eppo said...

It is interesting reading these posts. We all have to admit they come from a source of fear. About to go for a surf with my bro and i have to be honest, I'm more nervous than I have ever been.

Wont stop me going in the water, but I know the risks seem to be increasing.

Anybody considered the psychological impact of this and how they have dealt with it?

..and do you have a comfy couch?

I get nervous about it, but reconciled myself with the fact it could happen a long time ago. I reckon it would be a better way to go than lying in a hospital bed, slowing dying of cancer. Also from a ego point of view - something has just eaten you! You're not going to get a bigger compliment than that.

I don't understand the statistics about being bitten by a shark that people are giving.

I'm no good at maths, but by my calculations-

2.1 million population in WA, of which only a percentage go in the ocean regularly. So guessing here (generously) say 20% = 460,000 people

and five fatal attacks in a year (so far)

making chances of a WA person being eaten in a year (based on this year)

1 in 92,000

which is still not much but significantly more likely than winning the lottery or any other of the ridiculous statistics I have seen quoted.

Saffer!
Risk of being bitten is 1/300000000 (yes, 1 in 300 million), basically means you're 10x more likely to win the lotto and ironically, there is more chance of you being killed by an aircraft falling out of the sky and crashing into you on the ground than a shark.

I remember one comedian talking about a plane crash where half of the survivors were killed by sharks. How unlucky do you have to two of the most unusual things happen to you in the same day? I.e. 1/1000000 and 1/300000000

To Saffer and everyone else who keeps giving STUPID STATISTICS!!!

'Statistics' can give biased information at the best of times. Now let's break down who the 'average person' is.
You and I, the rest of perth is also included. The rest of china (how much time do they spend in the water a year), the rest of India, the rest of Russia, why not include the people of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, do you see where I'm going??
Now let's add the average time spent in the water, no in the OCEAN for each person in a year. Would it be more than 5 minutes? (Answer is NO) Would they be in deeper water than waist height? (Answers probably no)
Now let's see if you and I are in a higher risk category. I surfed today for 2 hours, yesterday for 2 hours, I will be in Lancelin tomorrow and until Saturday (yes I hardly work) in which I assume I will surf for approximately 8 to 10 hours (under estimating). Now 14 hours in one week. Next week it depends on surf/wind.
So I think personally these odds are MUCH higher (do you agree?) as I'm NOT the average person. I assume you're not and the rest of the forum is NOT either. I not commenting on the cull issue (here anyway) but these 'facts' or 'statistics' everyone keeps quoting are so stupid. I mean you have more chance of getting eaten by a bear than a shark. So we should be more worried about bears (another statistic!)????
And stats from a comedian, great source!

three types of lies ............

Condolences to the family, it's a horrible way to lose a loved one.

Question to you all... From what I gather most shark deaths are surfers and spear fishing / divers. I know of one kitesurfer being attacked and killed (I think it was in the US), but would you agree that in general the chance of being killed bya shark are much less for kitesurfers??

(just trying to comfort myself )

DutchRooster said...

Condolences to the family, it's a horrible way to lose a loved one.

Question to you all... From what I gather most shark deaths are surfers and spear fishing / divers. I know of one kitesurfer being attacked and killed (I think it was in the US), but would you agree that in general the chance of being killed bya shark are much less for kitesurfers??

(just trying to comfort myself )

Yeah they are moving. Surfers/swimmers/divers can be easily stalked. A poley was killed in SA a few years back and in Gero back in the 90s.

Aseela said...

This would all change though if you happen to lose your board. Then you become a lure looking remarkably like a seal. If there is a shark in the vicinity the whole ball game changes for the worse...

Yeah I'm pretty conscious of that every time I body drag back to my board... I guess in worst case, if you get a chance, we can still kite loop like crazy...

My story has a happy ending but blows the 'only vulnerable when bodydragging' theory out of the water so to speak.

