Encountered my first shark this weekend

It was a dead one fortunately. I had just coasted over a big rock at Pass-A-Grille by the jetty Friday afternoon, and there in the depression about 6 ft deep was a dead shark on its back. It was a nurse shark. There was another one not far from it. Next weekend I start carrying a nice size knife when I go under. [img]eek.gif[/img]

http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ex..._shark_600.jpg

I wanted to cut the jaw bone away and boil it clean, but by Sunday both of them were gone. Something else ate them or the tide took them away...

Da Dum
Da Dum
Da Dam [img]eek.gif[/img]
DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM DUM! (theme from Jaws)
JAWS 10.
GL vs The Maneaters!
Good to hear it was nothing more than you finding them like that.
Still, had to be a little un-neveeing to see one up close for the first time.

It was. It was stark white laying there on the dark sandy bottom. I'm glad it was on its back, I knew right away it was dead. If it had been right side up I think I would have been standing on top of that rock pretty damn fast!

I was at the beach and snorkeling about 18 hrs between Friday afternoon and 4:00 yesterday afternoon. Good weekend.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ May 30, 2006 10:27 AM: Message edited by: Beachcomber ]</font>

The only thing a knife is good for underwater is prying and cutting. The resistance of the water will make your arm move to slow to penetrate a shark?s skin. If you?re worried about sharks get a

bang stick

One time I was snorkeling around some rock piles along the south jetty of the Palm Beach Inlet. My boat was anchored about 50 feet from the jetty and when I started to head back I swam into a school of about 50 or 60 3 to 5 foot black tips. I climbed up on a rock and hung on for about 30 minutes until they swam away. That swim back to the boat was bad, but pulling myself into the boat was one of the scariest things I have ever done. I knew that one of them was hiding behind a rock and as soon as I lifted my head out of the water he would grab my foot and pull me down for his buddies.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ May 30, 2006 11:31 AM: Message edited by: travelinman ]</font>

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Galler..._limbatus1.jpg

Thanks Trav, that looks like a pretty good investment. A .357 or .44 would even stop a Bull Shark. I'll need to investigate what the local laws are here in Pinellas County for such a fire arm. I guess they only hold one round at a time?

Oh thank goodness you're talking about the fish. I thought you meant you had been sued.....

I was reading some more about it and I would definitely use a live round, not blanks. It stated that with blanks it can cause "injury or eventual death" in the animal. I would want to finish it off on the spot and not make it suffer, shark or not.

I am not snorkeling so close to the jetty anymore either where people are fishing. I stay out of their way anyway, I don't want to mess up their lines or get entangled or scare off their fish, but after seeing that shark there it only makes sense the fishermen would be attracting them with their bait. I'll keep back and closer to shore. Seeing that dead shark may have been the best thing for me! A nice little warning... I'm not going over that one rock again, I'm staying back from it.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Lew:
Oh thank goodness you're talking about the fish. I thought you meant you had been sued.....

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Did I say bottom feeder?

[img]wink.gif[/img]

Quote:

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Originally posted by Beachcomber:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Lew:
Oh thank goodness you're talking about the fish. I thought you meant you had been sued.....

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Did I say bottom feeder?

[img]wink.gif[/img] </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Good comeback, GL!!