Article on NE Swells and Cold water in Sydney...

[Morgan The Moon]

I thought I could remember an article written by Ben about NE Swells and cold water....buggered if I can find it.

Any pointers?

[alakaboo]

http://staging.swellnet.com.au/news/125 ... nor-easter

[Morgan The Moon]

Champion.....

[chrisb]

"Fisherman can really benefit from an upwelling event - the nutrient rich water dragged up from greater ocean depths is photosynthesised as it nears the surface layers, and this sharp increase in food source can rapidly build fish stocks".

So, moving up the food chain, does this increase the risk of shark attacks during a NE'ly

[alakaboo]

yes and no..
more food, more sharks.
but less chance of getting eaten.

the upwellings bring nutrients, but the immediate response is from small fish such as pillies.
sharks move in to eat them too (surprised we haven't seen some articles about the annual summer invasion of sharks), but generally sharks that eat pillies aren't all that interested in eating humans, and even if they were, huge bait balls are pretty distracting.

i've surfed and snorkelled in the middle of shark feeding frenzies (on purpose), but you can make your own decisions. i've also got out when it felt sketchy.

[SAsurfa]

I don't know Alakaboo..

I think as the food chain starts going the bigger sharks will be attracted inshore and there is more chance of an encounter with a surfer and hence attack.

I'm not saying there is a huge link between the two but you have to wonder...

[alakaboo]

of course you're right, fish follow the food, and sharks are just big fish.
but that probably isn't what chrisb wanted to hear, is it?

NC covered this last year when people were getting eaten off Sydney:
http://forum.realsurf.com/forum/viewtop ... =4&t=15604
seems that someone who knows a lot more than me says it does increase likelihood, or at least there is an observed relationship.

makes sense. as Ogden Nash put it:
"Big fish eat little fish.
They swim around and bite'm.
Little fish eat littler fish,
And so on, ad infinitum."

but i'm a goofy footer that lives on the east coast, with a new board arriving soon, so i'm going in as soon as the runoff clears up!

[SAsurfa]

Waiting for the run off to clear up

Fine with me