I was kiting near Port Macquarie at my local beginning of last season, cant remember exactly when but it was wetsuit weather and grey sky on maybe the first of the noreasters. On a leisurely heel side tack upwind heading west. I was on a light grey surfboard with little black fins, so maybe from below I looked like a tasty fish! A shark around 2 - 2.5m hit my board from below like a sledgehammer. Luckily I was leaning way back onto my harness so the board flew up in the air and flew downwind about 10m, followed by the shark which came all the way out of the water and turned in the air towards the board. It happened so fast all I saw was a flash of white belly and grey back so am not sure whether it was a juvenile white or a bull shark, or some other? Anyway it disappeared underwater and after my initial panicked screaming (think chihuahua being chased by Doberman) I body dragged back to my board and headed in in record time. Sat shaking on the shore thanking god, Buddha, Allah and everyone else for a minute or so until some kind soul cracked me a beer. I had been out for maybe 45 minutes and my hair was dry! Hadn't been off the board once.

Anyway, according to the stats the likelihood of being attacked twice is so incredible I now consider myself to have shark immunity for life (or at least that's what I tell myself every time I kite).

HEy Eppo

I feel ypur pain. A long time ago Last centruy (when whites were not protected ) and Cactus and South Oz was considered GW central I was out at israelite bay. There was a shark fisho there who had shared his story (and photos) of three 14 ft pointers in the one net (with a baby seal that had attracted them) He had the ab diver help him tow the carcasses in and he sold the jaws to some U.S game fishos as trophies. Being young and bullet proof We were out on the point late the next arvo and it was last wave time. My Mate had taken one in and for the next few minutes there was a lull (isnt there always when you want one to go in on??)and I started getting the heebies bad. I can still visualise it now as my peripheral vision picked up the water distorting about 3 metres to my right and a head burst out of the water. For that fraction of a second I thought I was a dead man , this grey shape with water spraying of it .. but it was a huge dolphin / porpoise thing that launched out of the water. I got that limp and useless leaden feeling with that post adrenaline /relief reaction then managed to get it together to get a wave in. I know what it fells like when you think you are about to be eaten, and its not good. This freaked me much more than seeing a massive tiger (think minuture submarine) swimming up to me of the Murion Islands off Exmouth going around and then underneath me without a second look.
I think the perception of the threat is enough to spoil the fun.
It now motivates me to try to stay on my Kiteboard and the long swim in doesnt thrill me these days. At the risk of being really wrong (and being eaten) I think that Kite season is not peak white season (as the whale migration almost over). Having said that the early sea breezes in the north (Exmouth/ Gnaraloo) do coincide with the last of the whales moving south......
As someone famous once said , the only thing to fear is fear itself...just accept that it can happen and surf that wave like its your last cause it might be

Condolences to the family,

A couple of days ago I thought of an idea - an odorant that scares sharks away!

Since sharks can smell piss or blood a mile away there must be a smell that can scare them away.

Looked on the web and found out there is a crowd who has looked into this and have found out that dead shark smell scares sharks away. They have developed a synthetic odorant that works, even a board wax that has the smell.

They even accidently found that magnets scare sharks away except for the Great White as they bite first rather than circle the pray. They sell an ankle bracelet with the magents orientated correctly, think I may try one.

To compliment their odorant, I was thinking of a sachet that you peel off a sticker that reveals a 'hole/valve' that slowly bleeds the ordorant out while you surf. You place the sachet in a pocket on your leash. If you run out, wip another one out your pocket, peel the sticker and replace the old one.

Heres the address:

www.repelsharks.com/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi

The other alternative is kill a couple of sharks and hang them off bouys out backline.

Cheers
Rich

Yea,

But I am not giving up surfing or kiting, so anything to reduce the chance of getting eaten will have to do.

Rich

richswing said...



To compliment their odorant, I was thinking of a sachet that you peel off a sticker that reveals a 'hole/valve' that slowly bleeds the ordorant out while you surf. You place the sachet in a pocket on your leash. If you run out, wip another one out your pocket, peel the sticker and replace the old one.

Maybe they could mix it with sun cream. kill 2 birds with 1 stone kind of thing.

although the smell from rubbing dead shark all over yourself will probably repel most of the people on the beach too.