Shark Stories
A lot of those little midwest cray towns have small islands offshore (Lancelin, Cervantes, Jurien). These islands usually have a small population of seals lazing about onshore. Easy to see why GWS's would be doing lazy laps up and down these coasts. The 1967 Jurien fatality was at north head. Touted as one of the few spots in WA where you can catch dhuies from shore (deep drop off - torpedo rocks Yallingup, Cosy corner). We used to holiday in winter in Sandy cape shack town (mid 90's) Surfed some scrubby beachies and wanted to paddle out at North Head until we motorbiked up on top and saw the memorial.
Just to think that I used to get a cray boat out to hole in the wall and jump of the side when moving through the passage, still dark and by myself...very late 70's/early 80's
Year 5 camp in the 80's - take the kids to Lancelin Island using a dinghy in small batches - throw them off the boat with 50 to 100m to go, make them swim the last bit. Would love to try to clear that with school OH&S today...
Haha remember days like that. Even the SAS does not perform night jumps at Cockburn Sound anymore
velocityjohnno wrote:Year 5 camp in the 80's - take the kids to Lancelin Island using a dinghy in small batches - throw them off the boat with 50 to 100m to go, make them swim the last bit. Would love to try to clear that with school OH&S today...
A relative took the dingy and kids out for a row at a protected beach around the corner from the open ocean years ago. His daughter jumped out to swim the last 50 metres to shore.
The dad reached the shore and looked out to see his young daughter swimming in with a big fin cruising behind her. Nothing he could do but watch her over the last 10 metres.
Last time he did that.
Actually kinda surprised that there hasn't been any further attacks on the NSW mid - north coast areas in recent time given how dire it was looking back in May/June......
3.5 mt encounter at Congo yesterday
https://www.dorsalwatch.com/report/index.html?id=25873
udo wrote:3.5 mt encounter at Congo yesterday
https://www.dorsalwatch.com/report/index.html?id=25873
G'day udo. That one is my encounter, I almost didn't bother reporting it but figured it was too similar to other east coast interactions not to throw it out there.
Yesterday was a classic postcard morning with fun 2-3ft peaks in crisp but crystal clear water. It didn't feel particularly fishy, there were no birds or bait balls about, no sign of the salmon that were prolific in first few weeks of winter. I was surfing alone about 100m down from another guy I know and we'd been out for just over 2hrs, a few more guys were surfing up by the rock. A couple of waves before I broke my leggy and instead of listening to the universe I threw the leggy on the beach and paddled back out for a few more.
I think I'd had two or three waves, I was sitting out the back day dreaming, I recall taking a piss, then saw the shadow approach from the SE and thought dolphin, then it sped up, not at a great clip but enough to get my attention and as the gap closed I could see that it was a reasonable sized white approaching front on, fully submerged and about 0.5m or so below the surface. I could see the scars on it. I didn't have much time to think so I instinctively just pushed the nose of my board down in a half duck dive and in one motion slid off the back and lunged the board (a 5'11) toward it. I don't know whether the board actually made contact but it clearly didn't like this and whipped around, swimming a slow arc back to where I first saw it as a shadow.
I didn't waste any time and slowly paddled toward shore with both feet up, missed the first bump that came through but picked up the second one and beached myself. Felt like a dream until it all sunk in on the beach and for a moment there I thought I was going to have a heart attack. It was an incredible experience but still bloody terrifying in hindsight, I didn't get much sleep last night.
Cheers Daarlawan...jeezus christ im goosebumped all over after that.
udo wrote:Cheers Daarlawan...jeezus christ im goosebumped all over after that.
Pleasure mate, I've read so many swellnet yarns over the years, it would've been a crime not to contribute to this thread. I still feel sick to the stomach. I'm happy that it's almost flat today and I don't have to contemplate a paddle. I'm swinging between feeling lucky to have gotten so close to such an incredible creature and feeling shit scared of an environment that has been my sanctuary for almost 30 years.
Cheers for the story, Daarlawan.
You’ve still got your arms and legs…..happy days.
Fuck, were you turning around looking for it on the paddle back in?
