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Ken Bondy
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Bajamatic
Guadalupe Island has long been known as a habitat for whites. There are several operations that now that run caged white shark trips to Guadalupe,
they are VERY popular. I haven't seen anything published in the scientific journals about the great increase in shark activity on the central west
coast of Baja, with many attacks and fatalities, that bigzaggin cites. There is so much misinformation and fiction quoted about sharks and shark
behavior that I always like to get the source of such statements. Often they are anectodal and cannot be supported, and just add to the mythology
associated with sharks.
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Bajamatic
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Academy of Sciences has warning posted all over SF about it.
yuletide
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Ken Bondy
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Can you give me a reference, website, etc.??? What Academy of Sciences??
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DanO
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As Ken notes, one of the California white shark's main southern habitats is Isla Guadalupe, 160 miles off the Baja coast (BTW, California white sharks
have been shown to have ranges of well over a thousand miles).
I also recall a post from the Amigos board from a guy who said he'd seen a white shark carcass on the beach in Bahia Soledad (although I suspected at
the time he was just trying to protect a "secret" spot).
Don't worry, just repeat after me -- there are no sharks, there are no sharks, there are no sharks . . . .
Frankly, I'd be more concerned about the howling wind, treacherous currents and sharp rocks (but that's why we love the north coast of Baja).
[Edited on 10-3-2006 by DanO]
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Sharksbaja
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You have me interested
I'd also like some evidence of the increase Matic talks about.
Here ya go:
Shark Attacks
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
Try holding down [control] key and toggle the [+ and -] keys
Viva Mulege!
Nomads\' Sunsets
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Ken Bondy
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That's a great link, thanks Sharksbaja. It shows a total of 5 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in all of Baja with the last fatality 33 years ago.
Seems to conflict with the statistics bigzaggin quoted.
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elgatoloco
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Me thinks bigzag has been hitting the zigzag. 
I wonder if he surfs and he ever goes to the area he references and if he wants to make sure the lineup is as uncrowded as it usually is? 
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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Ken Bondy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by elgatoloco
Me thinks bigzag has been hitting the zigzag. |
elgatoloco THAT is really funny. Why can't I think of stuff like that??
++Ken++
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Don Alley
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Sharks sure do get a bad rap. 11 recent fatalities, sure, yeah.
So lets have tons of people who are unlikely to even see a shark buy some of that new repellant made from sharks. Yep, just what sharks need to go
along with their bad reputation: another dubious market along with the shark fin soup.
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Sharksbaja
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Missing dorsals
| Quote: | Originally posted by Don Alley
Sharks sure do get a bad rap. |
We sure do...
I mean they sure do!
Countless shark carcasses without fins was almost enough to make me sick. Literally.
These sleazy fishermen cater to sleazy (but wealthy) aristocrats.
[Edited on 10-4-2006 by Sharksbaja]
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
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gnukid
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More heresay:
Marine biologists in la paz go with pangeros and cut open the stomachs of sharks to study what they eat... anyway I read recent papers there in which
an addendum to the report suggests that more than likely most deaths of fisherman divers in the pacific off baja may more likely be attributed to
giant squids not sharks since little evidence exists of shark attacks to account for the deaths. I personally had a hard time believing it since
squids supposedly eat at night in the deep and average 20inches, though this summer I have seen many large squid in the day time and they are
extremely aggressive and carniverous. Maybe you remember the story of Moby Dick?
By the way, Nautilus Explorer runs Guadalupe Island shark cage dive trips
http://www.nautilusexplorer.com/main/?multimedia_captainsLog...
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dean miller
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Sharks- Baja- Isla Guadalupe
This island has long been the favorite spearfishing island of the serious spearfisherman. It has also been a area where big fish and big GWS have
been encounted. Several examples:
The spearfishing blue fin tuna W/R was set by Frank Lipenthaul (Sp) in the late 1950s at La Jolla cove in California at 20+ pounds using an Adict
type gun. In 1963 Ron Merker broke the WR with a 50+ pound BFT using a Sampson gun. Around 1990 Terry Maas shattered the WR for BFT at a few pounds
short of 400 pounds (398) using a gun of his own design. Ron's and Terry"s WR were set at Guadalupe Island while free diving.
