Be Aware of Big Fish With Big Teeth!!

[PhipsFolly]

Just as a heads up to all divers out along the Treasure Coast... I was diving off of Treasure Shores last week spying out some good lobster holes in prep for mini-season coming up and ran into a very scary sight... I Sh*t you not... a 12-14 foot long Great White Shark!!! The visibility was poor and I kept telling myself that it couldn't have been a GWS. Well, then I turned on the news tonight and sure enough, there was a video being shown of a 12-14 foot long GWS that was buzzing around a diver that was out spearfishing off of Fort Pierce!!! Same one that I saw? I sure hope so... I hate to think about one GWS being in this area, let alone the possibility of more than one... I love the ocean and have a healthy respect for all of its creatures but an encounter with a GWS is not cause for celebration in my book!!


I am not sure what is going on with the weather and the ocean this year... very unusual weather patterns... not your typical morning West winds and calm seas and then storms in the afternoon... now its storms in the morning and winds out of the East South East and rough seas with no vis in the afternoon. And the bait fish are still hanging around in great numbers and the frequency of shark sitings and attacks is way up. I won't let it keep me from doing what I love, but it sure is a bit nerve racking and has me looking over my shoulder a hell of a lot more frequently!! Be safe out there!!!

 

[signumops]

Agreed: very weird weather patterns, starting in Spring with much rain, and now, blowing out of the east and noreast. Last year there were lots of baitfish and sharks near shore along the Treasure Coast all the way into mid-August, but the water was warm. Hope it clears for Sportsman's Days. Last year, we had a couple of good days at the beginning of bug season, and there were a respectable number of divers taking bugs. Hope it sticks!

 

[LM]

Yeech.
I've caught enough sharks of small to intermediate size to not have an irrational, "Jaws- The Movie" driven fear of them, but being in the drink a 14' GW would definitely be the huge exception.

 

[FISHEYE]

Get yourselves a 10 gauge bang stick and shells that are 00 buck shot.Brass shells if you can find them.You will need to seal the end of the shell with wax.10 gauge is the only thing thats going to kill a white shark of that size only if you hit it in the gill or on the top of its head in between its eyes(brain location) for instant death.If you hit the shark in the eye,belly or tail its going to thrash around and still can chomp on you or your buddies.10 gauge works really great on smaller sharks a gill hit will take their head clean off.When i lived in hawaii i dove with my 10 gauge all the time and had to use it many times.I had a 16 inch short stick but could attach it to my 6 foot Hawaiian sling at any time.I still have a ring in my left ear every now an then from when i blasted a 8 foot shark that tried to attack me.I was next to a large coral head and got the concussion from the blast.you can get a machine shop to make one for you.I have the number for a guy in south florida that said he wold make me one,ill have to dig up is number.White sharks are on the protected list,i would call it self defense like the stand your ground rule in florida.White sharks don't belong in warm waters.

 

[Southern_Digger]

Even in Miami I find the water cooler than usual for this time of year. Baits are prevalent in close to shore. Sharks gotta eat so just don't get too close to their dinner. I try to avoid baits but got caught in thick schools more times than I care to admit. I only get nervous when a bait starts circling around me, trying to use me as cover. That happened two years ago off No. Hollywood Beach. The cause was a small cuda that circled around me chasing the bait at a time when I was leaning over to dig a signal with my scoop. The cuda made one last pass close to my mask, chasing the bait. In an instance, both came across the top of my right shoulder from behind me. The only thing that protected my ear was the snorkel tube. The cuda hit that so hard it pulled the mouthpiece out of my mouth.

 

[BeachComber7]

Yep saw that on the news, a female juvenile the news said. Scarey!

 

[BeachComber7]

Yep strange weather patterns and that Southern Digger, must have been a nerve racking sight!

 

[stefen]

To be sure, your spinkter is now water-tight...

 

[dustytrails123]

The great whites have been making the news all over the coast's ....i dont know how you divers do it i wouldnt set even 1 toe in the ocean,id much rather go camping with the grizzly bears