sharks holidaying in NSW

[wjp]

Another attack: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/surfer-pulled ... 1pju8.html


and my Mrs heard on the news this morning 3 great whites spotted around Copa beach

[rangaman]

same media build up every summer. the report said on the news that the guy doesnt even need stitches.

[crabmeat thompson]

Let's not forget the 4m tiger who bit the flipper off a spear fisherman, named Hugo, at Dbah.

I, for one, welcome our marine overlords.

[Natho]

Another excuse for Michael Brown to rear up in the media again spewin out the usual crap to prop up his own silly cause. I bet he has been all over the media today. Remeber the huge Great White attack at Mona Vale that Michael 'witnessed', only to be made into a d!ckhead when it was revealed that the attacking monster was in fact a poor little wobby defending its little rock pool hideout when it was trodden on.

[steve shearer]

A wobbey chased me while I was snorkeling at the Wreck.

Those things are gnarly.

[alakaboo]

Saw a bloke come swimming in from Cudgen reef with a Wobbie stuck on his forearm. They've got backwards facing teeth, it's pretty hard for them to let go.
Came up the beach a bit wobbly and white. The lifeguard just stuck a hose in it's gills and it let go, was safely returned to the water.
Said it happened about every 2 years, some idiot would poke one to see if it was awake.

[ac2026]

This SHARK has sure grown in size, yest on radio it was 1.5m, then last night on the ABC it was 1.8m and then today on channel nine its now 2.0m. got to love chinese whispers......but seriously what a media beat up. leave them alone

[steve shearer]

There's a shiteload of fish action happening right now.

There does seem to be a loose correlation (association maybe not causal) between moon phases and attacks.

esp in summer.

[alakaboo]

I'd say that it's a combination of those factors, Steve.
Summer spring highs coinciding with peak usage times (both daily and annual), currents bringing baitfish inshore, increased rainfall bringing murky water and nutrients (also bringing fish inshore), I'd guess also more variable barometric pressure, at least in the sub tropics where most people swim...

[wjp]

Any truth to the feed times (dawn/dusk)? Pretty much the only time I can get out..

[Nick Carroll]

Surf ski training on Dec 30, we saw a 2.5 metre shark just inside the tip of Newport Reef (Channel Nine would have had it out around 4m I would reckon). Couldn't get a good enough look to recognise it but probably a bull shark or small tiger.

In the next five days, more people came to Newport Beach than had approached the water for the past six months. New Year's Day was insane, and Jan 2 featured Newport's version of a competitive ocean swim with around 700 competitors swimming a line that took 'em within 150m of the reef tip.

Not one shark sighting nor (of course) attack. Do you think that was because there were no sharks in the vicinity? Or was it because sharks, even potential man-eaters, hardly ever target humans?

Meanwhile, what was it, 40-odd people died on Australian roads?

[steve shearer]

People seem to be conditioned to being horribly maimed, decapitated or crushed or torn to pieces in high speed collisions in metal boxes.......

And yet if a shark bites someone or ....gasp....even worse, a soldier in a war gets killed, it's front page news, that requires a Gubbermint response.

How the fcuk did we come to dominate the planet?

Surely chimps could do a better job.

[Kunji]

Surely chimps could do a better job.

[rangaman]

judging by that pic, chimps can't

[steve shearer]

He looks hungry....someone throw the poor fella a banana.

Hungry chimps can't run the world.

[Beerfan]

I like the bit in the article where it says its the first attack there in 14 years haha. How many people have drowned there in that 14 years??? SHIT better stop everyone from swimming!!

[swvic]

I'm convinced there are sharks close to you every time you surf. Pretty much can't see them unless directly underneath you or they surface. Only questions are; What type? How big? Is it hungry?

My reasoning is that several years ago I went out on a cray boat from Geraldton. As the pots were retrieved, the old baits were thrown overboard to a waitng pack of about 50 bronze whalers ranging from about 2-6 feet. The rough calculation had me guessing that about 100 boats left port that morning which means there were 5000 bronze whalers swimming within about 5km from shore. We retrieved one line of pots that was about 50m from where I'd been surfing and swimming the previous day.

[crabmeat thompson]

The cars verse shark hysteria, is surely about control.

You can control the way you drive – even though you can't control another driver, say a drunk at high speed on the wrong side of a blind corner – and therefore control your destiny behind the wheel. Enter the people who boast, "I've been driving for 23 years and never even had a fender bender!" We all know one of those people.

Sharks, on the other hand. The perception is:

They're merciless killers and if one were to strike, you would be ripped apart like an old pillow. All you would be left to do is uselessly claw at its razor shark fangs and soulless eyes.