get enough of it when it's available on special programs either. Tiger sharks are amazingly pretty...just passing along something that looked of ineterest and had been a previous thread so just added on. Mahalo for all your info...are you gonna dive with the club on Sunday?



Carrie

"The opportunities to reach into the lives of others in an inspiring way arise in countless ways every single day..." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

http://www.hellophoenix.com/art

[Les C]

I'm not sure if I can add anything of value, but I used to board and body surf A LOT on the south shore of O'ahu in the sixties. I also spent a lot of time in the water swimming and snorkeling. I was always wary of sharks, as was everyone else. While I saw a pod of dolphins once while surfing, I never saw a shark while in the water. The only shark that I saw was one that came in to Makapu'u Beach on a surfless day and we were viewing from the roadway high above the beach. Another time, while snorkeling at Makapu'u, we saw a single barracuda. While walking on the coral reefs that are prevalent around O'ahu (not so around the BI), I was more worried about moray eels and the long-spined urchins.

That was years ago, and things do change. I have not spent any time in the water around the BI. So, I don't know how it is here, these days. I did ask our contractor, an avid surfer who moved over recently from CA, about his take on sharks. He said that he's not seen one yet. He did hear of a Tiger Shark sighting recently at Honoli'i (?) Beach. He said that at Richardson's, Tigers, Hammerheads and Black-tipped Reef Sharks are known. I'll ask another local surfer who will probably know more.

I don't think a reef will necessarily reduce the presence of sharks. There are often lots of fish in and around a reef which could attract sharks. Many reefs make for a good surf spot when tides allow the water to cover them sufficiently and the waves to break above them. But as stated, the BI is fairly young in this respect and doesn't have the coral reef development yet.

I remember that in the wake of a death from a shark attack (Billy Weaver at Kailua Beach, O'ahu), people really trashed sharks all around the island. It was sad, really. Shark fishing derbies were held with prizes given out; the sharks that were caught were killed. These days, I think marine biologists would caution against this kind of reaction.

I have been stung by Portuguese Man-o'-War off O'ahu's shores, not a pleasant experience, but one you'll live through. There may be some jellyfish that can provide a potent sting, but I've rarely heard of that in Hawaiian waters. I've learned too late that using a paste made from meat tenderizers that contain bromain or papain will counteract the venom of these critters. Does anyone know if "By the Wind Sailors" are the same as the man-o'-wars?

There are lots of things that one can obsess about in Hawaiian waters, but as people have noted, you probably stand a greater chance of getting into a car accident, something that's probably more deserving of our obsession.

Les