sharks in Florida

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Burning Man : One Thread

Which kind of sharks come to the Florida area? I am afraid always of going to the beach since shark attacks are common in Florida? Why is that?

-- Yolanda Roger (caryoly@cs.com), April 27, 2001

Answers

Because you have a fear of getting in a dangerous sichuation.I my self have been in one with a Great white Shark.Common sharks in Florida are:Great white Tiger Hammerhead Bull thresher and sixgill shark.

-- Sage Calamusa (sncmom@bellsouth.net), February 17, 2005.

I am a experienced fisherman & diver. I have been visting Florida for most my life. I now live on the west coast of Florida. The sharks are here.They need to be repected just as the ocean should be. There are hammerhead sharks and blacktip and nurse sharks. The shark attacks to humans are mostly human caused. If you had a badly bleeding cut, do not swim in the water. Blood does attract sharks. Blood is red and most people do not know this but in color theory. Red the color of blood raises the blood pressure & heart rate. My advice to you is to face your fears. Sharks are scary. They are dangerous if prevoked. Use your head and common sense and you may find that movies etc have filed your head with a fear of sharks and the unlikely fact that you will have a run in with a shark. You will also win the lottery, you never know...

-- David Dessauer (davidcrs@earthlink.net), January 17, 2005.

Ummm Im sorry but hammer head sharks get a lot bigger than 48 iches. Thats a load of bull. Ive seen them 7 feet and bigger.

-- Jay Lane (gsgsp304@yahoo.com), December 16, 2004.

SHARKS VERY RARELY ATTACK SCUBA DIVERS, UNLESS PROVOKED!!!!!! the bubbles from the regulator remind them of dolphins which scare them away. i have been diving in florida for years, and have never encountered one. bull sharks are the ones to be scared of, and you should be more scared of stingrays on the west coast of florida than sharks, but they are out there.

-- aaron johnson (expe27@yahoo.com), October 27, 2004.

I am going to Florida and I was wondering if there are any sharks near Clearwater Beach, Tarpon Springs, and Cocoa Beach. I am not worried but just wondering.

Thanks

-- Jacob (jas1991@comcast.net), June 15, 2004.



Sharks that are common in florida are mostly tiger sharks because of the water temperature of the florida coastlines. Yes, florida has the highest recorded number of shark attacks in the world but of the over 200 attacks only about 2 were fatal and resulted in death. It's human instinct to be afraid of things larger, more dangerous and not always in control, but you have a better chance of being struck by lightning, or hit by a speeding car and living than you being the one person on that beach being attacked by a shark.

-- Rokelle Ovilolan (superstart1000@netscape.net), May 21, 2004.

Megaladon off coast of Australia I was reading an account of some fisherman off the coast of Australia that came in contact with what was being called a Megalodon:

"Ellis wrote about an amazing incident, which happened in Australia. It was taken from David G. Stead's “Sharks and Rays of Australian Seas,” published in 1963.

“In the year 1918, I recorded the sensation that had been caused among the "outside" crayfish men at Port Stephens, when, for several days, they refused to go to their regular fishing grounds in the vicinity of Broughton Island. The men had been at work on the fishing grounds--which lie in deep water--when an immense shark of almost unbelievable proportions put in an appearance, lifting pot after pot containing many crayfishes, and taking, as the men said, "pots, mooring lines, and all."

Those crayfish pots were three feet and six inches in diameter. They basically contained up to three dozens large crayfish, each weighing several pounds. All the people who saw it said that the shark was unimaginably monstrous. However, the lengths that they gave were absurd. Most likely, they were overwhelmed with what they saw. But these were men who were used to the sea, all sorts of weather, and all kinds of sharks. One of those men said that that shark was at least 300 feet (92 meters) long. Others said that it was as long as their pier: almost 115 feet (35 meters).

The men said that the water was “boiling,” when the fish swam past. They all saw huge whales swimming in the ocean, but they were all unanimous that it was an immense shark. They saw its horrible head, which was "at least as long as the roof on the wharf shed at Nelson's Bay." Furthermore, all the men said that the shark was of the ghostly whitish color. The deep blue sea is full of monsters, as you can see."

I got this story off the link english.pravda.ru/main/20...38779.html

Has anyone else ever heard of this?? Could a megalodon still exist? If you know if this story is true or false, or have read the book "Great White Shark" by Richard Ellis and John E. McCosker and read this article, please tell me if this is true or just another internet load of crap. Thanks. caz

-- Megaladon off the coast of Australia... (derryj@gallatinriver.net), March 15, 2004.


In my opinion you should never go by unprofesional opinions. The best way to go , is to go directly to the best source , ie: your local Coast Guard Aux., or Lifeguard Org., in the area you wish to go to. Hopefully this will be helpfull to you, and much safer. Because most sharks migrate and change their locations daily depending on feeding habits, climate and mating habits. Have a safe and happy time in the sun here in Florida.

-- (nanciegilie@wmconnect.com), January 27, 2004.

what you most likely saw in that area which is notoriouse for golden hammer heads and cookie cutter sharks both are quite harmless growing only to the approximate length of 48 inches so don't worry all they could do if provoked is take a small chunk of you out i hope my answer comes as a sort of assistance to you but if any fellow paelientologists conccur with me and or dissagree you can contact me ant my E-mail address

-- Dr. Preston Elliot Scott-Hall (Hotsplayer1@aol.com), July 05, 2003.

