Diver in cage attacked by Great White

[Darren A]

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0...176056,00.html


BRITON'S JAWS ORDEAL



A british tourist has told how he came within inches of being eaten alive by a giant shark.

Mark Currie thought he was about to be swallowed up as a huge Great White attacked the metal cage he was dangling in.

The 18ft giant buckled the cage by ramming into it before leaping through the top to come within inches of Mark.

His nightmare happened in seas off South Africa. Mark said: "It was as if it had worked out how to reach me and was deliberately sinking the cage.

"It just seemed immense, this huge mass of muscle and power ripping the cage apart.

"I still can't believe I got out of there alive. Every time I shut my eyes I can see the shark's teeth closing in".

A friend captured the scenes on Mark's camcorder.

He finally escaped by managing to jump on the part of the cage that was still afloat and the boat's crew pulled him to safety.

Mark, a retail manager from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was on a shark-spotting expedition off the port of Hermanus near Cape Town.

He stopped off in South Africa during a round-the-world trip to visit his nine-year-old son Callum who lives there with Mark's ex-girlfriend.

Mark added: "I was on the boat with other tourists and two girls were in the cage watching smaller sharks about 6ft long.

"Then out of nowhere came the massive creature, a Great White. It was only a couple of feet smaller than the boat and everyone just gasped. I thought, 'Jesus Christ, look at that!'

"I was trapped and convinced I was going to die. I did manage to come up for air two or three times, but every time I did that it brought me nearer the teeth.

"In the end I Knew I had to risk it or drown. I made a break for it and managed to get past the shark and onto the part of the cage still floating and I was dragged back on the boat."

[Dr Stevil]

Rowlocks! would be my polite response to prety much anything from the modern media. Look at the garbage t'uther week about Geordie Jaws!


GWs are just a big fish and are no more cunning or aggressive than any other fish, it's just that they cause more damage because they're big.
If modern cod were as large as they used to be in the 18th and 19th centuries, people would be scared of them too

From the Shark Trust web pages under "Silly Season Starts"
http://www.sharktrust.org/sharkconservation.html

White sharks attracted in close by chumming for observation by people in cages do indeed occasionally bite at the cages and other objects because they are confused and trying to discover what the food source is. But they don't target heroic Brits in cages and trash everything that is blocking them from devouring them. This is the stuff of fantasy - and irresponisble journalism.

Furthermore, it appears that this alleged event occurred many months ago and despite the fact that a representative of the Shark Trust has spoken to half a dozen white shark ecotour operators in South Africa, none knows what events the story is meant to be describing.

We will provide more details if we get them.

[dave archer]

Rowlocks, yes indeed

Originally Posted by Steve W

If modern cod were as large as they used to be in the 18th and 19th centuries, people would be scared of them too

How big were they Steve?

Dave.

[Rick Huggins]

Originally Posted by dave archer

How big were they Steve?

Dave.

Big enough to last 2 weeks if accompanied by chips, salt & vinegar

[Dr Stevil]

According to interpretation of historical records, Cod used to grow to be considerably in excess of 2 metres long and weigh over 100kg, so bigger and heavier than a lot of divers I know

Well worth a read...

[Mr T.]

Briton in second great white attack
By Christopher Munnion in Johannesburg
(Filed: 29/03/2005)

A British tourist was savaged by a 16ft great white shark off a Cape Town beach yesterday only hours after arriving for a surfing holiday.

It was the second such attack on a British tourist in the area in a week.

Chris Sullivan, 32, from Newquay, Cornwall, was said to be recovering well after four hours of surgery to his lacerated right leg. He had been surfing with four friends off the Noordhoek beach.

"The surgery has gone well and he is in very good spirits," said Sister Barbara Lander, the manager of the Constantiaberg clinic's emergency unit. "The worst wounds in his right leg were sustained as he fought to pull it free from the shark's jaws."

The National Sea Rescue Institute, which launched a rescue boat, said that shark warnings had been posted at all beaches in the area but no beaches had been closed.

Mark Currie, 32, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, was inside a submerged viewing cage off the nearby Hermanus beach last week when an 18ft shark attacked, biting through the metal poles. He was pulled back aboard the boat unharmed.

[resting rifleman]

Originally Posted by hopper

Yeah but those outboards dont half get stuck between your teeth.

had a 200lb (estimated) porbeagle once that was still "green" at the side of the boat, she tore 3 out of 4 rubby dubby bags off the side, and then set about chewing the rudder before we could manouver her close enough to cut the wire, on releasing her, the bitch came back for the 4th rubby dubby bag before taking her leave!

[littleH]

Originally Posted by Mr T.

Br
The National Sea Rescue Institute, which launched a rescue boat, said that shark warnings had been posted at all beaches in the area

ummmm, well that's clever isn't it - go surfing when there's shark warnings about - sounds like he was bluddy askin for it to me!

did you hear sara cox on radio1 over the weekend? apparently there was some programme on telly and it had something on it about sharks not actually liking the taste of our skin - they'll have a try cos it may be food but when they realise they don't like it they'll spit it out again - so she suggested cutting off alimb that you dont necessarily need ie a little finger or a toe and letting them have that first!!

[David B]

I come from the same town as the first guy to be attacked by the great white. The local newspaper's headline tonight is "Walney man's shark gets a taste for blood".

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewar...aspx?id=194232

They are stating that the latest attack is from the same shark that attacked him. What a load of rubbish - how the hell can anybody tell.

This is the usual misinformed crap that our newspapers report.

David

[Dr Stevil]

http://www.sharktrust.org/sharkconservation.html

Cage Diver facing court over dramatic shark encounter claims - 29 March
Marietta Hopley, Chair of the Great White Shark Protection Foundation and Co-Owner of White Shark Ecoventures, voiced her annoyance today at the sensational and extensive media coverage of the cage diving ‘incident’ as reported by British tourist Mark Currie.

Over the weekend Mr Currie spoke at length to the World’s media, providing dramatic details, and some footage, of his version of an event that occurred on a White Shark Ecoventures boat in December 2004.

Incensed by the coverage, Ms Hopley has collected sworn affidavits from the Skipper, Dive Master and other passengers who were on the vessel with Mr Currie, and intends to take legal action against Mr Currie, suing for damages.