Shark encounter - what to do

[Mwhitcraft]

I'll admit it, all this shark talk has gotten me a little frightened. Not that I'm going to quit going out, but I'd like to know how to react if I get bumped (to date I've only seen on shark while out, but he didn't harass me at all).

I've heard all sorts of advice from ignore it, to paddle towards it, to smack it hard with your paddle. Obviously, ignore it is the way to deal with a shark that isn't harassing you. But what if you are being harassed and/or followed? Will a shark follow you into the kelp line?

What would you do?

[HobieScot]

Larger GW supposedly won't enter kelp according to the shark experts. I don't believe it's actually been proven so take that for what it's worth






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[alanw]

If you're not trailing a chum slick behind you then they won't stick around long.

[DanaPT]

Keep calm. And don't almost get attacked.

No dead fish on deck (avoidence). Reel in bait... donate said bait to Mr shark . Paddle away calmly.

2 of last 3 outings I saw HHs.

[Geno Machino]

Do what I did...haul ass into the kelp-line while winding in my bait😓

[619-SWIM-DOG]

Ask said Shark kindly to remove him or her self from your fishing area.

[John Doe]

Larger GW supposedly won't enter kelp according to the shark experts. I don't believe it's actually been proven so take that for what it's worth

I live up north, central coast. We used to think that till some divers shot this photo a few years back:) It ran in the San Luis Obispo Tribune. Photo was shot off Cambria.
http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/sidetracked/files/2009/09/shark.jpg

[ful-rac]

What ever you do don't stick your feet and legs in the water....:eek:

Just stay calm and paddle or PEDDLE away. You should be just fine.

And...don't call the news or tell the lifeguard...unless it's a real emergency...

[Mwhitcraft]

I live up north, central coast. We used to think that till some divers shot this photo a few years back:) It ran in the San Luis Obispo Tribune. Photo was shot off Cambria.
http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/sidetracked/files/2009/09/shark.jpg

That's a pretty scary photo! Thanks for the information. Does anyone advocate hitting the shark with a paddle, gaff or anything else you can get your hands on?

[HobieScot]

Only if it has you or your kayak in its mouth

If that's the case go for the eyes because that's their most vulnerable area

Otherwise don't provoke or piss them off






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[J.Mac]

*Hawaiian spear gaff*

More for piece of mind. 3 foot shovel handle with a 3 foot cement rod sharpened to a point. Tethered to the kayak with a 4 foot leash. Hopefully you never use it and odds are if it's that close to you it probably won't wait for you to get it out for a "fairer" fight 😂 at least with a circling shark you'll have something to poke back with just in case

[skrilla]

Aim for the eyes and gills and if you have to... the claspers.

[Dannowar]

Quit kayak fishing. The only way to avoid sharks.


And please don't go around poking at them. What if someone dangled a steak in your face and as soon as you went to take a bite someone jabbed you in the face? You're in their territory.

[Cbad Mike]

Don't smack it or you will be the one statistic under the "provoked attack" column.
Just keep paddling. They are curious and hungry nuisances just like the seals except they have fins.
Either they will get bored and leave or they will hang around long enough for you to get bored of them.
Take a deep breath and enjoy the encounter.
Relax and get some cool video but DONT promote it or go to the news.
If you do somehow find yourself getting eaten try to get swallowed whole and head first then just swim out his butthole.
In either case you'll be fine....
I promise.

[rossman]

If you see a shark you are very lucky on at least 2 levels. First of all they are amazing creatures so enjoy the view. Secondly the ones that you see are not the problems. If you read the first hand accounts of sharks attacking kayaks, none of them say 'I saw this shark and all of a sudden he attacked me" (except for that last fool). All of what I consider shark attacks are totally without warning. By the way, a bump is not an attack unless you are part of the media. Enjoy every moment and every experience on the water because us yakers are luckiest people on earth to be that close to nature's finest displays.

[Chuck D]

From a very recent experience I will give you my advise. I was followed by a hh for about 3 miles during the course of about half and hour. The faster I tried to peddle away and maneuver the kayak the more interested and bold he got. He ended up charging my kayak 4 times and biting it twice. Eventually I stopped because I was so tired of peddling and started smacking the water with my gaff repeatedly. He took off, hope this helps, personal experience.

[kareem korn]

I'd shit like a squid.

