shark deterents

[fijifreediver]

Briefly,your best shark deterent is yourself! (Con't)

[fijifreediver]

Your best shark deterent is yourself! Sharks can be compared to vicious dogs: If they sense fear they may bite you! When you are
confronted by a shark be bold and the aggressor.Sharks are not accustomed to aggressive behavior from their victims. The next best deterent is "There is safety in Numbers". The more divers in
the water the more hesitant sharks are to approach. On the other
hand, the more sharks (like dogs) there are the more aggressive
they are. NOW, SPEARFISHING adds a new dimension to shark
encounters! Placid sharks become aggressive with a wounded
fish in the water. Best advise here is a kill(stone) shot or rapid
dispatching your fish with a knife thrust in the brain by a sharp
narrow double-edged knife.
Contrary to good practice (or sense) I spearfish alone in the heavily shark laden waters of Fiji. Actually, no dive buddies available. There are some fishing spots where I no longer go
because it is rare that you will be able to boat a fish before the tax collector(s) take their bite (usually leaving nothing for the guy
that worked for it).
Back on the topic, I have used a shark pod (electronic devise mentioned in other posts) with mixed results. They seem to work on large species: tiger, hammerhead,etc. but are not reliable for
mob feeding in smaller species such as grey reef, whaler,etc. The
units themselves are not that reliable also. Realistically. in most situations it is several or more(mobs) of the smaller species that
are more danderous than a single member of a large species.
I have heard of two other deterent devices but have never used them. A Glock pistol(possibly lethal) and a discharge of bubbles from an old style CO2 speargun.regulator.etc.
REMEMBER: Sharks are very unpredictable and what works today might not work tomorrow.WHEN IN DOUBT, GET OUT!

[tim moseley]

thanks for your input.

have you heard of shark darts? i heard a guy talking about
them in a dive shop, but i wasnt in on the conversation. he said something about a co2 cartridge that shoots a dart or something.
not sure what he was talking about.

tim

[fijifreediver]

Tim

Sorry no info on shark darts. I do know that CO2 guns were
phased out due to unreliability and danger of high pressures.
If you like the idea of a shark dart think about shooting it with
a small pneumatic gun which can be carried in a holster on your
leg,etc. Remember in mob feeding one shot may not be enough.
I guess that is why some people use a Glock pistol. Keep in mind
that water is 800x more dense than air and range will be limited.
Unless you want to be the only guy on the block with a firearm
on your person I wouldn't worry too much about the sharks!
Getting in a car is far more dangerous

----------------------------------------------

Jim

[TMcKee]

The US Navy Seals were in charge of helping the Astronauts to safety when they would splash-down in shark infested waters in the early days of the space program. They used a spear with a hollow tip at the end and a CO2 cartridge. They just like the hawaiian rigs would wind the rubber cord up and spear them just like any other fish. The difference was that on impact the co2 canister would discharge and fill these sharks with air. I saw some footage on it, it was horrible. Their bellies would inflate and they said it would force the sharks stomach out of their mouths. It seemed to work for the US Navy.

I know a guy who has this short stick and the directions are to shove the stick in the sharks mouth and prop it open as he tries to bite you. I believe that it is very unlikely that you would have presence of mind enough to grab that stick and shove it in.

Tmckee