Shark rips surfer in half in Australia

FlyDunes · Since 09 Oct 2007 1034 Posts Aloha XTreme Poster

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/world/2012/07/16/pkg-sweeney-australia-shark-attack.cnn

WINDUDE · Since 10 Jun 2010 558 Posts GORGE! Addicted

yep, there are sharks in there

FlyDunes · Since 09 Oct 2007 1034 Posts Aloha XTreme Poster

Ya, ho hum, guy ripped in half.

Blazeheliski · Since 30 Mar 2011 659 Posts Mosier Addicted

Not really "ho hum." I feel really bad for the family of the dead surfer. I wish that the "landlord" threat was not out there. Always makes me nervous when I am out on the Oregon coast.

It is my understanding that when a Great White has decided that it wants something for lunch - it hits the target hard and fast at the center of mass with the intent to cut it's prey in half. That is why you see all those spectacular shots of Great Whites breaching with a sea lion in its jaws. It wants to cut it in half. This is different than a "test bite" that tends to happen more often with surfers. The Great White was just doing his thing and it is a very sad day for the surfer and his family. It sucks that we like to play in their territory.

Here is a story about a bigger Great White almost cutting another Great White in half. Them waters is dangerous........... Crying or Very sad

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223001/Great-White-Shark-bitten-nearly-half-BIGGER-monster.html

Sella · Tue Jul 17, 12 11:58 am

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

When I kite, I tack deeper than anybody (perhaps because I'm not as good as riding to windward)

When I SUP, I go outside the mouth of the Jetty whenever reasonably possible.

I like the view, I like the sense of being near something wild and unimiganible. Not just the landlord, the whole sense of being in the sea. It's fun. I wear a really warm wetsuit, and if the landlord gets me, so be it.

I like being near the seals, and looking at the seals. Yesterday I floated on my belly on my SUP as easily 100 seals bopped around me and squaked at me. We were all sharkbait, the seals and me.

I guess we could kill all the sharks to make FlyDunes happier. It seems like a stupid fetish to me - shark deaths are very, very rare, and they are part of the ecosystem.

And if we killed all the sharks, what would we replace "shark week" with?

"seal week"? ... "pelican week"?.....

"Live every week .... like it was penguin week". Nope, just not the same.

Yep, that dude won the cool death lottery. My buddies who died prior to age 24 from drugs and cars .... not so much.

I'm supposed to feel guilty about holding this opinion? Not likely.

What would I tell the family? If they asked, I'd say your son loved doing something wild, and he died doing something he loved. Worse ways to live and die, I reckon.

Blazeheliski · Since 30 Mar 2011 659 Posts Mosier Addicted

When I am saying - "I wish that the "landlord" threat was not out there." - I am not advocating death to all sharks. I think sharks are cool. I have followed black tips around the reef several times out snorkeling and was in awe of their power.

In a way I like the extra adrenaline I get when I kite in that "wild" environment. In another way - I dont like that I kite way more conservative out there because of the extra dimension. I guess that is my problem.

Either way - still sorry for the surfer and the family. As a father of 2 boys - a father should never have to bury their sons. Doesn't matter how cool their death was.

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

look, if it was up to me fathers would never outlive their children. but let's not pretend the child and infant mortality rate has bugger all to do with whether or not we give some legal protection to top-of-the-pyramid predators.

in the decade i've been flopping around the OR coast the sharks here have killed exactly no-one. in that time, the big cold waves have killed what .... 20 people? 50 people? boats flip, kids get washed off rocks, etc.

i think "let's kill the sharks" is about as stupid as "let's build a big wave barrier off the OR coast". all I'm saying.

Blazeheliski · Since 30 Mar 2011 659 Posts Mosier Addicted

I get what you are saying. It is really irrational to have that fear at all. The drive to the coast is statisically way more dangerous. Being attacked by a shark is statistically equivalent to winning the lottery. I would never advocate doing anything against sharks.

It is still fun to daydream about winning the lottery every now and then (even though I hardly ever play), and I still think about sharks when I am in their playground ( mostly when I am body dragging to my board - LOL)

FlyDunes · Since 09 Oct 2007 1034 Posts Aloha XTreme Poster

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

With re: to the OR coast it just seems like such a non-issue. They've killed no-one, they've injured almost no-one. The idea that shark culling will be allowed along the OR coast seems pretty far fetched.

I don't really care what the Australians do with their great whites. Maybe they should cull them, at least when they wander near some beaches.

But for OR, this just seems like a weird paranoia that does nothing but mess with peoples heads and keeps them from enjoying the water.

Nak · Tue Jul 17, 12 1:57 pm

I think it's important to remember that this forum is read world-wide. Flippant remarks can be hurtful to the survivor's . This guy was a brother from down under, and though the distance is far, I feel a great deal of respect for one lost chasing the stoke. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

WindLogik · Since 09 Feb 2009 95 Posts Hood River

The sharks on the Oregon coast only chase kiters that have shredded the hatch.

OG · Since 07 Jun 2011 599 Posts Addicted

anyone wanna take some action on how long it takes for someone to pipe up with the apex predator pinniped stuff? Bad joke, sorry.

When i was in the rangers we lost some guys, it happens when you do dangerous stuff. At one of their funerals the guys mom said 'he was doing what he loved and wanted to be doing when he died'. She was very proud of that. I am always sad and then of course cautious when i hear things like this. But i make peace with it thinking that the surfer was probably doing something he'd choose over anything else.

I'll probably die sitting at this stupid desk checking my email

Dern · Since 11 Jul 2010 545 Posts Vancouver, WA Addicted

Sella · Tue Jul 17, 12 10:01 pm

[quote="Dern"]

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

The landlord likes the river mouths - seals are there eating fish, whitey shows up to eat the seals.

I think I read somewhere that the big old jettys are even better sharkbait than natural deltas .... the same dredging lets the sharks cruise right in, natural deltas tend to have sand bars that the seals can flop over and sharks can't.

So Newport, Florence, etc. - smiley likes to go to the same places we do. He's always there, wondering whether or not he should punch your ticket.