Shark attacks in Florida

[flifree 0]

i am a resident of florida and have spend most of my life playing in the gulf. i think most people, down here anyway, accept that they might have an encounter at some point, but live with it. i realize WE are playing in their pond, figuratively and literally.

for those of you who are not in the water as much....land lubbers, how does this make you feel about coming down for a swim on vacation?

i only ask b/c i was chatting with a gal this morning who was saying 'all sharks should be killed' and that kind of jibberish. i have trouble believing most people are that short-sighted and naive.

on the news they were showing a video of two bull sharks feeding on a tarpon in boca grande, fl...my second home. i hate to see that b/c that scenario is much different. this video can be seen in real life every day there and i have had two tarpon eaten in the exact same manner this year alone in that exact same location. boca grande pass is a cafeteria for all kinds of fish and is known the world over as the premiere tarpon fishery.

all i'm saying is that i don't want everyone to be afraid of the water b/c of what the media is showing this week....come on down the weather is beautiful.

[AggieDave 6]

Meh.

Sharks are an important part of the ocean. On occasion someone gets bit or attacked, but shit, how many millions of people play in the ocean each year? How many are attacked? That's better odds then most of the things in my life, I think I'd go play in the ocean and enjoy myself.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[BGill 0]

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I think I'd go play in the ocean and enjoy myself.

did you just say you play with yourself in the ocean?

bad dave!

[AggieDave 6]

Hey, what a better place to do it, no one will notice...it is a big ocean, right?

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[IanHarrop 37]

Got to agree with you.

from this site http://www.factmonster.com/spot/sharks1.html

In the U.S., your chances of getting killed by lightning are 30 times greater than dying of a shark attack.

Bees, wasps, and snakes kill more people each year than sharks.

Drowning, heart attacks, beach accidents resulting in spinal injury, sunburn, cuts from stepping on sea shells, dehydration, jellyfish stings, and traffic accidents going to or from the beach are all far more common than shark attacks.

In 1996 in the U.S. there were 18 reported injuries and deaths from shark attacks, but 198,849 injuries from working with screws, nails, tacks, and bolts; 138,894 injuries from ladders; 43,687 injuries from toilets; and 36,091 injuries while pruning, trimming, or edging plants.

Between 1959 and 1990, 5,528 people were stuck by lightning in the 22 coastal states (excluding Alaska) and Puerto Rico, with 1,505 fatalities. During the same period, there were 336 shark attacks in the coastal waters of those states, with 12 fatalities.

In 1987, New York City reported the following number of people bitten by dogs: 8,064; other people, 1,587; cats, 802; rats, 291; squirrels, 95, raccoons, 11; ferrets, 7; skunk, 3. There were 13 shark injuries reported nationwide the same year.

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[Ashtanga 0]

I lived in Southwest Florida for a couple of years. I remember flying over the gulf in a helicopter and seeing all the sharks in the water close to where people were swimming. They seem to leave people alone most of the time. But you are going to have your accidents.

Anyhow, I started skydiving and really only went to the beach a couple of times. I was always at the dz on weekends and my days off.

At the Keys Boogie I opened a couple of miles out over the ocean and remember looking for sharks the whole way back. Didn't see anything but the beautiful scenery.

The only thing I don't miss about SW Florida is the humidity and the mosquitos.

[flifree 0]

cool. that is what i was trying to express, but didn't have the raw data like that site.

with that said, the video is impressive, but seeing nature operate like that in person is absolutely humbling. i have seen it probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 times and it's always a jaw dropping site. i have some pics from back when i was a litte kid that my mom has in a photo album...i will see if she can dig them up and i will scan them. they are of a resident hammerhead called 'hitler' somwhere in the 15-18 foot range. we are definitely NOT at the top of the food chain! mind you, the adult tarpon are 6-7 feet long and 150-200+ lbs......and they are getting shreaded. whoa.

[The111 0]

I grew up in New Smyrna Beach (just south of Daytona) and surfed a lot, and honestly it always scared me. It is pretty statistically unlikely, but unlike skydiving, you don't have a lot of control over it. Two of my friends growing up got bit (nothing requiring major surgery to fix). One guy got struck by lightning AND bit (not at the same time), and when the media found out about this, he got his little 15 minutes of fame for having two strikes against him (plus the media loved his surfer talking style), had articles everywhere including CNN, and was interviewed on the Leno show even, I'm pretty sure.

That said, shark attacks in Florida are common but usually harmless. Shark attacks in other parts of the world are more rare but more deadly.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[flyangel2 2]

Ever since I saw the movie Jaws I am scared of the water!

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[mattsplat 0]

I believe since 1872 there has been 500 shark attacks with 12 fatalities .More people die spanking it every year.

[Tenshi 0]

Great topic. First of all let me make clear that I don't hate sharks...I don't want to see them killed or anything.

Now then. I for one have shark phobia. I wouldn't even stick my big toe in the water in places such as Hawaii, California, Florida, Australia, South Africa and so on. If there was a forest where you knew there were several hungry lions lurking, would you go for a hike with the wife and kids?