So the clear water may of saved you as you had time to see it coming and prepare for it?
Murky water maybe a different outcome?
Blowin - that's it mate, so stoked to be alive and well today.
goofyfoot wrote:Fuck, were you turning around looking for it on the paddle back in?
So the clear water may of saved you as you had time to see it coming and prepare for it?
Murky water maybe a different outcome?
Nah I didn't look back until I hit the sand, it was a short 20m or so paddle over the bank and then through a shallow inshore gutter. When it bailed and then started its slow arc I saw that as my cue to get the f out of there as calmly as possible. I reckon the clear water definitely saved me from getting a solid bump, whether it was coming in hot enough for a full blown attack, I don't know...I'd like to think that it was just coming in for a sniff. I'd also say it would have had ample opportunity to approach from the north using the glare from the low winter sun if it wanted to have a red hot go. If that was the case I wouldn't have seen it at all.
Thanks for sharing Daarlawan. Hope you get back in the water at some stage without too much anxiety.
I should have posted this on this thread .
Did a little research and thinking on Shark numbers in NNSW .
In the 70's the Byron Abattoir was busy and sharks were around the out flow . In 6 years of surfing at New Brighton ( 15km north )only had ONE encounter with ( we thought ) a Bronze Whaler . There were very regular occasions when we had to walk through 100 fisherman pulling in Tailor and filling hessian bags . Never ever saw a whale .
Whales are now seen by the 100's in a day . Wonderful .
I have not seen groups of fisherman catching bags of Tailor for many years .
So maybe the huge increase in Great Whites ( GW )is NOT food related .
In 96 NSW protected GW 's . In 99 the Australian Government listed them as vulnerable and in 2002 the Dept of Sustainability , Environment , Water , Population and Communities wrote a recovery plan .
Regularly updated with the last , I think , in 2013 . I read this one .
They listed the threats as being accidentally caught ( Beach meshing and drum lines ) or illegally targeted by fishermen . Also Climate Change ( increasing sea temps , acidification and changes to
ocean currents ).
They said it was essential to mitigate these threats and do lots and lots more research ( of course they did , more work and funding ) .
Fuck me , may be the ONLY Govt Dept to achieve their GOAL ie increase GW numbers .
Hows things going Daarlawan...have you ventured out for a surf ?
Old story, but begs the question is Nahoon the sharkiest wave on the planet? Big hungry critters...
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/27/experience-i-was-at...
Govts spend billions saving human lives with road safety initiatives then spend millions (billions?) destroying human lives by promoting GWS populations - go figure.
D-Rex wrote:Govts spend billions saving human lives with road safety initiatives then spend millions (billions?) destroying human lives by promoting GWS populations - go figure.
How many pointers have you seen you reckon?
Not a scary vid but the 500 metre swim in would have been tense. It is interesting to see the big shift in shark behaviour once fish blood is in the water. Once sharks of any size switch on to attack mode, watch out.
DAY 85: Sharks Really Wanted This Fish!
I watched on Shark Week once where some people were testing human blood versus fish blood as a stimulant for, I think, mainly fish eating shark species. The human blood produced no real reaction but the fish blood set them off. Adult GW might be quite different.
Anyway, the take home message is to avoid doing things that might flick the switch into "excited mode" - as I have said before, paddle steady and my number one bit of advice is don't kick onto waves - that is a dinner bell. I sort of ignore the kickers at safer spots but next time someone near me does it at a spooky spot I will have a discussion as the last kicker I surfed with (on a too small a surfboard so he seemed to have to to catch waves) did draw in a big fin straight at us.
Had a dive in vanuatu a few years ago where my wife and i swam out few hundred meters to this bomby in about 80ft water......ended up being further than i thought .....anyway long story short a couple whalers appeared and started circling us ......and when my heart rate jumped they picked up on it and became very agitated suffice to say we were very thankful to get back to the beach ,followed all the way by one shark.......
Im still shocked about you drift diving the mouth of Richmond river..faaarknhell
udo wrote:Im still shocked about you drift diving the mouth of Richmond river..faaarknhell
Yep some of simbas diving/spearing stories on here have been hectic.
udo wrote:Hows things going Daarlawan...have you ventured out for a surf ?
