Sharks - opinions please?

[disorderly]

I'd be far more concerned about being killed by your fellow kayaker's.
Humans- keep your eye on them.....they are a far more dangerous animal.
Statistics will support this.

Scott

[gogetter]

mate i'd think you would have more chance winning lotto..... you would have to be unlucky to be attacked..... its more dangerous driving around the the easter break i reckon.....

[MBPaddler]

Tigermullet, thanks - you've definitely helped me put it in perspective. It's interesting to know how to attract attention, and how to repel it. I do paddle with a small waterproof camera, but I think I'll continue hoping to take shots of other creatures and leave the fish scraps at home!

Oldboot - I'd be interested to know how that statistic changes for people living in the outback, surfers, paddlers, ferrymen, etc. I suspect your exposure to the sea will have a large effect

Fortunately my fellow paddlers have so far only been interested in allowing me to enjoy some solitary time on the water - I'll keep an eye out however As for the Easter break we like to stay at home for our egg hunts

[tigermullet]

MBPaddler, Am about to head off to the boat for a couple of days but must ask this question before I go. What do you do with a leopard situation?

I think that I would rather live here in southern Queensland - on the land everything is okay except for bloody big spiders. Northern parts are different because of crocs, that why I never really liked the tropics. It doesn't seem fair that something can not only chase you out of the water but also be able to keep up the pursuit on land.

Leopards, lions etc., would not make for a worry-free, outdoor lifestyle. I'd be a nervous wreck with things like that hanging around waiting for the opportunity of a good old chew.

[Outsider1]

MBPaddler, Am about to head off to the boat for a couple of days but must ask this question before I go. What do you do with a leopard situation?

I think that I would rather live here in southern Queensland - on the land everything is okay except for bloody big spiders. Northern parts are different because of crocs, that why I never really liked the tropics. It doesn't seem fair that something can not only chase you out of the water but also be able to keep up the pursuit on land.

Leopards, lions etc., would not make for a worry-free, outdoor lifestyle. I'd be a nervous wreck with things like that hanging around waiting for the opportunity of a good old chew.

Reminds me of the story of two hunters in Africa who are confronted by a Leopard and they have left their weapons in camp.

One says to the other"what are we going to do??"



"Run!" say the other!


"But we can't outrun a Leopard!" said the first guy.



"I don't need to outrun the Leopard" said the other,
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"I just need to be able to outrun you!!!!"

Cheers

Dave

[lampuki]

Threat of sharks is over exagerated. I have seen heaps in the wild and the are amazing creatures. I am a bit concerned with the growing population bull sharks. I was fishing a snag in souther mortoen a couple of years ago when that girl was taken off straddie (ps, she was swimming with her dog which I here is a no no). The snag that was full of tailor and we were slugging. All of a sudden, the beach was filled with Bull shark, only 5 to 6 footers, but it was the numbers that were scary. They came in, swarmed the snag - it was a frenzy. If you were in the water at that time swimming, you would be worried. It was scary in the fact that its the perfect place for a swim. Again, it would have to be wrong place, wrong time.

[MBPaddler]

You're quite right - I think things which lurk beneath the surface are scarier, simply because it isn't our natural territory - swimming isn't nearly as effective as running And yes - crocs - completely unfair advantage!!!

As for what to do with a leopard - depends on the situation. Preferably remain aware while you're walking. If you've been daydreaming and suddenly realise it's completely silent (no birds or anything) - you could be in trouble. Time to backtrack. Also, their urine does smell a bit, so sometimes that can alert you to their presence. There's a lourie (bird) nicknamed the "go-away bird" (sounds like it's saying "g-way... g-way...") - it's a warning bird. Good to heed it's call If you're unfortunate enough to get into a leopard's space they will often make a sort of rasping cough to warn you away. Stop, back up for a bit and then walk away slowly - don't run as most animals can't resist the instinct to chase. I've stayed out of trouble by simply trying to avoid them. There are stories of hunters being taken out by the very animal they're tracking. Leopard are cunning - if they feel cornered they'll attempt to get behind you and charge from there. Unlike lion they are not cowardly at all and once charging there is no stopping them, they'll continue even once shot, until their body simply doesn't respond any more. But, all this said, unless they're starving (really old, wounded, etc) they really will do everything in their power to avoid contact with humans - all we have to do is pay them the same courtesy.

