Originally Posted By greenbean So Sunday kicked off Shark week and it made me one happy person! Tonight they are showing Shark Tribe we will get to see "Shark Whisperers" who actually catch sharks by hand. That should be interesting!
Originally Posted By ToonKirby I watched the 2-hour special "Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever" the other night. If you ever wanted to know more about that story Robert Shaw told in "Jaws" about the USS Indianapolis sinking, then this was the show to watch. Very well-done and highly effective. Keep an eye out for reruns or the inevitable DVD. - Kirby, <a href="http://moviedearest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://moviedearest.blogspot.c om/</a>
Originally Posted By Fe Maiden I've been enjoying shark week too. Ocean of Fear was fantastic, though the most chilling part was the very end when they showed actual footage.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 great timing -- my kids have been watching all week and we are headed to WDW and Vero now -- and my wife who is deathly afraid of sharks now won't even go near the water after these shows-- sigh
Originally Posted By barboy I will be diving/snorkeking/swimming with the first(bull), second(tiger) and 10th(lemon) most dangerous sharks in the world when I go to the Bahamas on the 9th. It's interesting that "Shark Week" labeled the white shark as more dangerous than the tiger--- I don't see it that way. I don't worry about the lemons too much because they are a bit smaller and are fairly unagressive to humans but those tigers are huge, unpredictable and will eat anything and everything under the sun. Those bull sharks are the ones that I fear the most because they are very agressive and commonly patrol even 3 foot deep water.
Originally Posted By greenbean Me and some ladies were at work late one day and I put it on and they were like this is amazing. I was so excited that they got into it as much as I did. Shark week is really great not only is is incredibly fascinating but you learn so much too. I know I will be watching all weekend
Originally Posted By greenbean Wow you are going to dive with sharks! That is amazing. I truly have a deep respect for these creatures as well as people who study them. Are you doing this for fun or work?
Originally Posted By barboy I did make one big mistake; stupidly I watched the movie "Open Water" about a month ago.
Originally Posted By barboy I am going to the Bahamas only because Atlantis is there otherwise I would pick that Caribbean destination last. I am going to dive and snorkel soley for fun beacuse I am no scientist/researcher. And I won't be doing those famous "shark dives" where you see 30 or more white tip, black tip and Caribbean reef sharks frenzying over a bucket of diced fish as 10 divers sit at the bottom watching. I will hire out a local who can take me and my brother to a reef where we can get a less "choreographed" small shark encounter. But who knows maybe a greatly feared and respected tiger might come into view. The Bahamas are one of the top 3 spots in the world for Tigers(as well as Hawaii and Tahiti)
Originally Posted By greenbean OMG Bayboy that is amazing I can't believe that you are going to do something like this. After watching shark week this past week there is no way I could do this. Shark week did a great job of getting me interested but scared enough not to go near those amazing creatures. You have to post about it when you get back I hope you get some pics!
Originally Posted By barboy Sorry to say that I do not have an underwater camara--- one would think that with my enthusiasm and frequency for diving/snorkeling in tropical waters I would go out and buy one. The thing is when I am under I just want to be apart of that environment---one with nature and not a spectator; besides, underwater pictures from a novice photographer tend to come out blurry. I have seen sea kraits(which have the most potent venom of any snake anywhwere--- it messes with victim's the nervous system as opposed to the typical rattlesnake's venom which screws primarily with the cirulatory)in Southeast Asian waters of the South China Sea, thousands of barracuda over the years in the florida Keys, Mexico and Jamaica. I have seen lion fish too--- the beautiful and ornate orange colored fish that one might see in a Chinese restaurant dislpay tank. The lionfish is never to be touched due to their venomous spines. But I have never encountered a tiger or bull shark in the open water(nor have I seen one in an aquarium) so I will be both very excited and scared if one comes into view--especially if a tiger shows up due to its sheer size. I am destined to see the caribbean reef, black and white tips along with the very tame nurse shark. Most likely the only bulls and tigers I will see are in the Atlantis resort display tanks(if they have them there--which I beleive they do).
Originally Posted By greenbean You are the coolest kid on the block! I love sharks well learning about them and watching them from a far hence my love for Shark week. I am sure you enjoyed Shark week too considering you are going to be diving with them now. Since you have dived with them and are going to do you think what we see on Shark week is portrayed well? I am sure it is because Discovery does extremely well with this it would just be cool to get someone else thoughts on it.
Originally Posted By barboy I think the Discovery station does a nice, well rounded take on sharks. "Shark Week" is entertaining and trustworthy. My only small complaint, interestingly, is that Discovery has too much emphasis on the whites--- but I can see why they do it; after all most shark enthusiasts (including me)find the great white fascinating due to its huge size, solitary behavior and predatory patterns. My favorite episode was their top 10 most dangerous sharks. But they had the sand tiger aka "ragged tooth" maybe 6,7 or 8th(I don't remember). The sand tiger is the one shark EVERY shark aquarium in the world will house because their teeth stick out in a most menacing fashion and they do well in captivity. But those fish look 20 times more intimidating than they really are. All of my readings and tv programs I have seen has branded the sand tiger basically harmless and passive to humans. The two sharks that are clearly the most aggressive towards humans are the bulls(aka "zambezi") and oceanic white tips--- not the great white or tiger. But I would fear the whites and tigers much more because they are just so damn big and have a history of occasional attacks.
Originally Posted By greenbean Sorry I have not replied in so long I have had some computer issues but i am back on track! You have some really good points here. They do focus on the great whites but only (IMO) because that is the shark that most people are familiar with or have heard about the most. I think I enjoyed the top 10 sharks episode the best I tell you that bull shark is a monster.
Originally Posted By barboy "I tell you that bull shark is a monster." You bet! You won't catch me swimming in the Mississippi River as the bulls commonly travel up fresh water rivers and streams. In fact bulls are found in the very massive Lake Nicaragua--- yes, I do mean lake as in a landlocked body of fresh water. By the way my trip to the Bahamas yielded no tigers--- not even in captivity. Atlanits Resort very recently had 3, two in their own lagoon and 1 sharing tank space with black tip reefs, nurses and lemons. But Atlantis staff had to release them out to sea because I was told that they were becoming too agressive---WHAT A BUMMER! That tiger shark lagoon now has two sizable hammerheads which are cool to check out so not a total loss. As for free diving out in the open water there were caribbean reef, black tips and lemons---all small specimens though. And I saw enough nurses to last me a lifetime this trip. Nurses don't do anything but lay on eachother like sleeping puppies and kittens.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 it figures after everyone watched shark week - we just returned back from aour annual WDW - Vero Beach trip and for the first time ever - we had no swim time at Vero the last 2 days due to 2 6 ft bull sharks ( ID'd by staff as bulls) - swimming in the immediate beach area - one swam past the jet ski buoy which was no more than 10-12 feet from shore..... the following morning there were 6 - 7in the immediate area - seemed to be drawn by a fishing boat nearby . We watched as the sea birds swarmed by the areas where the sharks were -- eating the lttile fish that were around the large masses of seaweed that had drifted into the area. this would have been aug 16-17 -- and we were told there were 2 minor attacks/incidents near Fort Pierce those same days
Originally Posted By barboy How did did you know that they were bulls? I'm sure they were because bulls are all over coastal Florida, Gulf of Mex. and well up into the Carolinas but there a few species that have a fairly similar size, shape and color that readily inhabit Florida coastal waters too. If the 6 foot sharks were sighted super close to the shore in say 3' deep water I would bet strongly that they were bulls.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I did not know - the beach guards told me they were based on their fins structure -- and close to shore was an understatement.