In 1974 Al Sneppersnoff, a reconized world class spear fisherman, was attacked at killed by a GWS at Guadalupe about 10 feet from the saftey of the
boat. It was dusk, the day's diving had finishished and he was approaching the swim step when a fin appeared and almost immedialty the shark struck
his legs. The stike removed a large portion of a thigh and severed the large femoral artery. He was pulled on the boat where he went to the big reef
in the sky--in the presence of his 10 year old son Allan Jr.
Al senior is one of the subjects of the 1960s book book "Last of the blue water hunters" by Carlos Eyles which documented a blue water hunting trip
in to Baja prior to the completition of the "Road," RV invasion, etc (enough said!?) Al's attack was also the subject of the first chapter of the
book the "Golden sea" by Playboy press.
Eleven years and a few days later Harry Ingram was also on a spearfishing trip to the same island, Guadalupe, spearfishing in the same area and it was
dusk and Harry was also preparing to hop on the swim step when a shark fin was noticed heading straight for Harry. He turned with his six foot gun
fully loaded just in time to pull the trigger sending the seven foot shaft (arrow to a spear fisherman) directly into the open mouth of the GWS.
Harry turned his back to suddenly discover he was on the back of the GWS which arched and tossed Harry out of the water. The GWS continued on
swimming away from Harry and the boat, Harry's terminal gear deployed but his custom gun was torn from his hand in the process and never recovered.
Harry survived with out a scratch and is still spearfishing --not at Guadalupe- not in low visability- and certainly not at night . His encouter was
also chapter one in one of Carlos's many books--whose title I can't recall==(how about others of the community??)
There are currently a number of Shark encounter trips that visit the Island. These are not to spear fish but rather for the late model tube sucking
bubble blowers to encounter a shark through the comfort and security of a cage.
So long as I can recall there has always been a shark fishing industry in Baja servicing the far east world's quest for exotic soup, providing
leather for cowboy boots, and meat for the masses. Fifty years ago the market was small and the road to the market was long and difficult. Today the
shark market is huge, the hunters are many, and the buyers come to search out the suppliers. Consquenly the sharks have been and will continue to
decrease in Baja at an alarming rate so log as this industry continues.
It has been noted in many areas of pandemic shark activity such as Durban South Africa, which has more sharks than any where else in the world, that
when dogs are allowed on the beach that the shark sightings and attacks increase. How ever this does not apparently effect the aquatic activity the
participants leave Fido at home and enjoy the blue.
Most consider sharks attacks as being targets of opportunity. a flailing fin from a diver, a dangling arm attatched to a surfer. All sharks can be
considerd dangerous, but world wide only around thirty are considered "dangerous man eaters" At the top of this Etonian heap is the GWS wich ranges
world wide and is generally the last thing the victim recalls.
Only a few have survived a GWS attack, Harry Ingram and Rodney Fox come to mind. Rodney has capitizied on his scares and made a comfortable living
from his encounter for the last fifty years or more.
So go surfing, leave your dog at home, don't dangle your arms, exit before dusk and enjoy the water
DM
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chino
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Order your reppelant today and recieve a free lightning rod hat guarenteed to protect you from being struck by lightning,
Maybe the reppelant would work for a soup base for some of the albondigas recipies posted on nomads!
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elgatoloco
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http://www.carloseyles.com/
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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Cincodemayo
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Years ago there was an awesome movie about Great Whites with Rodney Fox called Blue Water, White Death that followed the book. I still have the
book....A good friend has dived all over the world including Antarctica and has gone on the Great White expiditions to Guadalupe Is. twice now...both
times getting out of the cages along with National Geographic divers.
