Sharks??

Does anyone ever get a little worried, especially when you're sitting in the water waiting for the boat to come back to pick you up?
About 6 months ago the they banned commercial fishing in a bay we ride in alot, every week there is more and more shark sightings, due to more fish, a few guys I know won't even put their boats in the water there.. A fisherman caught a small Mako in there last weekend, so I think thats the end for me too!! Has anyone had any Shark encounters while riding?? I've heard of heaps surfing, but none wakeboarding..

Easy solution... board in a lake!!!!!

Or wear a Shark Suit while boarding.

Man, I wouldn't worry about it. Are these sharks coming up the river into brackish water?
I know the bull shark can adapt to fresh water and travel way far inland up a river. That's what would worry me the most. But, if you look at statistics I'm sure you'll be fine. Most sharks don't target humans and the boat has to spook them.
We ride on the St. Johns river in central florida and there are some big freaking dinosaurs that roam (aka gators), but the boat spooks them enough to where I don't worry about it. I've seen them get pretty close to boats at times though, so there are occasions when I get a little concernced.

David
I dont know if you know it or not, but there are sharks in the St. Johns river too. My dad and I used to catch them in there.
But they are also scared of the boat. Unless you throw out chum.... and sit for a while

David,
that was in Jacksonville, where we caught the sharks. Closer to the ocean, than you are.

Next time play the JAWS soundtrack on the boat then you will be scared that what someone did to me when i wakeboarded in the ocean. We'll since the ban do you see anyone in the bay doing any activities in the water?

Also i see that your from Newcastle, Austrailia...is that where they make the beer?

Probably bull sharks, which are nasty. They find license plates and other garbage in their stomachs. They'll eat anything it seems.

I was laughing to myself thinking of the part in Master of Disguise where he does the "Jaws" boat captain...."I'm talking bout a great white"

I always wondered this for those of you faced with this dilemma. What about the fellas in Florida? I would be more scared of a gator.

Heck, I have to wonder about some of the lakes here in Texas. Earlier this year at Lake Texoma a guy caught a 123 lb catfish that was as big as a medium sized shark. Makes you wonder.....

Gators, sharks, and snakes - oh my! Thats an everyday deal in Florida - you just get used to it, and put it out of your mind. Everything seems to be scared of the V8 engine powered monster that throws the 3-4 ft rollers while going across the lake!
The only time it freaks you out a little is when no one saw you fall.... Waiting can be nerve racking.

Dockstart and dont fall!

Here is something for those that have gatorfobia........
Supposed to be in Central Alabama, Lake Martin...

Unless there's Bull Sharks around I wouldn't be too worried. A Mako shark could potentially attack but they are much more interested in small fish. That is also rare that a Mako would be in so close to shore, they are usually open water fish. If you have Bull Sharks then I would run away as fast as possible. I saw this thing where this guy was standing in like a foot & a half of water & this 8 foot long Bull Shark plows through super fast and just wrecks his leg. he was talking about how docile they were too...dumbass!

If they knock on your door, tell them "We're doing the dishes!"

That's a killer picture of that gator with the deer! He's stoked.

Here are some Bull shark stories from Florida:

About two years ago, an older retired guy went for a late afternoon swim off his dock in the intercoastal near Clearwater (Tampa) and right when he jumped in there happened to be a 9 foot Bull cruising for a snack - it grabbed his mid section and he was done.

That same year a kid was swimming off of Panama City beach in waste deep water, again in the early evening hours, and a 7 foot Bull took his arm off. The craziest thing happened next...his uncle or some guy went into the water and grabbed the Bull shark by the tail and wrestled it onto the beach. The beach patrol then put a couple bullets in it's head. That poor kid was fortunate to be alive. He was in a coma for a while and has some brain damage from the loss of blood.

Mike, how dare you show me that. My in laws have a place on Lake Martin. We was there July 4th weekend. Oh me!! I hope my wife don't see this!!!!!

Sorry Lance,
It was on the Mastercraft Message board. that is the info that was with it.
We have them on the Suwannee river too. we dont board after Dark. (feeding time) Never had any problems with them. Plus we try to K.O. the ones we see.
If you really want to know what is there, take a trip at night with a spotlight, and see how many eyes light up.

Bull sharks are resposible for the attack on that small child a few years back in ankle deep water in Florida. I wouldnt worry to much about them they are harmless as you can read from a few sentences I copied and pasted below...

It is found close to to shore and can live for a while in fresh water, frequenting estuaries, river and lakes. They have been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River in the USA and 2,500 miles up the Amazon River in Peru.
Grow from 7 to 11 feet weighing 200 to 500 pounds. Considered to be the most dangerous shark in the world, even surpassing the Great White Shark, a heavy bodied with a short nose and a medium sized second dorsal fin. It has broad, serrated triangular upper teeth and very powerful jaws. It has a broad diet and will eat almost anything. It does seem to have a preference for eating baby Sandbar Sharks. Studies believe it lives for about 14 years and prefers to breed in the mouth of rivers. Many experts think Bull Shark is responsible for most of the deaths around the Sydney Harbour inlets in the past. Most of these attacks were previously thought to be Great Whites. The Grey Nurse was also blamed in the sixties and seventies.