Megalodon teeth get a lot bigger then 4 inches, more like a foot long. I've seen them, I found a Megalodon tooth in Maryland 2 years ago, on the out skirts of the Chessapekee.

Nicholas

-- Nicholas Trullinger (nick_trullinger@hotmail.com), June 10, 2003.



why do sharks bit people

-- jonathan johnson (jonathannj2003@yahoo.com), May 19, 2003.

What if its your friend and you,and three sharks are surrounding you and your friend is sreaming, and your tring to tell her to calm down, and she won't listin,and they attact, and you barley get away,do you go back and save her or do you keep swimming.

-- kayla maire,thunderhawk, blackelk,poorbear (lexistiger_20023@yahoo.com), March 04, 2003.

Maybe Megalodon?

Beaches Woman Finds Rare Giant Shark's Tooth Tue Feb 4, 8:00 AM ET What's believed to be a rare archaeological find washed ashore over the weekend. A megaladon tooth measuring almost 4 inches long was found by Jacksonville Beach resident Linda Zeidewig. The tooth from the giant white shark is believed to be at least 1,000 years old. It could have been dredged up by the beach renourishment project that's been going on. Strangely enough, Zeidewig told Channel 4 she found another megaladon tooth a couple of years ago at Hanna Park. Check out: http://www.megalodon.com/megawhat.html AND MEGALODON: Carcharodon megalodon--Giant 55 to 80 foot Cretaceous cousins of the great white Shark (Carcharodon Carcharias), which are postulated by some paleoichtheologists to still frequent deep sea warm water hydrothermal vents in the deep trenches of the Pacific Ocean.

-- Len Hanley (tasmanianguydevil@yahoo.com), February 05, 2003.


I have seen hammerheads while diving in the keys. They have always been way more afraid of me then I was of them. It is rare to see a shark but very exciting experience. Most big animals in the water got big because they were cautious of other animals they were not sure of. Generally a shark will avoid a diver.

-- michael bloch (lobsterboy455@hotmail.com), September 10, 2002.

I have a question

I couldn't find a place to ask so, are there hammerheads in Florida and are they a threat

-- Phillip Friis (phil@usahotmail.com), August 01, 2002.



Listen Yolanda ROger you dont need to be afraid of going in the water because of sharks. Sharks are one kind of species that is not understood at all by the human race. You have more of a chance getting struck by lightening then you do being bit by a shark. The only reason why people usually get bit is because they are surfing. They look like seals so that is why they get bit. It is not the sharks fault. I have been diving with sharks and have sharks swim past me while i surf. You dont have anything to worry about. If you do see one the worst thing you could do is panic. The more you panic the more you have a chance of being bit. SO i hope this helps you not to be afraid.

-- Chris (skoal2069@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

I have swam in the ocean for over 30 years on the Gulf side and the Atlantic here in Florida. The best thing to do is be aware of your surroundings. Don't swim in early morning or in the evening hours as these are feeding times. Don't wear flashy jewelry or swimsuits, and swim with groups of people. I usually always make sure I do not swim around fishermen and surfers, as well. I had a tiger shark about 6 feet long swim between my dad and my self once, but he just kept right on going. We always have someone on the beach watching the water too. Do not keep from enjoying the beach, just remember that you are in their environment and respect that. Sometimes you get surprises! Once I had a dolphin and her baby swim right next to us -- scared us but it was really cool. And a manatee tipped a guy over once down St. Lucie way. It was really funny. And another time it was Manta Ray mating season and we had hundreds swimming with us and all sizes. It was beautiful! The following week it was starfish mating time! Enjoy the beach, it is a world all its own!

-- D West (westie8050@aol.com), August 22, 2001.

There are a lot of different sharks that come to Florida each year but there are only a few that you haft to worry about attacking you. There are only about four species that are considered "Really dangerous" and those are the Bull, Great White, Tiger, and Oceanic Whitetip Shark. It really depends on where at in Florida you are going to be visiting. On the east coast of Florida Great White sharks are only found there December - March and they are very rarely seen on the gulf side. but another shark that you need to worry about on the east coast are Tiger sharks. They are present year round and usually attack surfers or scuba divers, not swimmers. If you are going to be on the Gulf side you REALLY need to worry about the Bull shark. This year bull sharks have already attacked 5 people and killed one up around Pensacola beach. They are found year round and strech form Texas all the way down to the Keys. And the last shark you need to worry about, the Oceanic Whitetip, it is only found in deep ocean only, so if you are boating far from the coast keep a look out. Do keep in mind that considering how many people are in Florida waters there are really a very few percentage of shark attacks, Well i hope i have been helpfull if you have anymore questions please e- mail me.

-- (Ibcentiped@aol.com), August 08, 2001.

That's an interesting question. Did uyou get a reply? Could you please send me the information that you get because I am looking for the same thing. When I was on the skyway at St.Pete,I seen a couple different kind of small sharks and I kept thinkin to my self, what kind of sharks are these? So please write me back at suzie371@hotmail.com. Thanks.

-- Suzanne Zook (suzie371@hotmail.com), June 08, 2001.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