[Harry Hill]

I'd shit like a squid.

best answer yet

[taggermike]

Get any baits out of the wate. Keep the deck blood free if possible. paddling away quickly or zig zagging might get you away from a scent area, but seriously, you're not out running a shark on a kayak. Push them away if they're that close. If you're getting bumped hard or bitten give em all you have with some thing solid. Sharks have some of the most refined and evolved sences on earth. They also have electro detection so sensitive they can "feel" preys' muscles moving. My thoughts are just the outfall from a bait tank full of stressed baits might leave a detectable scent trail. Or a bait pump submerged in the water might put out an electric field. Since a kayak is basicly a big hollow sounding chamber, like an accustic guitar body, the sound of a bait pump inside a yak will be amplified and sent in to the water. Not saying this to scare any one, just to point out trying to be fully stealth would be tough. Do what you can about sents n defend your self. Mikr

[1morehobby]

A little praying won't hurt.

http://s13.postimg.org/kmcul3rjb/praying02.jpg

[dmrides]

And turn of your FF, they are attracted to the pinging.

As has been said before, if you're going to get attacked you will never see it coming. If you see the shark circling you, bumping you, or even mouthing your yak, they are curious and not attacking you. Stay calm and enjoy the show. Do not feed them or hit them. Don't F with sharks and they won't F with you.

[kjsdad619]

Don't smack it or you will be the one statistic under the "provoked attack" column.
Just keep paddling. They are curious and hungry nuisances just like the seals except they have fins.
Either they will get bored and leave or they will hang around long enough for you to get bored of them.
Take a deep breath and enjoy the encounter.
Relax and get some cool video but DONT promote it or go to the news.
If you do somehow find yourself getting eaten try to get swallowed whole and head first then just swim out his butthole.
In either case you'll be fine....
I promise.

Mike, best advice ever!!:you_rock:

[WARRIORMIKE]

What about jumping on top of them and wrestling them? Has that ever worked?

[momo fish]

Sometimes it works..

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/09/065284ec72dacf5015fe1dd065ad0915.jpg

What about jumping on top of them and wrestling them? Has that ever worked?





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[Deamon]

Darwin's theory usually takes care of ass wipes like BabySharkBoy. I wouldn't doubt if this idiot hooked and tired this baby shark out first. What a Jackoff. Jim

[TINCANYAK]

Was in the situation solo three weeks ago and posted here to mixed replies. It is a magnificent experience that will test your composure. Paddling faster is pointless. Bumping will let you know he has arrived via your trail. Keep your yak clean leaving no slick. I had contractor bag but did not use it that day....use it. Seems hitting it will only agitate him, so I did not. Talking to him is therapeutic. Praying is subjective unless you end up in the water, then yes, pray. At some point he will leave and you will continue on in awe, intact and a bit wiser.
John

[GregAndrew]

Unless there is a boat or shoreline within easy reach, there is not much sense in trying to get away. As has been stated, you are not going to outrun any shark. And you will probably get it more excited by trying to scurry away.
DO NOT feed them your bait. Our bait is not large enough to slow the ones we have to be concerned with down it the least. And it helps to promote their bad behavior of searching for food around kayaks. Feeding your dead bait to Seagulls is far better in the long run than throwing it overboard when you know Sharks or Sea lions are around. If you don't see a Seagull flying above you, give it 30 seconds or so. Hell, most of the time you can even call them in.
Using your paddle (for sound or striking) should be only in the event that the shark is persistent and/or already nibbling on your yak. Two of the 3 possible outcomes from this are probably not good for you. They can be scared off (good), pissed off or excited (not good).
If sharks had arms and hands, they would reach out and test things with their fingers. Since they don't, it is either bite or bump. So just imagine them saying "OOOOh, what is that?" next time you get bumped. Nobody has ever been treated for a shark kayak bump (that I have heard of).

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Would an expandable baton be useful as a deterrent?

[Hunters Pa]

[QUOTE=GregAndrew;241465]Unless there is a boat or shoreline within easy reach, there is not much sense in trying to get away. As has been stated, you are not going to outrun any shark. QUOTE]


Don't need to outrun it. Just need to outrun the slowest person out there.

Kidding, of course.

Call in another kayayer, or 5, if possible. Safety in numbers and better to have aid at hand if something goes horribly wrong.

[YakDout]

This is what id go with...

http://www.billsbangsticks.com/44-Magnum-Powerhead_p_18.html


Maybe the 12 gauge round for backup.

