The Circus

[WaterKook]

I have logged 23 days this year right where they filmed the great whites in chatham.
They have always been here. But so have the seals. Now the seals are in the thousands and I believe the white sharks have found what an easy meal they can be.
Windsurfing not a problem....until you break a mast a mile off shore and have to paddle in.

Kiting no problem..... until you lose your board and are dragging through the water like an injured seal.

Surfing on a short board...... asking for trouble.

SUP? Not sure. Great whites like to feed on dead whale carcass. I have a feeling that as you are just bobbing and waiting for a wave they might want to have a look. But at least you have the paddle to whack them in the head.
Good video from the today show....
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32795816#32795816

[icesailing]

look i dont want to kill all sharks everywhere but a few of these guys is one thing. over 10 and the bigger ones is something else. what if you get a sick one or a rouge shark that doesnt read the rule book that hes only suppose to eat seals. It aint going to be pretty. Look at matawan 1916 this could happen again. Keep the numbers down. A couple of years ago a worriesome shark in these waters was a poabeagle. Now look twice.

[jingebritsen]

Let's look at the world thru the sharks' eyes. Do they act like they are enjoying the best health care available? No, they grew up as pups, with several enemies along the way. They don't feel good when they are around. Dolphins and orcas kill enough sharks. Sharks can't afford to be injured. I've had some face to face time with Makos, Tigers and Bulls. They see me and run. Why?

I'm big, active, and sometimes very fast. Not to mention I'm strange. They don't like strange. Their pea brains are very cautious of stuff they don't see every day. Sharks are even cautious of dead whales. Knowledge is power, folks. Please gain more before going on a campaign to slaughter living creatures that may end up being a life cycle savior in a way our science cannot understand yet.

[RickCronk]

Nice and save up here on the Hudson. Shad, bass and sturgeon are on the wane and not very aggressive this time of year.
University of Florida reports 56% of shark attacks for 2007 involved "surfers and... windsurfers" news.ufl.edu/2008/02/12/sharks-2007/
This site is about as full of facts and tips concerning shark attack world wide with records going back to the 1800's.
Also, hawaiiactive.com/blog/shark-encounters-in-hawaii.html has lots of records of confirmed attacks and deaths as well as prevention tips, etc.
I guess no one counts shark deaths after the sinking of the USS Indianapolis because they were initiated by an act of war.
Oh, don't pee in the water, the big guy in the gray suit is as attracted to urine as he is to blood. Stay safe. RC

[RickCronk]

Double post deleted by RC

[PeconicPuffin]

Having had a seven footer surface next to me and follow me for awhile (me shlogging in a protracted lull) I can tell you that a shark will take an interest in a windsurfer.

http://www.peconicpuffin.com/the_peconic_puffin/2009/06/windsurfing-shark-encounter.html

I was on a 109 liter board. Had I been struggling to waterstart a sinker with this thing coming up to me I think I easily could have been "tasted" as the experts say.

[DanWeiss]

We all know that sharks are known to be curious but, as John states, they tend to use curiosity as a defense mechanism. Better to know what to bite than to be bitten out of ignorance. Or something like that.

What record exists of a confirmed attack on a windsurfer who was not capsized? Michael, you are here to tell your tale and that I take as some indication of the reality of shark threats in normal circumstances.

Don't get me wrong. I harbor no doubts that the risk level rises when sailing in a known shark feeding area, like off Monomoy or Skiff Island between MV and Nantucket. I just think we are the last people to be expected to fan the flames of shark hysteria.

In the tens of thousands of hours on the water, I've been stung by more bees than had known encounters with sharks. Let's not turn this fun discussion into fodder for shark fin soup.

[MrFish]

[wavedawg]

Drove by the lighthouse a couple days ago to see if the dust had begun to settle - it hasn't. Couldn't sail if I wanted to, due to the 3 ring parking lot circus, complete with too many gaper clowns cloggin up the place worse than weeds in the bay after a storm!!! Everyone wants to see the sharks, a morbid fascination many of us share. I saw the 18ft Woods Hole great white the media called "Gretel" up close and personal, and I'm certain I would be less comfortable if I was in the water with one of these creatures. I've always known they were nearby at one time or another. Just get that waterstart down to an art form, so you don't need to be in the water too long

The chatham fishermen have no great love of sharks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE4nQW6gES4

[wavedawg]

The real deal