Shark Attack

[FoX]

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Folks are on edge. Last night on the beach a girl about 20 was ankle deep and her mom was yelling at her.

With all due respect and sensitivity, sharks are in our waters all the time and rarely bother people. Most are harmless sand sharks. It's doubtful that the average beach goer would know the difference between a bull and other types of sharks.

Many times people mistake dolphins for sharks, but more often Cobia are mistaken for sharks. Cobia swimming look exactly like a shark to the average person.

Here's a pic of a Cobia:

 

[alic65]

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Yes, I'm sure you are right, I wouldn't know what I was looking at, exactly... , it could have been anything, it was just a strange coincidence that this shark attack happened after we'd seen these "dark shadows" in the water. How big are Cobia? (I know they are yummy to eat!). And the pic you showed could have surely been mistaken for a shark. It did scare us

 

[JB]

JB, he is not sick, he is a biologist. Perhaps you should open your eyes to a wider view of the universe.
Do have a hatred of yourself for eating animals?

C'mon, Joe. That's not a fair analogy. A little girl is dead. Forgive me if I have no sympathy for the amimal that killed her.

In light of what has happened, I found his comment highly inappropriate, if not downright offensive.

 

[FoX]

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Cobia get up to about 6 feet and 150 .lbs but most are smaller. Remember that fish in the water usually look much bigger than they really are.

 

[alic65]

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Wow! That's very possible that's what it was then!

 

[Smiling JOe]

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

Many times people mistake dolphins for sharks, but more often Cobia are mistaken for sharks. Cobia swimming look exactly like a shark to the average person.

Here's a pic of a Cobia:

I once had the bageezers scared out of me by a cobia. I was belly button deep in water in lala land having a great time fishing. Then, I saw it coming toward me and I freaked out. When I got to shore and caught my breath, I realized it was a Cobia. I over-reacted by a long shot. The fish was maybe 2-3 ft at most.

Another time, while fishing in belly button deep water at Blue Mtn Beach, I had a 6-7 ft Black Tip Shark swim within 10ft in front of me, and I was fairly calm, of course he wasn't coming at me. I did proceed to fish, but I moved onto shore to do so.

Separate story -- Some friends of mine, fishing between Port St Joe and Apalachicola were not catching anything. The water was a brillant blue green color, and looked rather inviting for a swim. One of my friends had just commented that next time, he was bringing his swim suit. Not five minutes later, a 12-15 ft HammerHead Shark swam right beside the boat. I don't think he has ever worn a swimsuit again.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Re: shark sighting in Blue Mt. Beach!

I think it was last year that I remember seeing a photo in the Destin Log or Walton Sun, of a guy and the Bull Shark which he caught in the Destin Pass. I seem to remember the Shark was about 9 ft in length and weighed around 500lbs. :shock: Nothing like seeing that photo to make me not want to swim.

 

[Smiling JOe]

C'mon, Joe. That's not a fair analogy. A little girl is dead. Forgive me if I have no sympathy for the amimal that killed her.

In light of what has happened, I found his comment highly inappropriate, if not downright offensive.

Okay, you are fogiven. It really sucks that this girl is dead. Her friends and family will be forever changed. I cannot imagine how her friend who was with her is dealing with this. "Why did the shark get her and not me?" I am almost certain that this question will remain with her for the rest of her life. The guy who hauled her in on his surfboard will not be the same person he was while enjoying surfing Saturday morning.

To me, life seems to be filled with ups and downs. Everytime I become aware that life is good, something seems to come along at that very moment and knock me down. Life is filled with uncertainty. We can live a sheltered life, rarely leaving home, and have our house burn with us in it, which has happened to a relative of a dear friend of mine. Another choice is to live life to the fullest and sieze every day. Yes, there will always be obsticles, outside of our control, to our happiness. We will mourn losses along the way. Then, with the strength from within, along with encouragement of our friends, we will proceed to seeking happiness.

I can certainly understand any anger that anyone would have toward sharks, after having someone attacked nearby. It is okay to have those feelings. They are genuine and probably more true than most feelings. You are not wrong for having these feelings. With that said, our (hope it is okay to call him "our" ) friend, the biologist, in addition to having feelings of sorrow for the young girl, has every right to feel sadness for the loss of an animal in the area which he has dedicated his life to study . Humans are not the only creatures on this planet with lives.

Again, it stinks that someone was killed here Saturday, while on vacation with her family. It stinks every time someone is killed here, vacation or not, shark or automobile -- It stinks. Perhaps we will learn more about this girl, and we may be able to carry on some of her dreams in memory of her.

 

[JB]

Certainly, it stirs some pretty strong emotions among all of us who love the area and grew up swimming in the Gulf along these same beaches.

I will continue to swim in the Gulf because I find it one of the truly wonderful things in life. It borders on being spiritual. There is nothing like diving straight into a wave and skimming along the bottom until I am out of breath, then taking that first, long pull of salt air. Great stuff. But I will admit I rarely venture more than 75 feet from the break line anymore. Back in the day, I would often swim and snorkel beyond the second sand bar, occasionally venturing out into the dark blue. No more.

Something just seems to stir the sharks up every now and again, thus incresing the number of sightings and raraly, an attack.

 

[okie by birth]

It is really sad that the 14 yr old was killed by the shark. I have two very young kids of my own. See, I recently moved here from a land locked location and have no experience of knowledge of marine life. I am trying to educate myself and my family (through boards like this) on dangers of the ocean. With that said, it is up to us to learn how to protect ourselves from many potential dangers in the water.

From what I learned sharks and other ocean creatures have the potential to harm if not kill us. They are just doing what their instincts propel them to do. A swimmer on a boggie board can appear to the shark as thier faviorite large fish meal. I don't believe it was a personal vendata against the girl and it would be sad to see the shark die as well for many reasons.

From what I understand, and please correct me, if a shark kills a human many people go off the deep end (no pun intended) by killing every shark they can to keep sharks from killing more children. By doing this it upsets the food chain and other predators take thier places causing just as much risk (if not more) to swimmers and other marine life.


Also, is there any NW FL websites that can provide information on closed beaches (red flag stuff) and shark sighting reports?