ORGH-O...GNARLY [/spicoli]

[Superstar Punani]

RIP. Brad Smith.

Kill them all.

(them = great whites)

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

Family wants killer shark spared

Western Australian authorities plan to kill two sharks believed responsible for a deadly attack on Saturday if they can find them, despite the victim's family saying the animals should be spared.
Fisheries officers will resume their search off the state's south-west coast this morning.
Surfer Brad Smith, 29, was killed off the beach at Gracetown on Saturday, with witnesses saying one shark attacked him while another circled.
It is not clear what type of sharks were involved in the attack but a search of nearby waters will continue today. Searchers yesterday found no sign of the animals, saying overcast conditions made it hard to spot shadows in the water.
WA Fisheries Minister Kim Chance says a police officer on board a fisheries patrol vessel will shoot the sharks if they can be identified as those responsible.
That is despite Mr Smith's family saying it does not want the sharks killed.
Mr Chance says the patrol will continue for the next few days.
"Large sharks can cover as much as 200 kilometres in a day," Mr Chance said. "What's keeping that shark there or what might keep that shark there is simply a behavioural pattern that we don't understand but why a particular shark might return to an area is an ingrained hunting instinct, I would imagine."


'Great white'

Witnesses described the shark as at least three metres long and experts say the surfer was pushed off his board, which is the behaviour of a great white shark.
Fishing expert Mike Roennfeldt says authorities should not hesitate to shoot the shark if it is close to the area and fits the description given by other surfers at the beach.
He says the shark which attacked swimmer Ken Crewe at Perth's Cottesloe beach in 2000 should have been shot.
"It was a total stuff-up that they didn't kill that shark then, they had the opportunity," he said.
"Incidents like this, if you're fairly sure you've got the right fish, it probably should be killed."
Augusta-Margaret River Shire president Nick Dornan says the popular Left Handers beach at Gracetown will remain closed today, as school holidays begin.
"I really think parents will be very concerned about having their children in the water at the moment but we'll probably have to get some expert advice to get it into perspective," he said.


Calculated risks

Surfing instructor and Prevelly Beach resident Helen Thompson says committed surfers see sharks often and take calculated risks.
"Not that I want to encourage people to go back in the water until they've given the okay for everybody to do it but I think that people will make up their own mind that they feel safe," she said.
The Shark Hazard Committee will report to the WA Government within weeks on ways to reduce the risk of shark attacks.
Committee chairman Peter Millington says one solution could be to start aerial patrols in the metropolitan area a month earlier, in October.
"Some people think that the great whites in particular follow the whale migration so it probably deals with several issues at the same time which is the school holidays, perceived increased risk and also the fact you can technically do it due to sunrise," he said.

[mountainbored]

"Welcome back to the food chain." says Mr White Pointer.

[hop]

That's bullshit Mr. Han-man. Those sharks were just doing their thing. I feel the same way when some person goes jogging in the mountains by themselves and ends up getting munched by a mountain lion.
Nature rules. It's too bad we have guns.

Pretty gnar picture though. I didn't know humans were red meat.

[shamrockpow]

From today's NYTimes Food section on white meat (in chickens):
"Breast meat is 99% white fibermuscle, and white fibers store a great deal of glycogen which is used for short bursts of energy. In chickens that means wing flapping. Darker muscles, like those found in the leg are for endurance. They carry more oxygen and myoglobin, which is largely responsible for the color."

[slim]

NorCal surf mags... be careful out there... lots of sightings at OB, Lindo, and HMB. Plus an Abalone diver got eaten two days ago at Ft. Bragg.

Danger. Sharks! (http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/pacific_coast_shark_news.htm)

Burl image Punani.

[watersnowdirt]

Miramar Beach — On August 5, 2004 Patrick McConnell reported; “At about 3:30 PM, at Miramar Beach, Half Moon Bay, my friends and I sighted and photographed a 10 to 12 inch dorsal fin of a shark. The sighting was slightly north of the parking lot of the Miramar Beach Restaurant. The shark remained in the area for about 5 minutes before dropping out of sight. The shark was observed by a number of individuals in the area.” Over the prior decades there have been a number of white shark sightings and encounters with humans in Half Moon Bay. Caution should be exercised when using this area for any ocean activity. Please report any shark encounters to the Shark Research Committee.



:eek: :eek: :eek:

This is where I live - and when my shoulder works, about where I sometimes surf.

Glad I have a good excuse to stay out of the water right now!

I'd really rather never see a shark up close, thanks very much.

[natty dread]

On Saturday, 10 November 2001, Tres Tucker and fellow surfer Seth Meade were 20-25 meters south of the Sisulaw River jetty at Florence, Oregon. It was about 1600 hours and they were 75-100 meters from shore, in water 1-2 fathoms deep with a sandy bottom and an estimated temperature of 54°F. The sky was clear, except for a few high clouds, and the air temperature was about 60°F. Tucker was dressed in a black wetsuit with booties, hood, and gloves and rode a 6'5" white surfboard. The seas were 2-3 meters and there was a very mild breeze not strong enough to cause white caps. A few harbor seals were observed in the water along with a large number of kayakers that continually moved throughout the surfing area. Tucker, like most of the surfers who use this area, was aware of previous encounters with white sharks.

Tucker reported: "We had paddled out to the 'peak,' and I sat up on my board. As I sat upright my left foot planted solidly on something 1-2 feet below me. It was solid, but slowly sunk under my weight, as if it were a submerged log. Somewhat surprised and confused, I lifted my leg up and instinctively looked down into the water. Much to my astonishment I saw a giant tail go 'whoosh' right below me. I felt the water rush around my legs and then I knew immediately it was a shark, a very 'big' shark. But for that moment I thought the tail was too long to be a whitey. I only saw it for a second and from the angle and the semi-clear water thought it looked like a thresher's tail. For a fleeting moment I actually felt relief to think it was 'just a thresher.' Then I realized that the tail was bigger than my board. Within only a few seconds I saw a dark object loom past me and a dark boil in the water to my left. The darkness was as large as a car, an American car. I began to paddle to shore and then remembered my friend, Seth. I motioned to him saying quietly 'hey man…', but mid sentence the look on his face made me turn around to see a very large fin, at least 14-16 inches high, passing behind my feet. It was an awesome sight with the sunlight reflecting off it I could see every pore and knick and detail as it passed close enough to touch with my toes, which I lifted up and away."

"Seth and I began to paddle in toward shore and grew closer together. We were silent as we paddled about 5 feet from each other. I looked back to see the fin coming up and out of the water following directly behind and in pursuit of Seth. The words 'oh s#@t' might have eked out of my mouth. I wanted to tell Seth, yet then I did not want to tell him because he might panic. Instead I paddled toward him until we were only an arm's length apart. I went to him for support I thought, but was it to protect him or me? Maybe it was a safety in numbers thing or an unconscious idea that this shark might perceive us as one large bite instead of two small ones. I braced myself for the attack as we continued to paddle toward shore, but it never came. We eventually found ourselves on the beach just completely awestruck. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced and yet I don't know that my heart rate ever increased. It probably did but the sensation was like a previous description, I felt 'unbelievable calm.' But now, almost a week later, every time I remember it I'm still terrified. I surfed the very next day, but I can't say things will ever be the same as they once were. I used to prefer to surf alone, but now I know……maybe I've never been alone."