Going well thanks mate, I had a few days off and have surfed almost every day since. Still easily freaked out by weird shadows, surface ripples etc but slowly getting better.
That Courier Mail article about MG's brother being attacked in front of him at Maroochydore is heavy. It's a miracle that Gary survived. I grew up in Coolum and had never heard the story before. Well before my time but 1975 was a very wet year the year prior ('74 floods) so imagine the bullies were prolific.
Warnambool 3mt Encounter
https://www.dorsalwatch.com/report/index.html?id=26006
Update for Warnambool area
https://www.dorsalwatch.com/report/index.html?id=26020
Fark, RIP.
R.I.P. Father’s Day will never be the same for family members. Sincere condolences.
RIP mate...
Condolences to his family and friends.
RIP mate
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And a little marley sighting - 12 mths since last attack area RIP Nick
https://www.dorsalwatch.com/report/index.html?id=26052
Yet another fatal attack on the east coast today. When are the powers that be going to admit the whites are in much bigger numbers than ever before. Why the fetish for megafauna - they are just a big fish! Protect human life first.
hamishbro wrote:Yet another fatal attack on the east coast today. When are the powers that be going to admit the whites are in much bigger numbers than ever before. Why the fetish for megafauna - they are just a big fish! Protect human life first.
Maybe you stay out of the water?
I don’t think sharks should be killed off just to protect swimmers or surfers that enter the water. Maybe more research into shark prevention techniques would be a better route to take.
RIP to that poor guy today.
Remember folks, it's not an 'attack' according to the boffins, it's a 'negative encounter '. Just like the 'research' shows GWS numbers are 'not increasing'.
"Maybe more research into shark prevention techniques would be a better route to take."
There is a high likelihood that such research will hit a plateau of usefulness (it might already have reached it). That is the future.
Calypso Star Neptune Island cage diving reporting no GWS seen since July 5th..
Udo - any Orca sightings in that area around that time?
udo...strange but maybe they are all on the east coast......anyway the boffins should have an idea as they are all tagged.
Fitz no mention of Orcas - Simba most of there GWS seem to be 4 mt or bigger / East coast ones 1.8 up to 3.5 mt?
Here's there Sightings Stats
https://sharkcagediving.com.au/sites/sharkcagediving/media/pdf/sightings...
Yep definitely a difference in the East Coast GWS population and SA/WA population. They generally have different migration patterns but that is a generalisation. GWS population of NSW waters are thought to be juveniles, 1 to 5 years 1.8 to 3.8m but where do they go after they grow up? NZ or do they join the SA/WA crew that cruise over South Africa way?.
Seen 2 pointers in my travels.
1st - deckying on a 7.5m boat long-lining for snapper Spencer Gulf. Yep shit fishery that has since closed thankfully, I did 2 nights and walked.
Anyway, pulling up line with only snapper heads left on hooks then hydraulic hauler loads up. A mess of about 300m of line in a massive tangle with a 5m pointer in the middle slowly rises from blackness into the 5m circle of flood lit water along side. Pointer some how got untangled just below the surface and spent the next 10 minutes or so biting the outboards and circling about 5m down. It was 3am, pitch black, middle of the gulf. I watched mesmerized by this creature in the overhead lights until it grabbed the outboard and shook the entire boat. I then sat on the deck.
Was a big Shark, long but not thick.
2nd - Pilchard boat (Purse Seine), again middle of the night, middle of nowhere. Net had been hauled along side and vac pumping of 30T of pillies or so had begun. As usual about 50 to 100 dolphins goin mad outside the net along with 10 or so Bronzies from 2 to 5ft.
Little Bronzies darted off and dolphins kinda migrated around to 1 side of the net. Then a Submarine of a GWS mozied up from deep into the lights, rubbed up against the net which sent 30T of pillies to the opposite side and casually did a lap around the net and disappeared. Was a big Shark, probably only about 4.5m but the girth in the middle and thickness behind it's head/shoulders was mind blowing.
