Great White deep in LI Sound!

Oct 1, 2007
1,856
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
I guess it is safe to say that I'm not the only one that has sharks at least in the back of my mind every time I go in the water. I'm always thinking about bull sharks, especially when I go in the water in Barnegat Bay. Easy access, brackish, cloudy, shallow water. I always think that they can be anywhere in the bay and you won't see one in advance!

View attachment 165119
Back in the day, the first thing I did after we dropped the hook was jump in with a big splash for the ritual swim. However, as time passed and shark scares multiplied, I have substituted a quick dip climbing down the boarding ladder and a peek at the prop, then a quick scramble back aboard. I am very shark conscious (well, scared s**t actually).
 
Mar 2, 2019
433
Oday 25 Milwaukee
Bahama shark black and white.jpg
That shark is a whale shark ,gentle ,beautiful and very graceful . Completely harmless
And yes that is me in the above photo ...
 
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Jul 27, 2011
4,988
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
View attachment 165124 That shark is a whale shark ,gentle ,beautiful and very graceful . Completely harmless
And yes that is me in the above photo ...
Sorry, but that is not a whale shark. Whale sharks are pelagic filter feeders, not near-bottom reef sharks. They are more strongly counter shaded, with bluish/grey dorsums and whitish “spots.” That shark is a carcharhinid—different family.
 
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DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,690
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
You all realize they can get you even out of the water right?
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
View attachment 165124 That shark is a whale shark ,gentle ,beautiful and very graceful . Completely harmless
And yes that is me in the above photo ...
I agree that is NOT a toothless shark! As a matter of fact, it could give you a nasty bite if you bothered it, just as a dog might.
It appears to be a white tip or black tip reef shark w/o the coloring on the fin tip. They are pretty curious and may come to check one out, but you'd either have to hurt one (spear it) or get between food and it before it would bite you. However, when they are in a frenzy I've seen them snap at anything (oars, rubber, and hard boats, motors, etc) and it's best to be long gone before then.
In the Keys and certain places in the VI, it's the Bull Sharks that get aggressive!
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
There's an argument going around that shark attacks which were blamed on GW Sharks were actually Bull Sharks who are more aggressive towards humans. One report from 1916 had the Bull Sharks killing four people in the Matawan Creek over a period of 2 weeks. And Bull Sharks may have been up the Mighty Mississippi as far as Alton -wherever that is. So it should be "Salt free and shark free - so far!"
As for Scott's observation about brown water - I'm not comfortable swimming unless I can see underwater a bit.
 
Oct 1, 2007
1,856
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
Sorry, but that is not a whale shark. Whale sharks are pelagic filter feeders, not near-bottom reef sharks. They are more strongly counter shaded, with bluish/grey dorsums and whitish “spots.” That shark is a carcharhinid—different family.
JSG, looks like you were lucky to escape alive (or whatever) :) read this:
"Carcharhinid, or Requiem sharks are involved in a large proportion of attacks on humans, among the top five species;[2] however, due to the difficulty in identifying individual species, a degree of inaccuracy exists in attack records.[3]" from Wiki
 
Jun 2, 2004
3,390
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
Funny growing up in Hawaii and seeing sharks Hammerheads all the time Tigers occasionally all the time while surfing they don't really phase me.

Snakes and I on the other hand are not on good terms at all. The only thing that freaks me out more than snakes are those damn flying monkeys.
 

NYSail

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Jan 6, 2006
3,048
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
I’ll swim in water where there are possibly sharks...... odds are in my favor. However in water where crocks may lurk no thank you..... those guys do want to eat us. Bite us and stuff is in the mud for s few days to tender us up a bit I guess......

Greg
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Oct 2, 2008
3,807
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
Just read a book on sharks, some are so fast you’ll never see them, others have razor sharp teeth you’ll never feel the bite. It’s their realm, including fresh water, and you’re the intruder.
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Sail Lake Superior. No Salt. No Sharks.
If memory serves, there are freshwater sharks in the Amazon. And piranhas. If y'all continue to be so complacent, I'm sure somebody will play a trick on you. lol