[Mwhitcraft]

This is what id go with...

http://www.billsbangsticks.com/44-Magnum-Powerhead_p_18.html


Maybe the 12 gauge round for backup.

I've considered getting a bangstick, just in case. I've shied away from the idea due to fear of accidentally shooting my leg off if I flip or get jostled too much. In a kayak, you are more likely to bump the firing end than you are when diving.

How secure is the safety on these? Does anyone know how likely they are to misfire? How difficult is it to remove the safety in case of an emergency?

[Harry Hill]

Just nail the bastard16837

[YakDout]

I was kidding. I would also never bring one of those on a kayak. Boat ? Maybe. The safety is pulling a rigid pin out and the spring on the end of the stick just need to have a certain amount of pressure to set off the round.

For a short time when I had just started out kayak fishing I was intimidated of the sharks out there. Now, I try to pull out the gopro and video them. And make sure the first thing I do is call channel 8 news and text them the video.

I'm going to say you have a greater likelihood of getting struck by lightening or dying in a plane crash. And what can you do? When your number gets called, there isn't a way to get out of it, no matter how it may happen.

[John Doe]

How about taking a stack of D-cell batteries, putting them in a mesh bag, tie a line to it & throwing it overboard??? Anyone ever tried that?

If that wouldn't do it get a Fido-Shock run the wire thru the water, turn it on high & I bet he never comes back:)

[Irishman]

My experience about a month ago with Mr. big head was as follows...
Turn off all electronics, including intake to bait tank, swing transducer back into kayak, retrieve bait, communicate to nearby yakkers I have HH on my tail. Watch and no loose limbs in water, vhf secured to life jacket, paddle and enjoy the trip to another area of water

[maquinapescado]

Get your heaviest rod and biggest bait ready. Maybe you can train him to tow you to the secret spot.

[Mwhitcraft]

Get your heaviest rod and biggest bait ready. Maybe you can train him to tow you to the secret spot.

That actually sounds pretty fun

[bigbarrels]

rub your mangina cream on in a semi-circular pattern, they hate it when it is applied like that. Then do what everyone else suggested

[tacmik]

I have a picture of my mother in law on the bottom of my yak. Scares the crap out of sharks.

[jpp9565]

So great! I gotta try that! A little scared the fish might all run out of the sea like an old Casper cartoon.

[rhyak]

If you read the first hand accounts of sharks attacking kayaks, none of them say 'I saw this shark and all of a sudden he attacked me" (except for that last fool).

Thats not completely true the 20ft that took a bite out of my yak. The kayaker that got hit two hours before was circled first and then had a bite taken out.

I would say get some cool photos and share with family and friends. Unless its trying to bite you which most of these recent encounters have just been HH and Makos then your good a white be a little more worried but unless the thing is big just be glad your on a kayak and not a surfboard.

[swinginFish]

15 years fishing LJ - over 400 go outs.

New lessons learned yesterday:


Bonito at LJ these days can be really big (I'm talking 12-15 lbs) and fight like - well, really big bonito (They're also stupendous fish to eat if kept cool right after killing and bleeding).
Seals are filthy, foul-breathed creatures that rip off nearly every piece of bait you acquire (well, we already knew this, but my therapist says it good to vent).
It takes less than 20 seconds from the time bonito blood hits the water to when a previously unseen (that day, at any rate) celebrity hammerhead find its source.
It takes takes about 20 minutes to come down from the adrenaline that rushes through your body once you realize the stinking pinniped you thought was stealing your briefly hung, bleeding and PB bonito was actually LJ's celebrity hammerhead.
I've reason to believe a slap on one's reaching hand's wrist from a thrashing hammerhead's pectoral fin is less painful than a bite from its mouth.
It's best to look first rather than just grab for your hung game clip when there's thrashing next to your kayak.
Sometimes game clips give way when yanked by the twisting force an 8 ft. celebrity hammerhead (I suspect sometimes they don't as well).
It takes about a minute for your hands to calm in order to get your brought-along-for-the-first-time-ever divers trident out and ready for a jab at a now-well-fed, yet decidedly curious, celebrity hammerhead.
Celebrity hammerheads don't like to hang around after eating the entire source of that which attracted them to your yak in the first place.
It probably pays to poke a celebrity hammerhead before he eats your prize fish rather than after (if you can poke it at all).
It's good to be able to write this in the first-person rather than no longer being able to write ... if you get my drift ...
Superstition be damned (i.e., "don't make nests for eggs you haven't laid"), it's time to get a fish kill bag.


