What sharks?!?!?!
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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?[b said:
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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
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Mwahahahah[b said:
You think inducing a feeding frenzy will make you feel better about sharks being around..?[b said:
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
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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
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
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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
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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!!
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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 "There is nothing to fear but fear itself..."
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 "What has the study of biology taught you about the Creator, Dr. Haldane?",
to which he replied "I'm not sure, but He seems to be inordinately fond of beetles."
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, 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 "There is nothing to fear but fear itself..."
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 "What has the study of biology taught you about the Creator, Dr. Haldane?",
to which he replied "I'm not sure, but He seems to be inordinately fond of beetles."
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.
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P.S. 3D glasses...sod
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<font color='#810541'>Stick..right...ok...[b said: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![]()
P.S. 3D glasses...sod
x x x
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Sunbath topless then[b said:
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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.
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.
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I havn't got a phobia of sharks, but I certainly would be scared if I saw one. I can understand your fear Kate, my daughter is so scared that she cannot even bear the word or a picture of a shark. If she thought I might see a shark she would try to stop me going.
I do feel less scared after reading the reassuring posts, not so sure of some of the comforting words but it made me laugh. Is the stick to throw for the shark to play fetch?
If I saw a shark I would definately swim faster than my buddy.
Billy connelly told a story of seeing a shark once and ran out of the see throwing women and children behind him, it transpired that it was his own fin. Bear that in mind kate. I hope you enjoy your dive holiday. You may even come back a shark spotter!
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I havn't got a phobia of sharks, but I certainly would be scared if I saw one. I can understand your fear Kate, my daughter is so scared that she cannot even bear the word or a picture of a shark. If she thought I might see a shark she would try to stop me going.
I do feel less scared after reading the reassuring posts, not so sure of some of the comforting words but it made me laugh. Is the stick to throw for the shark to play fetch?
If I saw a shark I would definately swim faster than my buddy.
Billy connelly told a story of seeing a shark once and ran out of the see throwing women and children behind him, it transpired that it was his own fin. Bear that in mind kate. I hope you enjoy your dive holiday. You may even come back a shark spotter!
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Personally, I'd rather a shark was in front of me rather than behind me as I finned away, more chance of smacking him on the nose to get him to go away. THe only sharks I've seen in the wild close up have been Nurse Sharks, big enough to hurt you if they wanted too but they've little or no interest in us and TBH, sharks have far more to fear from Man than we have from them.
Personally, I'd rather a shark was in front of me rather than behind me as I finned away, more chance of smacking him on the nose to get him to go away. THe only sharks I've seen in the wild close up have been Nurse Sharks, big enough to hurt you if they wanted too but they've little or no interest in us and TBH, sharks have far more to fear from Man than we have from them.
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Sadly, all too true. We kill somewhere between a hundred and two hundred million every year[b said:
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Mine was less reassuring. He said: "You'll never see sharks on a night dive, but THEY'LL see YOU"!
Mine was less reassuring. He said: "You'll never see sharks on a night dive, but THEY'LL see YOU"!
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If it was the programme that was on the 'telly last night then it's OWT you're scarified of. They'll feed on anything as food is so scarce for them.
They also said that the Red Sea has 15 species of sharks, of which, only 7 are dangerous to man.
Apart from that Kate, if a shark attacks you, you don't need to outfin the shark, you just need to out-fin your buddy!!!
Peter
Hi Kate.[b said:
If it was the programme that was on the 'telly last night then it's OWT you're scarified of. They'll feed on anything as food is so scarce for them.
They also said that the Red Sea has 15 species of sharks, of which, only 7 are dangerous to man.
Apart from that Kate, if a shark attacks you, you don't need to outfin the shark, you just need to out-fin your buddy!!!
Peter
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What do we do with them? Is it sport? Fin soup? "By-product" of fishing? Aphrodisiac?
How does this number compare with overall numbers? How many species, if any, are under threat?
Sorry, I'm just boggling from this statistic.
tas
WHAT?[b said:Quote[/b] (John Gulliver @ Oct. 14 2003,18:03)]Sadly, all too true. We kill somewhere between a hundred and two hundred million every year![]()
What do we do with them? Is it sport? Fin soup? "By-product" of fishing? Aphrodisiac?
How does this number compare with overall numbers? How many species, if any, are under threat?
Sorry, I'm just boggling from this statistic.
tas
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<font color='#000080'>Kate, don't worry.
It's a known fact that sharks will only attack you if you are wet.
<font color='#000080'>Kate, don't worry.
It's a known fact that sharks will only attack you if you are wet.
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A recent study showed that the populations omost species of shark that are being commercially fished are down 65 - 80%. Many are endangered.[b said:Quote[/b] (tas @ Oct. 14 2003,15:19)]WHAT?[b said:Quote[/b] (John Gulliver @ Oct. 14 2003,18:03)]Sadly, all too true. We kill somewhere between a hundred and two hundred million every year![]()
What do we do with them? Is it sport? Fin soup? "By-product" of fishing? Aphrodisiac?
How does this number compare with overall numbers? How many species, if any, are under threat?
Sorry, I'm just boggling from this statistic.
tas
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THe big issue is that sharks (cartilagenous fish, elasmobranchs ) have a far more limited breeding strategy than other fish (bony fish or Teleosts). eg Salmon spawn eggs and sperm in a "broadcast" manner literally millinos of gametes (eggs or sperm) in one go, elasmobranchs tend to fertilise internally and sometimes develop the zygote (fertilised egg) internally or lay the characteristic "mermaid's purse" egg cases wherein the young deveop before "hatching" (or more strictly speaking "eclosing")
Consequently elasmobranchs can't respond rapidly to depleted numbers, add to this that elasmobranchs generally have a loger period before entering sexual maturity than teleosts and you can see how easily the situation goes from bad to critical.
Most of this is due to the oriental love of Shark fin soup, personally I won't go into a Chinese restaurant which lists SFS on its menu, in fact Chinese restaurants are very poor at providing for veggie dishes generally speaking
THe big issue is that sharks (cartilagenous fish, elasmobranchs ) have a far more limited breeding strategy than other fish (bony fish or Teleosts). eg Salmon spawn eggs and sperm in a "broadcast" manner literally millinos of gametes (eggs or sperm) in one go, elasmobranchs tend to fertilise internally and sometimes develop the zygote (fertilised egg) internally or lay the characteristic "mermaid's purse" egg cases wherein the young deveop before "hatching" (or more strictly speaking "eclosing")
Consequently elasmobranchs can't respond rapidly to depleted numbers, add to this that elasmobranchs generally have a loger period before entering sexual maturity than teleosts and you can see how easily the situation goes from bad to critical.
Most of this is due to the oriental love of Shark fin soup, personally I won't go into a Chinese restaurant which lists SFS on its menu, in fact Chinese restaurants are very poor at providing for veggie dishes generally speaking
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