What sharks?!?!?!

[Kate]

<font color='#810541'>...also, what is it about the Italians that makes them worse than the sharks?!?

x x x

[John Gulliver]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Steve W @ Oct. 14 2003,11:54)]My old PhD supervisor , who spent years diving around the Caribbean day in day out, said he was never put in danger by a shark encounter, but you know those cute and cuddly bottlenose dolphins? Twice he nearly died when he got harrassed by those.

Oh, God, Steve! Now you've done it! Isn't it enough that the poor girl's pissing herself in case she sees a shark without your telling her dolphins are out to get her too? &nbsp;

[Dominic]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Didn't know you were such a sadistic bugger, Dom &nbsp;

Mwahahahah

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]I was thinking about getting a knife...would make me feel a lot better...

You think inducing a feeding frenzy will make you feel better about sharks being around..?

Top tip - take a stick. Sharks are totally unused to being touched, so smacking them on their sensitive noses with a stick will drive off almost any attack. Failing that, just thump them with your fist - you'll be amazed at how fast you can move thru waterwhen a shark's speeding towards you. Sharks close their eyes when they open their mouths, so have no chance of avoiding the blow...

See if you can get some 3D glasses attached to your mask for the full impact

[tom]

Kate, don't worry about it. My wife was really concerned about sharks as well when we went diving in French Polynesia, she was very apprehensive. When we dropped off the boat on the first dive, we were surrounded by them (blacktip, grey and lemon sharks). After an initial 'oh shit' moment she was perfectly OK with them, and it became a case of 'the more sharks the better' on subsequent dives. Fascinating and beautiful creatures.

Tom

[Andy the Coastie]

<font color='#0000FF'>Only sharks ya see in the red sea are those that run dive charter vessels ,,,,, Ain't that right Tony ?

[Dr Stevil]

Kate, Italian divers have, by all accounts, no bouyancy control and even less manners, the first you'll know about them is after they've crashed into you and finned off without apologizing, two friends of mine did their PhDs in the Red Sea (it's a hard life for some innit?), diving every day week in week out, their stories about hassles with the Italians are legion, often the italians would mess up weeks of careful experiments because they couldn't manage to stay off the bottom or tried to pinch their scientific equipment

Actually, I used to be as afraid of sharks as you are, I was about 13 when Jaws was first released and after seeing that at the cinema, God was I scared of the sea !!! Then I was on holiday on the south coast later that year, and the (older) guys and girls I was hangiing around with decided one evening that it would be a laugh to swim out to the buoy just off-shore, you know, exactly like the opening scene of Jaws, I was ****ing my self!!
even the feel of the kelp around my fins used to freak me out. But... that fear was like most fears, based on ignorance, it's like the man said &quot;There is nothing to fear but fear itself...&quot;
HTH
Steve

PS I also used to be phobic about insects and stuff too until I actually learned how amazing they are, now I love 'em for their amazing diversity.

Actually, did you know that of all the animal species documented on the planet, one-third of them are beetles? Some Religious type person once asked the renowned evolutionary scientist, J.B.S. Haldane &quot;What has the study of biology taught you about the Creator, Dr. Haldane?&quot;,
to which he replied &quot;I'm not sure, but He seems to be inordinately fond of beetles.&quot;

Decompression  theory addicts might be interested to know that JBS Haldane was the son of John Scott Haldane who developed the first ideas on decompression theory.

[Kate]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Dominic @ Oct. 14 2003,11:18)]Top tip - take a stick.

See if you can get some 3D glasses attached to your mask for the full impact

<font color='#810541'>Stick..right...ok...

P.S. 3D glasses...sod

x x x

[Diving Dude]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Kate @ Oct. 14 2003,10:03)]White Tips are very unpredictable

Sunbath topless then  

[Spike Jackson]

Remember, you don't havge to outswim the shark - you just have to outswim your buddy!

The Zambezi (Bull) shark (not found in the red sea) is considered one of the more dangerous species in the world. Dive operators off Protea Banks in South Africa have been diving with them every day (in season) for 12 years with not one single attack on a diver. Virtually all of the shark's reputation is hype.

[Kate]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (diving dude @ Oct. 14 2003,12:24)]Sunbath topless then  

<font color='#810541'>How do you know I don't...eh... &nbsp;

x x x