Until very recently, researchers thought the sharks in Lake Nicaragua were a separate species because there was no way for the sharks to move in or out. It was discovered that they were jumping along the rapids just like Salmon. Bull Sharks tagged inside the lake were later caught in the open ocean.


(Message edited by nooner on July 15, 2004)

(Message edited by nooner on July 15, 2004)

Man I just cant wait to go ride this weekend...

Damn, for once Im not jelous of you guys down in FL, with your endless number of lakes and all year riding.

[his uncle or some guy went into the water and grabbed the Bull shark by the tail and wrestled it onto the beach.]

heh! I dunno about all that. I seriously doubt that a human has enough strength to wrestle a shark by the tail in its own element.
Fishy story!(sorry)

B-

That story is true as hell. I remember seeing it on the news when it happened. I believe that's how the beach patrol was able to shoot it.

And it's not just for us floridians. I saw a special on discovery where back in the 40's or 50's in New Jersey, a Bull Shark swam like 10 miles up a shallow river and killed several people within a day or so.

So sharks apparently eat yankees too.

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?shopperid=EJ7EPRWK3RCH8P69UTU DSQGP8SNK1LN5&userid=kujo&gallery_id=51457&image_i d=0

I saw that pic in Unlimited Magazine last month.
It was taken in Malibu and it's a dolphin.

The caption read: "good thing the guy's pants are already wet"

That story is completely true, I saw it on the news as well.

Hey Eric, I read an article one time that I beleive referenced the same incident. The article was actually about that "tale" that inspired the guy who wrote Jaws.

"So sharks apparently eat yankees too."

Classic!! LOL

Ryan
If you're talking about the New Jersey man-eater incident. It definately wasn't a tale.

http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/saf_nj_maneater.htm

Ryan
We are still the luckiest, and you should envy us.
I dont know of any attacks on wakeboarders. whether by gators, sharks, or snakes. If we use lakes we are not too close to the edge, and the same with the rivers. Gators in general are scared of us, unless someone has been feeding it, and it relates humans with food. Just dont let your dogs go swimming. Snakes are at the edge also. If we are in coastal waters, Most sharks feed up close to land. Areas like beaches, sand bars, and rocks. ( PLaces where the fish are ) Yes Bull sharks are nasty. But I have had experiance with them, and in clear or semi clear water, they will not come to you . But in murky water they think you are something to eat. They taste test. Here is the link of the boy and his uncle.
http://www.pbrla.com/swimsafety_news070701.html

http://www.pbrla.com/swimsafety_news070701a.html

Mango, nah no beer made newcastle, plenty drank though, do you guys drink any aussie beer over there?? we drink budweiser here, its heaps strange that a mako was found in the bay.. there was also a great white caught in another bay around here.. What ever will be will be, I just keep the board tucked right up under me when i'm playing bait in the middle of the bay.. we have one river we ride here, but wake boarding could be banned there soon due to farmers saying our wakes wash the banks away.. so we might be forced to sea, at least we have no gators here.. when we ride in the bay there is heaps of dolphins, so I guess there is no reason why there isn't as many sharks.. If we try to get close to dolphins they go away, hopefully sharks are the same..

Story about the guys wrestling the shark to shore is absoulutley true, the retrieved the kids arm and tried to reattach it, didn't work out, but the did wrastle that shark to the beach.

We've got some pretty big rainbow trout here in california.

We board in a bay in New Jersey and it's only a stone's throw from the ocean. Fishing in the bay I've pulled-out sand sharks, sting rays (skates), ugly oyster crackers, spiney sea robins, eels, jelly fish and of course angry blue claw crabs. Also, where we ride we can often touch bottom with our bare feet if we're out of our bindings. But we never give the unfriendly sea life a second thought and we've nevr had a problem. However, there is surely one thing that attacks constantly and without mercy and the bites HURT. It's the evil greenhead fly. Check-out this link. These things are vicious.
http://www.stopbitingme.com/Greenhead.html

Half shark-alligator, half man...

Half man, half shark!

What??

Sharks, gators, snakes...weather in Seattle doesn't seem so bad anymore.

Well, Im from Ohio and I have to admit that the one time that I rode in FL, as much as I tried to not think about it (it = gators), it was in the back of my mind the entire time. I wouldnt try anything to difficult until I was way out in the midle of the lake, lol. I fell near the bank once, well it wasnt even really a bank. More like a tree line with water going back as far as I could see. Freaky deaky for an Ohioan!
Im suprised you Floridians dont have any good gator stories. Like pulling cab gator bonks or something.

Hey, I got a great idea. How about doing a reptile round up, and have Parks gap a pool full up snakes and gators. Straight up Fonze style!