Avery

[TJones]

:DA little praying won't hurt.

http://s13.postimg.org/kmcul3rjb/praying02.jpg

:D

[TJones]

I've considered getting a bangstick, just in case. I've shied away from the idea due to fear of accidentally shooting my leg off if I flip or get jostled too much. In a kayak, you are more likely to bump the firing end than you are when diving.

How secure is the safety on these? Does anyone know how likely they are to misfire? How difficult is it to remove the safety in case of an emergency?

The stick has never seen water due to probability of blowing a hole in yak or self . As you can see in photo the clip . The firing pin is hair pin sensitive .

[alanw]

Here's what you do - record that hammerhead with his teeth on your Bonito attached to your gameclip, then report it to the news
<a href="<script height=" 433px"="" width="770px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl&pbid=f987944e2b8d47c5ad7da7977780b8bd"><script height="433px" width="770px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl&pbid=f987944e2b8d47c5ad7da7977780b8bd"></script><iframe webkitallowfullscreen="true" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.html#ec=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl&pbid=f987944e2b8d47c5ad7da7977780b8bd&docUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bigwatersedge.com%2Fbwevb% 2Fnewreply.php%3Fdo%3Dpostreply%26t%3D26994" frameborder="0" height="433px" width="770px"></iframe>
<a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/#ooid=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl" target="_blank"><a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/#ooid=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl" target="_blank">http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/#ooid=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl


<a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/"><a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/" target="_blank"><a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/" target="_blank"><a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/" target="_blank">http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/

[Mwhitcraft]

I'm trying to be serious here. I don't plan on reporting anything to the news or doing anything to endanger our ability to fish. I'm just looking for some practical advice, so I don't become a hamburger for an aggressive shark. I do NOT believe that all shark sightings are dangerous, but I DO believe that sharks are vicious predators and should be treated as such.

Here's what you do - record that hammerhead with his teeth on your Bonito attached to your gameclip, then report it to the news
<a href="<script height=" 433px"="" width="770px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl&pbid=f987944e2b8d47c5ad7da7977780b8bd"><script height="433px" width="770px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl&pbid=f987944e2b8d47c5ad7da7977780b8bd"></script><iframe webkitallowfullscreen="true" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.html#ec=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl&pbid=f987944e2b8d47c5ad7da7977780b8bd&docUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bigwatersedge.com%2Fbwevb% 2Fnewreply.php%3Fdo%3Dpostreply%26t%3D26994" frameborder="0" height="433px" width="770px"></iframe>
<a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/#ooid=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl" target="_blank"><a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/#ooid=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl" target="_blank">http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/#ooid=dsMm9rdzqlyDFMXeAdaA34zqjjMlR6yl


<a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/"><a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/" target="_blank"><a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/" target="_blank"><a href="http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/" target="_blank">http://ktla.com/2015/09/17/video-captures-aggressive-encounter-with-hammerhead-shark-off-dana-point/

[HobieScot]

At least the life guard clarified how the treat the sightings.

If the shark is 8 feet or smaller and not displaying aggressive behavior then they will post warning signs. If the shark displays aggressive behavior then they will close the beach.

Either way these reports making their way to the news need to stop. They serve no beneficial purpose for any of us or to kayak fishing as a whole in our local waters


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[Shimano Penn]

Cambria, Moonstone Beach, Leffingwell Launch, last summer. My first time ever in the ocean in a kayak. Solo. My "buddy" didn't show so I had to try it alone or bag it. Made the surf launch okay after watching three others do it. Half way to the kelp, not far offshore at all, BIG gws shows up. Just cruising by, showed no interest in me at all. It was awesome, magnificent really. I felt so lucky to be there. I just stopped paddling and drifted as he passed by. Of course if it were heading straight for me at full speed I might have soiled my shorts but it didn't, it just swam across my bow maybe 10-15 yards away. Not knowing any better I thought "So this is what ocean kayaking is like!" When I got back to the beach that afternoon F&W was there along with 15-20 onlookers, it had been sighted many times in the area all day long. Estimated at 20'.

I look at it this way, what are the odds I will ever in my life be that close to something like that again ? I'm safe now, right ? :rolleyes:

[paddle man]

HAS ANY ONE THOUGH ABOUT THE FINS ON MIRGE DRIVE SEAL FLIPPERS TO SHARKS ?:confused: