Jan 27 2008
Shark
The collective noun for a group of sharks is a shiver, and rightly so. That’s what they give most of us. For more than 400 million years sharks have dominated the oceans and are regarded as a predatory killer that doesn’t discriminate between fish or humans. But if you’re worried about taking a swim, remember more people die from bee stings each year than from shark attacks. Fear of sharks has been fueled by a few rare instances of unprovoked attack and by sensationalised fiction and film until the very thought of sharks is frightening, but sharks merely maintain the delicate balance in the oceans.
There are many theories about why sharks sometimes attack people. The most popular theory is that the shark confuses us for a prey animal, we look like dinner. From beneath the surface, a surfer lying on a board looks just like a seal, and a human in a wetsuit is the same size and colour as a seal.
Surfers and divers have been attacked and have lived to tell the tale as sharks tend to take one bite and move away. We probably don’t taste the best, for compared to the thick fatty meat of a seal, .we are scrawny boney creatures, but the shark won’t know this until after a nibble.
Avoid a Shark Attack
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- Don’t swim dive or surf alone
- Don’t swim, dive or surf where dangerous sharks are known to congregate.
- Don’t swim in dirty, turbid, murky waters, harbour entrances, near river mouths (especially after heavy rains), deep channels or steep drop offs. These types of waters are are known to be frequented by sharks.
- Don’t wear high-contrast clothing or shiny jewelry. Sharks see contrast very well.
- Don’t swim near people fishing or spear fishing.
- Don’t swim with pets and domestic animals.
- If turtles or schooling fish start to behave erratically or congregate in large numbers, get out of the water.
- If a shark warning is sounded get out of the water as quickly and calmly as possible.
Great Whites
The interactions that we may have are in usually close to shore with small sharks out hunting schooling fish such as snapper, but our greatest fear is encountering a Great White, the species portrayed in Jaws.
Great White Sharks are found right along our south west coastline, but generally stay in deep water as they move from southern Queensland, around the southern coastline and to the North West Cape in Western Australia. They are large, rare, and warm-blooded, the top of the foodchain, the apex of marine predators.
In Australia, the Great White is listed as a threatened species and globally. numbers have declined between 60-95% in the last 50 years. Sharks are among the most valuable and vulnerable animals in the sea but massive consumer demand for fins and other shark products have created an industry motivated by high return with ultimate, and rapid, extinction of sharks an inevitability.
For a real shark experience, with submersible bottom cage diving to the ocean floor.: Fox Great White Shark Expeditions
Like to shout me a cold beer?
