Thousands of Sharks Shut Down Florida Beaches

[3113]

Yikes! Seacat, stay away from the water!

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Beaches in South Florida are closed after thousands of sharks have infested area waters. The closing is not a rare occurrence. Each year at this time, sharks of just about every variety – spinner, reef, hammerhead and bull sharks – follow schools of migrating fish along the Florida coastline, prompting the beach closings.

Chopper 5, the news helicopter for WPTV NewsChannel 5 in West Palm Beach (NBC Action News' sister station), found at least 1,000 sharks swimming close to shore. Double red flags are posted to warn swimmers of the danger. The risk is even greater in the morning and late afternoon hours when sharks normally feed.

Just to make sure you understand....

 

[jomar]

I saw the overhead. Pretty amazing. Seacat was putting up a rooster tail heading for shore!

 

[SeaCat]

LOLOL

Yep the sharks are back and in force.

I never leave a rooster tail when there are things like sharks in the water, just a lot of splashes as I do my Moses Imitation and walk on water.

Actually sharks aren't that much of a danger for divers as they hunt looking up. As a diver you are usually beneath them. It's only when you are doing your surface wait that you are in danger and the trick is to come up beneath the boat and climb aboard quickly.

Honestly though Sharks are fascinating creatures and I have never had a problem with them even though I have seen plenty of them. Most sharks aren't a problem. The only ones you really have to watch out for are the Bull Sharks and the Great Whites.

Cat

 

[cloudy]

LOLOL

Yep the sharks are back and in force.

I never leave a rooster tail when there are things like sharks in the water, just a lot of splashes as I do my Moses Imitation and walk on water.

Actually sharks aren't that much of a danger for divers as they hunt looking up. As a diver you are usually beneath them. It's only when you are doing your surface wait that you are in danger and the trick is to come up beneath the boat and climb aboard quickly.

Honestly though Sharks are fascinating creatures and I have never had a problem with them even though I have seen plenty of them. Most sharks aren't a problem. The only ones you really have to watch out for are the Bull Sharks and the Great Whites.

Cat

Contrary to what seems to be popular opinion, great whites aren't all that aggressive. Most great white attacks are those where the shark mouths something to see what it is. Of course, a great white mouthing a human causes tremendous damage, but many times they bite, and move on, because humans just aren't to their taste. They're very unlikely to bite you unless you look like a seal, or are bleeding.

I grew up swimming in the pacific, which gets deep very quickly, and stays cold year 'round. We used to race out to the buoys and back - a distance of probably 200 yards or so. It's a favorite haunt of great whites, so I'm pretty sure I've been fairly close to one without ever realizing it.

Bull sharks are the ones that are scary. Extremely aggressive, and extremely territorial. They also come in very close to shore. Most of the attacks in Florida are from bull sharks (if what I've read is correct).

 

[SeaCat]

Contrary to what seems to be popular opinion, great whites aren't all that aggressive. Most great white attacks are those where the shark mouths something to see what it is. Of course, a great white mouthing a human causes tremendous damage, but many times they bite, and move on, because humans just aren't to their taste. They're very unlikely to bite you unless you look like a seal, or are bleeding.

I grew up swimming in the pacific, which gets deep very quickly, and stays cold year 'round. We used to race out to the buoys and back - a distance of probably 200 yards or so. It's a favorite haunt of great whites, so I'm pretty sure I've been fairly close to one without ever realizing it.

Bull sharks are the ones that are scary. Extremely aggressive, and extremely territorial. They also come in very close to shore. Most of the attacks in Florida are from bull sharks (if what I've read is correct).

You are correct of course. Most Shark attacks are when a shark does a taste test and then spits out the human as not being to their taste. (Unfortunately by then the damage is done.)

Bull Sharks can be nasty buggers but even they don't like Humans. Not enough oil in our meat for their taste. Most of their attacks, in fact most Shark Attacks in Florida are in what is called the Surf Zone. That area where the water is stirred up and the visibility is low.

And yes beforre the Nay Sayers get their nuts in a knot there have been recorded accounts of attacks in clear water. Almost all of them though occured when the person or persons involved were bleeding.

I have seen a total of one Great White in my diving so far. It was several years ago when I was diving off the North Shore of Cape Cod. (Cape Cod Bay for those who know the area.) Visibility was almost zero and the dive had been fairly productive, not to mention cold. My father and I had returned to our boat. (18 foot Boston Whaler) and were pulling in our gear when I saw a fin break the surface and start circling the boat. AS the fin rose out of the water it grew and was quickly joined by another longer one just behind. I wasn't too happy about this. By the time we had pulled in our gear and the bags of fish and Lobster the shark was close enough to the surface to see. It was a Great White and it was longer than our boat.

On the other hand I have seen plenty of Reef Sharks, Spinner Sharks, Hammer Heads and once a Banjo Fish/Shark. (A relative of the Electric eel if you can believe it.)

My favorites are the Hammer Heads. A neat looking critter and actually fairly safe to dive around. They have a hard time biting yu due to the shape of their heads and the placement of their mouths.

Cat

 

[starrkers]

Yep, if a great white wanted to eat human, there'd be a lot less surfers.

At least three have been taste tested on the NSW coast so far this season and lived to display the scars. It's an unusually high number - either there's lots more sharks around or lots less for them to eat.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Especially here in SoCal, the GWS come to spawn, not to feed. Now up near the Channel Islands where the sea lions and elephant seals pup, getting eaten by mistake is a real possibility.

 

[Hooper_X]

Bon appétit.

 

[scouries]

No sharks... lots of titties...

no sharks off south beach today...

we did set a new record for January 29th though - 84 degrees and the surf was cool enough (about 72?) that both the tourists and locals were flocking into it. No one got eaten!

topless sweeties everywhere from 4th to 13th...

 

[SeaCat]

no sharks off south beach today...

we did set a new record for January 29th though - 84 degrees and the surf was cool enough (about 72?) that both the tourists and locals were flocking into it. No one got eaten!

topless sweeties everywhere from 4th to 13th...

Damnit I need to get the Beast running and get down there.

Too bad those topless sweeties don't get out into deeper waters.

Cat

 

[dr_mabeuse]

You sure they just weren't just lawyers in wetsuits?

 

[xssve]

Yay! Break out the rods and Fire up the barbecue!