Little bit more balsy than I'd do!! I'd take the cage anyday around those eating machines. That area is suppose to be the last pristine Great White
breeding area on Earth.
Don\'t get mad...
Get EVEN.
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DanO
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| Quote: | Originally posted by chino
Order your reppelant today and recieve a free lightning rod hat guarenteed to protect you from being struck by lightning,
Maybe the reppelant would work for a soup base for some of the albondigas recipies posted on nomads! |
Good one.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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dean miller
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Elgatoloco,
Thanks for the tip on Carlos Eyles web site.
Carlos and I were in frequent touch when he lived a few miles north in a small town above Moro bay called Cayucos, but over the passage of time and
seperation of the miles had lost touch.
We have already exchanged several Emails to catch up. He and his wife are well enjoying life to the fullest.
Thanks again,
dm
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FARASHA
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I have had some encounters with sharks over the last ten years, and they are getting lesser, seem to disappear.
Hard to find and smaller in numbers.
With the smaller REEFSHARKS we had very little problem,as long as we wouldn't swim after them and respect the distance they kept. Filming and
cameras did attract them - electrical impulses from light or strobe units seems to call them for a CLOSE UP. But non of them attempted to go for a
bite.Bodylanguage never changed,they where just cruising.
A 3m Tiger Shark encounter was quite tough, we were filming, and sitting at the top of a seamount in about 60ft depht. The Tigershark was ONLY
attracted by the cameras lowvoltage lightunit. always went for it.But turned away 3 m in front of us.
NOTHING would keep it away, no shouting or else. Except the SIZE of our group sitting close together.The moment we left the spot the shark left us
alone.
Another Shark encounter was with a group of OCEANIC WHITETIP's between 2 to3 meters lenght, they circled the boat just below surface and allso showed
interest in Cameras with light units and Strobes.
They did not follow us to the bottom, would not join us during the dive.Except for one in late afternoon.
But they got pretty nasty while we were snorkeling with them. A bump with the fist in front of their nose or trashing the water in front of their
noses kept them away for a minute or so - then they came closer. The trashing was useless as the shouting too.The circles started to get tighter, and
bodylanguage told us to get out of water asap.Hard to control ONE leave alone a group.
So I think there is no real repellant for them , except to stay out of water, no way to be safe from an attack.
They are unpredictable and have quite difficult to read body language - depending on what species.
I never had an GW to face - I would just be out of the water in a nick of the time.I have to admit I wouldn't go in the water if I knew before.
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Ken Bondy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by FARASHA
They are unpredictable and have quite difficult to read body language - depending on what species. |
I respectfully disagree with this. This is part of the mythology about sharks that threatens their very existence. I have spent many hours swimming
with and photographing sharks in many parts of the world. I have first-hand experience with many pelagic species, including blue, silky, hammerhead,
whitetip, silvertip, blacktip, reef, tiger, oceanic whitetip, bull, Galapagos, and probably a few others that I can't remember. I believe that
"normal" shark behavior is very predictable and body language is easy to read. They've had 400 million years to develop it. What is not predictable
is an abnormal condition like baiting. A pack of hungry domestic dogs would exhibit unpredictable behavior if they were fighting over a piece of
meat, but that does not lead to the conclusion that domestic dog behavior is unpredictable.
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Diver
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I agree with Ken,
Having been diving with hammerheads, nurse sharks, reek sharks and black tips quite a few times, I would say that sharks are very predictable.
In mating season black tips are very territorial and will bump or bite you if you invade their space.
Hammerheads usually cruise right by divers.
Reef sharks can be curious enough to scare you.
Nurse sharks won't bite you until you bite them first (or do something really stupid).
All sharks will be curious about your freshly speared fish but if you use a little common sense, you can avoid any problems.
Now some sharks will try to bite/eat you - that's also predictable in most cases.
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