Shark Encounter

[kgarner1]

Usually I dont speak of these things but with all the talk lately about Sharks I'll tell my short story. This year has been very different than any others I can remember, I have been shallow water free diving in St Marks for 15 years or so and this year I have encountered more Sharks than I care to remember. This past Saturday three of us set up on some shallow rocks just south east of the Light House and were in the water for only about 3 minutes when my Spider Sense was binging and sure enough from out of the murkiness (apx 8 ft visibility) comes the biggest Bull Shark I have ever been in the water with! She was super aggressive with the first blind side rush coming in about arms length distance and as soon as eye contact was made she bolted out into the gloom and then re-appeared from a different angle with a second rush, this time I had my spear gun in position to fend off the attack which from her posture I was surely thinking ok this is it and was already positioning myself for a bite somewhere hopefully not fatal but lucky for me she didnt like the pointy end of my gun! She made 2 more approaches before I got within the safety area of the boat before slowly disappearing back into the darkness of Davey Jones Locker. I am guessing her length at about 10 ft, I assure you she was hungry and very upset that we were in the water after her breakfast!

[bman]

That would freak me out...
Worldwide they say shark numbers are down but I think our area has more than its fair share

[2true]

This summer, I saw the biggest Hammerhead at Ecofina I have ever seen in these parts.

[Salty Gator]

Usually I dont speak of these things but with all the talk lately about Sharks I'll tell my short story. This year has been very different than any others I can remember, I have been shallow water free diving in St Marks for 15 years or so and this year I have encountered more Sharks than I care to remember. This past Saturday three of us set up on some shallow rocks just south east of the Light House and were in the water for only about 3 minutes when my Spider Sense was binging and sure enough from out of the murkiness (apx 8 ft visibility) comes the biggest Bull Shark I have ever been in the water with! She was super aggressive with the first blind side rush coming in about arms length distance and as soon as eye contact was made she bolted out into the gloom and then re-appeared from a different angle with a second rush, this time I had my spear gun in position to fend off the attack which from her posture I was surely thinking ok this is it and was already positioning myself for a bite somewhere hopefully not fatal but lucky for me she didnt like the pointy end of my gun! She made 2 more approaches before I got within the safety area of the boat before slowly disappearing back into the darkness of Davey Jones Locker. I am guessing her length at about 10 ft, I assure you she was hungry and very upset that we were in the water after her breakfast!

Probably good that you didn't have a bleeding, thrashing fish on the end of your spear. Glad no one was hurt

[Mo Redd]

There are way too many bull sharks in the waters of the US. Here in Florida there's a size limit on them. I don't understand
that at all.

[MudDucker]

That would freak me out...
Worldwide they say shark numbers are down but I think our area has more than its fair share

Yea, they say we have global warming too!

[Seachaser]

Protecting sharks has gotten way out of line. And they wonder why we have more shark attacks every year. I bet they eat more trout and reds than I will ever catch.

[Salty Gator]

Protecting sharks has gotten way out of line. And they wonder why we have more shark attacks every year. I bet they eat more trout and reds than I will ever catch.

Does anyone know when the most recent attack in our area was? Maybe dog island to ecofina? I've been in the tally area for 10 years and don't remember hearing of any. I know it is more common where lots of swimmers are, and the state has a number of attacks, just don't remember hearing of any attacks close to us.

[procraftwes]

I did some research awhile back and If I remember right only one recorded attack in the area(checked wakulla,jefferson and franklin counties).

Only thing I found for an unprovoked attack was 8 miles offshore from st marks in the 1950's. I think it was a blacktip and non lethal.

[red_yakker]

Protecting sharks has gotten way out of line. And they wonder why we have more shark attacks every year. I bet they eat more trout and reds than I will ever catch.

Does anyone know when the most recent attack in our area was? Maybe dog island to ecofina? I've been in the tally area for 10 years and don't remember hearing of any. I know it is more common where lots of swimmers are, and the state has a number of attacks, just don't remember hearing of any attacks close to us.

I do remember about 10 or so years ago hearing about a guy spearfishing for mullet who was "attacked" by a bull shark. The shark grabbed the mullet he had hanging on his stringer and ended up dragging the guy for a mile or so. If I remember correctly, he wasn't really hurt, just shaken pretty bad. It was in the Keaton area. Wish I could remember more details. I think it was in the local paper.

[red_yakker]

http://www.woodsnwater.net/articles/201 ... ark-attack
According to this there has never been a recorded shark attack in the Big Bend area. Maybe the story I'm remembering above didn't qualify as an attack because the guy didn't actually get bitten.

[Salty Gator]

http://www.woodsnwater.net/articles/201 ... ark-attack
According to this there has never been a recorded shark attack in the Big Bend area. Maybe the story I'm remembering above didn't qualify as an attack because the guy didn't actually get bitten.

I remember a story like that a few years ago from Keaton, but it was an alligator( father and son spearfishing mullet and the son got dragged around) not a shark.

[red_yakker]

http://www.woodsnwater.net/articles/201 ... ark-attack
According to this there has never been a recorded shark attack in the Big Bend area. Maybe the story I'm remembering above didn't qualify as an attack because the guy didn't actually get bitten.

I remember a story like that a few years ago from Keaton, but it was an alligator( father and son spearfishing mullet and the son got dragged around) not a shark.

Yeah I remember that one too, but that was very recent compared to the shark encounter I'm talking about. It was at least 10, if not 15 years ago.

[Salty Gator]

http://www.woodsnwater.net/articles/201 ... ark-attack
According to this there has never been a recorded shark attack in the Big Bend area. Maybe the story I'm remembering above didn't qualify as an attack because the guy didn't actually get bitten.

I remember a story like that a few years ago from Keaton, but it was an alligator( father and son spearfishing mullet and the son got dragged around) not a shark.

Yeah I remember that one too, but that was very recent compared to the shark encounter I'm talking about. It was at least 10, if not 15 years ago.

Common thread, spearfishing mullet

[chickory]

I copied this from a website( but I cannot validate or provide sources) :

"Coincidentally it is Shark Week this week on Discovery Channel. Sharks feed more often at dusk, dawn and at night. There have been two fatal attacks and one arm loss in the last ten years from Pensacola to Panama City Beach-
Very unfortunate for the victims but if you put in in perspective to how many people are in the water everyday you'll realize that HWY 98 is much, much more dangerous.
The 3 attacks involved:
1. A girl on a raft with a friend way out past the second sandbar in Miramar Beach who encountered a very aggressive large bullshark and was almost valiantly saved by a surfer- it happened in the middle of the day around 2005- Shark Week and Discov Channel even made a show about the event.
2. A week later in PCB involved a teenage fisherman with caught fish tethered to him while wade fishing- not a very good idea.
3. The arm loss occured in Pensacola Beach at Fort Pickins to a brave little boy who's uncle actually pulled him out of the shark's jaws and dragged the shark up on the beach where it was shot by a ranger- I think that was 2001-2."
Bamaken