Shark attacks may be rare...but they do happen. Now I wouldn't mind being bitten but when there's great whites, tigers or Zambezis in the neighbourhood there's no way I'm going for a swim. It's not about the actual attacks either...but the possibility and probability of a killer being below you, and you not even being able to see it makes it unpleasant for me to be in the water anyway.

And another thing. Why is it...that in these discussions there's always someone who says you have a bigger chance of being killed when driving your car or being hit by lightning? I DON'T CARE ABOUT CAR ACCIDENTS NOR DO I GIVE A STUFF ABOUT MY CHANCES IN A THUNDERSTORM. It's about being eaten alive by a shark here...and that is far more gruesome than crashing my motorcycle.

[cvfd1399 0]

I think a net should be installed "securing" off a designated swimming area on the beaches.

[freeflynNicki 0]

hey man, just got here about 2 months ago...sharks are no worries, it's the gators that i'm stressin' over.

boarding in an infested lake definately makes for a nice rush though!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PMS#269
Team Dirty Sanchez#41

[Tenshi 0]

Maybe. However...nets as they are today kill sharks as well as dolphins and turtles.

You'd think someone would be able to make a non-leathal net.

(Also... there's a small chance of a shark getting trapped inside the net...finding no food other than me splashing around)

[mattsplat 0]

I forgot about this one. It was kinda by florida.

[alw 0]

Cool pic. The only time I've been able to get that close was on a rebreather.

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Every day is a bonus - every night is an adventure.

[mattsplat 0]

Ya that was a great dive. Heres one from the boat.

[PsychoBob 0]

I saw a big hammerhead out by the second sandbar when I was under canopy on Sunday afternoon. The ocean is their turf and I'll start to worry when I see them in the bars or at the Mall.

"I'm not a gynecologist but I will take a look at it"
RB #1295, Smokey Sister #1, HellFish #658, Dirty Sanchez #194, Muff Brothers #3834, POPS #9614, Orfun Foster-Parent?"

[RastaRicanAir 0]

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I wouldn't even stick my big toe in the water in places such as Hawaii, California, Florida, Australia, South Africa and so on.

So you've eliminated most of the world's coastline where it's warm enough to swim anyway. Your problem is solved.

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If there was a forest where you knew there were several hungry lions lurking, would you go for a hike with the wife and kids?

If you'll permit me to answer a logical question with an equally logical question:
If there were a large, solid planet 2 1/2 miles below the plane you were flying in, would you jump out of it just for fun?

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Shark attacks may be rare...but they do happen. Now I wouldn't mind being bitten but when there's great whites, tigers or Zambezis in the neighbourhood there's no way I'm going for a swim. ...

And another thing. Why is it...that in these discussions there's always someone who says you have a bigger chance of being killed when driving your car or being hit by lightning? I DON'T CARE ABOUT CAR ACCIDENTS NOR DO I GIVE A STUFF ABOUT MY CHANCES IN A THUNDERSTORM. It's about being eaten alive by a shark here...and that is far more gruesome than crashing my motorcycle.

The two-fold point they're trying to make is:
1) Don't blame the friggin' sharks. Would you blame a hunter for shooting a nine point buck that walked into his living room?

2) Keep it in perspective. Shark attacks are all too tasty (pun intended) for the so-called news networks to pass up. In this case, has anyone else noted that Fox News already has a f*cking graphic and tense John Williams-esque music to lead in their coverage of TWO ATTACKS?! That kind of fear mongering makes it easy to forget how RELATIVELY safe we kids who proudly grew up swimming the Florida beaches EVERY SINGLE DAY OF OUR LIVES really are. Or have you neglected to notice the way the media "covers" skydiving incidents?

As far as your preference for getting bitten or wrecking your bike vs. being "eaten", you forgot the fact that if you don't get help quickly, the greatest odds (Ooops! We're giving odds again.) are you'll just go into shock and drown, as well as the fact that trucks and asphalt can do pretty gruesome sh*t to your body at high speeds too.

I've always admired the way surfers view this danger. Sounds similar to the way a lot of my "crazy, psycho, jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, idiot" friends try to live their lives.

OrFunV/LocoBoca Rodriguez/Sonic Grieco/Muff Brother #4411
-"and ladies....messin with Robbie is venturing into territory you cant even imagine!-cuz Robbie is

[PsychoBob 0]

***If there was a forest where you knew there were several hungry lions lurking, would you go for a hike with the wife and kids?

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Yes. I do it every year when I go hiking in the mountains (Appalachians and Rockies). I know there are bears (Black and Grizzlies) there because they have come up to my tent and I see them on the trails but that doesn't stop me or my wife. You take precautions like hanging your food bag in a tree and don't try and fuck with them and things usually work out fine. Every now and then one attacks a hiker and all hell breaks loose.

I feel safer in the water or in the woods than I do driving on the highway with the idiots talking cellphones or playing with their fucking crumb grabbers in the backseat. Those morons are more of a threat than any animal.

"I'm not a gynecologist but I will take a look at it"
RB #1295, Smokey Sister #1, HellFish #658, Dirty Sanchez #194, Muff Brothers #3834, POPS #9614, Orfun Foster-Parent?"

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[Peej 0]

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Hey, what a better place to do it, no one will notice...it is a big ocean, right?

Ahem, please see Zep's post in this thread:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1710278;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

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