Great White Shark's on the rise in the Warm Atlantic of South Florida.

[Hobe Sound AK]

I recall Blue Water, White Death from 1971. That was the first I remember of hearing of the Great White. Got some Shark Books and read about him. Then Read Jaws before it came out. I recall asking Commercial Fishermen in my Area, at the time I lived in Stuart, Martin County, They always told me it was a Cold Water Shark, and did not like the Warm Waters of the South Atlantic Ocean. Then I read they rarely come into the South Atlantic Ocean. Now I have noticed in the last 10 Years or so, More and More Great Whites are being sighted in the Ocean of Shore of Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach Counties. Last week one was sited in Juno Beach, in between Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter. My Dentist told me his Fishing Buddy had a large one swim by his Boat and just Eye him. A Surfer was Killed at Bathtub Beach in Jensen Beach 3 Years ago. 2 Guys in a large Boat saw one the believe was 18 Feet Long. I had always heard the Fairalon Islands off San Francisco had the largest Amount of Great Whites outside of Australia. They must have built up a Tolerance to Warm Water, Other Places in Florida have also seen them, such as Tampa, St. Pete, Jacksonville. They may have discovered the abundance of Fish here, and just accept the Heat with living here. Paul

[alismith]

Man-Made Globull Warmins accounts for this.

They're trying to get away from all those glaciers and icebergs that are melting and breaking up around the Poles. Falling chunks of ice are very dangerous...

Once the CO2 builds up in the oceans, they'll start evolving so they can leave the water, entirely.

(And people thought "land sharks" was just a joke....just wait....)

[Altarboy]

All I know is that I cannot imagine a scarier sight than a great white swimming near me.

[Hobe Sound AK]

True lots of things are adding to the cause, but I think the main reason, is they are adapting, and know there is Food (us) closer to land.(Beaches) Plus there is always some Idolt Diver out there someplace. I love how these Guys say, Shark Attacks are SO Rare! Tell that to the People Attacked. A good Movie to see about how People react to a Great White are 3 that come to Mind. The Australian Movie, The Reef, The Shallows from last year, and the new one with Mandy Moore, In the Deep. all 3 of these Films, were well done. No Power on Earth will get me in the Ocean. Hell! I haven't even been to the Beach in 4 Years.

[Altarboy]

I go to the beach now and then, but after about four feet deep, I get nervous.

[jet3534]

This discussion made me recall an unnerving incident, i.e. a large white shark aggressively swimming in a circle around a dive boat off of Morehead City NC while divers were in the water. After this incident I (being the paranoid type) bought a .357 magnum bang stick that was never used (at least in the water) and later given to a friend for gator hunting. My guess is showing up on a commercial dive boat with a bang stick would have been frowned upon.

[Hobe Sound AK]

Hey Jet, Question on Bang Sticks. I recall seeing them in 1975 back in High School. The one I saw was 12 Guage, and you had to unscrew the Cap put the Round in it and screw it back in, plus the Shotgun Rounds had to be Coated in a Waterproof Gel, I forgot what it was, Have they made Semi-Automatic Bang Sticks by Now? Are they Chambered for 308 or other Rifle Calibers? Do you still have to Load one Round at a Time, or is it the type you can load like a Semi-Auto Shotgun or Rifle and Just keep Hitting the Shark with it, till you run out of Ammo? Also you still have to Ram the Shark with it to make the Head spring back and Fire the Round? Please let me know. Paul

[jet3534]

Hey Jet, Question on Bang Sticks. I recall seeing them in 1975 back in High School. The one I saw was 12 Guage, and you had to unscrew the Cap put the Round in it and screw it back in, plus the Shotgun Rounds had to be Coated in a Waterproof Gel, I forgot what it was, Have they made Semi-Automatic Bang Sticks by Now? Are they Chambered for 308 or other Rifle Calibers? Do you still have to Load one Round at a Time, or is it the type you can load like a Semi-Auto Shotgun or Rifle and Just keep Hitting the Shark with it, till you run out of Ammo? Also you still have to Ram the Shark with it to make the Head spring back and Fire the Round? Please let me know. Paul

To the best of my knowledge all bang sticks work the same, i.e. you load a single round as you describe that slams back against a fixed firing pen. There is a safety pin that should be removed once in the water and away from other divers and obviously reinserted before any deco or safety stop where other divers would be present. I mounted my bang stick on a pole spear. With a pole spear you have a length of surgical tubing fitted through a hole in the butt of the spear. Your hand goes through the loop of tubing and the tubing is stretched while holding the spear. You just open your hand and the spear is propelled forward. My explanation is not very good, but check out a pole spear video on Youtube. I think the shotgun round is overkill. It is the embolism that does the damage and the damage from a .357 should be massive based on my testing using 5 gallon water cooler jugs. I think a single head shot would be instantly fatal regardless of the shark size. I used a pole spear only for spear fishing (rather than a spear gun) and never missed even small fish with a close shot. It would be hard to miss a large shark at close range.

[Hobe Sound AK]

Thank you that is the type I remember as well, a long Black Pole, with the Screw off Head, The one I saw was 12 Gauge, my Friend from High School now has his own Sporting goods Store. This one also had the Large Pin on a Chain, the Safety Pin that went in behind the Head. This is the only one I have ever seen. Glad to see they come in other Calibers. Thanks for the Info.

[Schuetzenman]

I go to the beach now and then, but after about four feet deep, I get nervous.

That's plenty deep enough for a large shark to kill you in.

[Altarboy]

Yeah, I know. But I don't want to be a total pussy.

Years ago, I had been fishing from the beach and caught some little sharks while people were swimming. I later told my brother that I had my kid swim out aways with some bloody chum in his pockets to lure in some bigger game. He believed me for a minute and freaked.

[JTHunter]

(And people thought "land sharks" was just a joke....just wait....)

(knock - knock)
"Who's there?"
"Candygram."
(door opens)
SCREAMS

[JTHunter]

I go to the beach now and then, but after about four feet deep, I get nervous.

That's plenty deep enough for a large shark to kill you in.

I've seen videos of sharks and orcas (killer whales) running up to the beach to chase prey (usually seals) right up to the water's edge. Two foot deep water can be dangerous.

I think a single head shot would be instantly fatal regardless of the shark size.

The problem is that the shark's brain is so small and so deep in the skull that your chances of hitting that, even with the 12 ga. bang stick, is risky.
A better bet is to go for either one of the eyes (again - small target) or the gill slits. Take out the gills and they can't "breathe" and they lose blood quickly.