It's a pity sharks seem a bit less predictable(more primitive perhaps?). Although your post really has made me feel a lot more rational about the whole situation. Thanks!

lampuki, that sounds like quite a sight to behold! Would be extremely interesting - from a boat slightly larger than a kayak

[dazzisgood]

OK here is my story
in my canoe with an electric outboard when the front of the canoe came out of the water and all i saw was its tail and it left a hole in the water with 1 push of its tail, now i carry a tomahawk with me.bull sharks have no fear been in the canoe in the middle of the day and had hundreds of them only little ones around 3 foot and i could reach over and touch them.they have green narrow eyes but this is when they push the mullet up the creek 2 the killing fields

[Mr__Bean]

G'Day all,

How about the Pine River, would you water ski in there?

Would you teach kids to ski there with all the extra time they take and their splashing around?

And before you jump all over me, I mean water ski responsibly, not all over the fisho's.

- Darren

[fish-n-dive]

The truth is you never see the one that is going to "Get You" so just relax and enjoy your chosen sport/hobby.

Statistically, you have more chance of dieing from a bee sting than from a shark attack.

[oldboot]

Ok we have a number of different situations here.

Swimming with a dog aparantly isn't a smart idea if there may be sharks or crocks about.........a dog is plainly out of its eliment, even when a dog is having fun in the water it is struggling to stay afloat and propell its self... a dog is also completely unaware of what is in the water and is unlikly to change its behaviour.

It could be argued that dog is probly one of the best live baits for shark or crock.

The area the girl was swimming is known to be frequented by bull sharks......if a shark is in the shallows it is hunting.

large quantity of bait fish in the shallows..... known area for sharks.......not a place to be in the water splashing about.

now think about water sking...........most ski boats are noisy and create a substantial disturbance.........I would expect most underwater life would give ski boats a wide berth.............if there has been a ski boat banging up and down a section of river, whats the chances of catching a damn thing.

Can anybody give an example of any sort of shark approaching or comming near a boat in a river while the engine is running? Particularly at high RPM.

Can anybody give an example of a skier being attacked by a shark?

I think Jaws and a couple of other movies have a lot to answer for.

If it worried you, probly a good idea would be to do a couple of loud passes of the sking area before putting anybody in the water.

think of it this way,
If you went to a nice quiet pickaknik area and a bunch of foul mouthed hoons turned up in noisy cars and started revving the engines and doing burnouts....... you'd leave wouldn't you.

cheers

[ozrick]

I'll put my 'hands up' to being bitten by the family pet but my fingers have a few bandaids on them. My wife's vicious, little, white, fluffy, bastard of a mongrel got me again.

two words ...shark bait

[tigermullet]

Thanks MBPaddler. Just got back from the boat. After reading you post I feel happier on the water. Those leopards sound just a bit too determined and smart for me, if you get on the wrong side of them. Plus, here in Australia, we are a long way from that Mugabe bloke. We probably have many Mugabe wannabes but they are mainly employed by Fisheries and their budget is shot to hell -much like the Zimbabwean economy.

Happy paddling.

[tigermullet]

two words ...shark bait

Oh, what a lovely thought. If only it could be made to come true.

[oldboot]

Remember also that little white fluffy mongrels are good for soaking up spills and polishing the boat with.

What you need is a broom handle with a board on the end with 4 holes of the correct size and spacing and you have a handy mop with a removable, washable head.
If you have multiple WFM you have a supply af replacable heads.

perhaps you could get slightly different breeds.
more poodle for polishing
more terrier for scrubbing.




cheers