Got one - We rode on a lake in the Land o lakes area. My buddy just bought his boat and one of the store guys came out with us on the first day we took it out. He gets on the boat and starts telling us abut this big gator in the lake that they are trying to get rid of. So we ride around this lake and he starts showing us all these "gator traps" - looked like spring loaded hooks with pieces of meat hanging off of them. He decides to ride first - I didnt mind. He points to an area of the lake that doesnt have any houses on it, only smooth part of the lake. We bring him in that area and as we are doing a double up out of the area, this "thing" surfaces for a second and then immediatly goes back under - leaving nothing but swirls. I am guessing by the size of it that it was a gator head, but it could have been a great big old snapper turtle. Regardless, we stayed on the other side of the lake.

Oh crap, I can see it now Ryan. Good going. Oh, and you don't have to worry about gators while riding on a lake, but take a trip to the river on a weekday for an evening set and you'll see lots of big dinos cruising around.

We were on the river one week night and I was turning around to pick up my rider and in between us was about an 8 footer. The good news is that the gator was moving fast on top of the water to get out of our way. The bad news is he was only 20-30 yards from my rider.
Another time, on the river, I almost ran one over when a bass boat was coming along side of me and this gator did a 180 to get out of his way and almost got wacked by me.

Ok, one more gator story. We always have a few interesting ones this time of year. In Volusia County, a 14 year old kid (he wasn't that small either) went for a swim in the lake after helping his granny do some yard work. I think it was at least a 10 footer that grabbed him by the head and attempted a death roll, but the kid fought back and punched the gator in the eye and it released him. Luckily, the kid only had minor lacerations and injuries. Remember that tactic if you're ever unlucky enough to be in that situation.

That last post brings up a interesting question for me. Not, trying to be an over the top PC animal lover here but, do these spring loaded hooks fatally wound these gators? Or are they killed afterwards? Does this only happen when one becomes extremely aggressive? Is it legal to do this in FL? Dont get me wrong, Im not a vegetarian or anything, so I guess my concern is a bit hypocritical. Im just curious as to how this is handled. It just kinda sucks to think that an animal would be killed so we can entertain ourselves in his enviorment. I mean, I understand hunting I guess, but I dont consider trapping to be a form of hunting. I know this is probably going to open a can of worms. But Im just curious.

i dont envy people in florida, we have some of the greatest lakes and they are free from all those reptiles and sharks and everything else, besides its possible to ride here year-round too

Ryan, it wasnt the normal lake we ride on so I'm not sure about any of those questions. I am not a gator hunter, so I am not sure how those hook things work, or what they do - I just saw the hunks of meat hanging off of them. Is it legal? I dont know, I think the lake was owned by a private community so I doubt the gators have the same protection as they would in a state owned area.
I wonder if they make a trap for jet skiers and tubers...?

Now that I can understand!

Ryan, usually only when they become fearless of humans or are endangering pets or livestock. Often, after people feed them they become fearless and have to be killed. If you feed a gator you are basically signing his death warrant. I'm sure those hooks are lethal. Could have been and illegal setup, but most likely the FWC trying to catch an unruly gator.
On a similair topic, I remember last year black bears were killing goats and other livestock in Lake County and they trapped them and relocated them to Ocala. I'll guarantee if they were endangering humans they would be killed as well. This poor black bear actually found it's way into a hospital in VA and they shot it dead. I guess they decided tranquilizing it was too risky. Imagine walking around the corner and seeing this:

Well, if your going to encounter something that can rip your head off, no better place to be then a hospital!
And yeah, like bullets flying around a hospital isnt risky. That sucks.

I'm from Lousiana and since we're such coonasses and cajuns, there's a season on gators. Yup, you got it, we eat them. Taste just like chicken! Anyways the hooks are legal. What happens is the gators will jump up, swallow the meat and the hooks will catch in their stomach since their mouths are too hard for any penetration. Some die while hanging there and others are still alive. It all depends on how long they've been there. As for gator and shark attacks, we board in an area that's connected to Lake Pontchatrain which is full of sharks, so there's no doubt in my mind that there are a few bulls where we board. Gators on the other hand are obviously everywhere. Infact I kicked off a ski the other day to attempt to slalom and I landed right next to a 7ft one that was making a meal of a large turtle. We scared it when we tried to get a closer look and it dropped the turtle and went under. Anyways my point is that if you dont bother them and just leave them alone, they won't pop up in the middle of the lake and try to make a meal out of you. After all, a 12ft gator only has a mouth about a foot long so they obviously won't attempt to eat you. As for the pic with the deer, that was probly only around an 80lb doe so I dont think that that gator was that big. So, basically there's really nothing to be scared of as long as you don't go screwing around with animals you shouldn't. That's all I'm getting at.

So, that gator was trying to crack the shell of a turtle? That's crazy.

All the photoshop wizards on this site and no one has pasted a wakeboarder in the mouth of that gator yet? Whats taking so long?

That might be a little morbid even for the most creative mind, but good point regardless.

I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think there will ever be a shark attack while wakeboarding. Unless you're crazy enough to wakeboard in Mossel Bay, South Africa.

the boy being rescued by his uncle who dragged the shark to the beach and was able to pull out the boys arm to be reattached is true. it was all over the news a few years ago.

here's the original story

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/08/12/shark.attack.boy/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/07/05/shark.boy.ap/index.html here's a recent story about him