I feel extremely lucky to have seen those sharks in those situations and hope I never see another one. Just in case there isn't many tonnes of steel or aluminium between us.
I’ve often wondered why you don’t hear too many GWS stories in New Zealand? Obviously they’d be there, cold water, seals and the likes. Thoughts?
Solitude there was an attack in January in NZ, but for the amount of sea life does appear to be few incidents….. the water is pretty cold, maybe less people in the water? They also have a lot more orcas which may some influence on shark numbers .
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/waihi-beach-fatal-shark-attack-extreme-gri...
Makes sense.
After the vid of the Orca's v GWS from Neptune Island surfaced and the lack of sharks immediately after in that usually consistent area you have to wonder what role they play??
Plus my 2 cents worth. Commercial shark cage tourism operations are just flat out shit, sorry (language), wrong.
Those that use burley are especially wrong. The others using music underwater are just slightly less wrong. All are just slowly teaching these sharks that interactions with boats and humans (albeit in a cage) are normal. Add to that the tease of a meal being offered and not delivered and who knows what the sharks instincts become.
Rant over.
Solitude wrote:I’ve often wondered why you don’t hear too many GWS stories in New Zealand? Obviously they’d be there, cold water, seals and the likes. Thoughts?
Perhaps Kiwis aren't as tasty...too soon?
"Plus my 2 cents worth. Commercial shark cage tourism operations are just flat out shit, sorry (language), wrong."
I agree but this does't happen on the East coast to my knowledge .
I assume NZ has also protected GWS .
Maybe we need to Free a Willy ( Orca ) from Seaworld ?
Log on.
Hutchy's spammed the comments again.
Log off.
3.4 mt GWS tagged released at Evans 11am today
https://www.dorsalwatch.com/report/index.html?id=26105
A few interesting stories on shark attacks and near misses on the Shark Shield report so I thought I would start this thread. Don't want to trivialize the subject as people have had their lives taken or changed forever by what can happen. I thought it might serve as an educational purpose by hearing others experiences so we may all learn from them and hopefully avoid it happening to us.
One of them was a mate of mine named Hazey.
He had been surfing at Castles, a notoriously sharky wave in the bay at Cactus.
Several hundred metres offshore the wave breaks before reforming into Inside Castles making a long left with several sections. The wave has been the scene of several attacks and near misses over the years including the local known as "Sharkbait" who had been attacked more than once.
Gerry Lopez is another who came very close to being attacked out there and vowed to never surf Cactus again after his near miss.
Well Hazey was surfing out the back with another bloke named Steve when out of the blue he was launched into the air still on his board by a huge force from below.
A shark had rammed him with a direct hit straight up into the air! In a moment it was gone but soon returned to the stunned Hazey and started biting him and his board. Hazey instinctively put his arms out to protect himself but both his arms ended up in its mouth. As the jaws closed down his arms could have easily been severed, but several teeth on the sharks lower jaw had become dislodged and imbedded in the board leaving his upper arms with massive injuries, but the vital inner arms where major arteries run were not majorly damaged. This probably saved his life.
By this time Steve had reacted and in a rush of adrenalin and pure ballsy courage he threw himself onto the sharks back and started gouging at the sharks eyeballs, eventually feeling one pop and the shark departed.
Steve got the two surfboards together and got himself and Hazey on and started the long paddle to shore.
Then they were both thrown into the air as the shark rammed them a third time before disappearing again. They continued to make their way closer to shore and the shark nudged them again. Steve told me he thought he really must of pissed it off when he popped its eye.
Finally they we're just a metre from shore when the shark made its fifth and final appearance. It beelined towards them and the shore while they stood in waist deep water with their boards. The sharks mouth was just rapidly opening and closing like one of those wind up sets of false teeth. The boys separated and put their hands on either side of it's body and held it on a 90 degree angle to the beach as they made the final steps to the safety of the sand.
Hazey was rushed to Ceduna hospital and then flown to Adelaide for micro surgery on his shredded arms.
Steve ended up receiving a bravery award and they both sold their story to 60 minutes and made $50,000 each out of it!
It was quite a story!