This topic has some pretty funny stories. I had always had a pretty healthy respect and fear of sharks, but had little to do with them until this last winter when I and the fam went up the north west coast. We stayed on the beach for seven weeks and I surfed and dived a reef about a mile or so off the coast everyday.
Ningaloo has bloody heaps of sharks. Every dive we saw sharks, mostly Bronze Whalers, Black tip reefies, White tip reefies, Grey Nurse and Grey Reefies, often all on the one dive. When spearfishing, all it took to see sharks up close was to pull the trigger and hit a fish, usually within seconds! We shot a fair amount of fish and had regular interaction with sharkies.
Most of the time, the sharks kept their distance and in general, paid no more than a cursory inspection of me by circling a lap or two about 5-6 metres away. I did have one scare when a mate hit a shark mackeral and it went ballistic bringing 5 sharks; two 8-9 foot bronzies flanking us, a grey nurse about 6 metres below me and then all of a sudden two 5 foot Grey Reefies attacked at full throttle, I had to fend both of them off by jabbing them in the nose with my spear tip as we swam back to the boat. I don't even remember climbing into the boat
My mate didn't even see the sharks as he was so focused on keeping his mackeral out of the water
At the end of the day, sharks are slowly patroling the waters looking for easy food, usually injured or sick fish. The sharks aren't too interested in people, unless your hanging on to a freaking out fish bleeding profusely
Speaking to the old divers in our club, many won't dive with another diver who is wearing a Shark Shield because it attracts sharks which come to see what the electrical disturbance is. Whilst not in frenzy mode, they don't come near the diver with the shield, but may well go the other divers. In frenzy mode, I doubt anything will stop an attacking shark.
Sharks are a beautiful part of the ocean and an important and integral part of the food chain. Respect them for their grace and power and don't give them a reason to bite you by mistake. Stay out of water with terrible visibility, don't swim in poor light, don't surf with seals or swim near bait balls and don't panic in the water by splashing around like a wounded fish. Oh and dive with a buddy when spearing!
Good winds,
