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bent1
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Registered: 01-2005
Location: Bruny Island Tasmania
Posts: 122
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Fear or a Rush?
Hi Guys, had a very frightening encounter today while paddling. I was out in Storm Bay frolicking on Katana with the seals in the giant kelp beds when suddenly the seals all vanished. Looking around for them i noticed a large grey blunt fin on the surface around 25 metres in front of me.
Having game fished for sharks for many years off the NSW coast i was well aware of what species i was looking at and suddenly felt very small and insignificant and quite literally thought i was about to die as it was obviously the large white shark that people had told me lives in the bay.
I had heard a lot of storys from the local ab divers about it but figured them to be exaggerated and for it to be an occasional visitor.With the shore around 1/2 km from where i was and the shark between me and the shore i tried to quickly work out how i was going to try to get out of this situation.
I quickly made the decision to increase my paddle speed and to head directly towards it as i figured that if i turned tail and ran i would be acting like prey and thought that it might then react the way a cat would when something ran from them and trigger a chase response.
With my heart pumping and my testicles in my mouth due to my fear level i headed straight towards it and it submerged. I kept going hard until i hit the shore but i still had around a 7 or 8 km paddle back to where i launched with it being deep water with kelp beds directly off the rocks for most of this distance so i was still scared sh#tless all of the paddle back.
Safely back on the beach where i had launched without again seeing the shark my fear turned to a huge adrenalin rush and i have been in a state of euphoria all afternoon.
Thinking back on the incident i was glad i was in the Prowler which at 15&1/2 foot long as this with the fact i paddled hard at it rather than turn tail and ran probably meant that it took me for another large predator rather than a prey item.
Will i go for a paddle tommorrow? At this stage i think i will but am wondering if i will have the testicular development tommorrow when i comes time to throw Katana in the water again.
I guess i shouldn't be suprised though, if we get killer whales in here chasing seals i have to expect that there will be other predators chasing them.
While the white obviously is a regular visitor to this coastline, with all of the divers and ocean kayakers in and on the water and only one recorded incident around a decade ago it mustn't be real interested in humans wether dressed in black wetties or paddling yaks. Kind of makes you glad about that doesn't it?
Catch ya Bent
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"Katana" OK Prowler XT
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6/Aug/2005, 7:04 pm
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Shoei
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Registered: 06-2005
Location: Brisbane
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Re: Fear or a Rush?
Man, what can you say?
Its one of those things. Everytime Im out there it crosses my mind, but up here, Im sure all the surf life savers and their kids would be more appertising than a mouthful of plastic! I suppose its a gamble in the end. As you say, one incident in 10 years as opposed to, who knows how many traffic accidents everyday?
Still, you feel very vulnerable out there so close to the water. You've had enough near misses now (car accident, killer whales, Great Whites.), to think your bullet proof!  .
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Regards,
Gerard.
................................
Perception 'Swing Angler'
Ocean Kayak 'Scupper Pro TW'
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6/Aug/2005, 8:26 pm
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bent1
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Registered: 01-2005
Location: Bruny Island Tasmania
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Re: Fear or a Rush?
Yeah mate i would be lying if i said it doesn't cross my mind at least once everytime i am out there, still i don't let it deter me. People have said to me i am crazy for paddling with the seals all of the time but their antics crack me up.
I tell the people who say this to me that i am far more concerned with the local red neck boaties who all seem to have 6 metre Haines or similar with 225s on the back and seem to only have one throttle setting (WOT).
I average a near miss from these peckers every couple of paddles. It is nothing for one to cut across my bow within 10 metres of me while doing 35-40 knots. I have whinged to the local water cop who told me to keep out of their way.
I would love to know the ratio of yakkers hit by powerboats compared to yakkers taken by sharks. Has anyone out there ever heard of a yakker being sharked?
catch ya bent
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"Katana" OK Prowler XT
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6/Aug/2005, 9:44 pm
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Ben 30
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Registered: 07-2005
Location: Hurstville NSW
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 Re: Fear or a Rush?
Gday Bent i tell you mate you had my heart pumping just reading that.I went for a paddle in Botany bay today and in the morning a guy on a racing ski told me he saw a shark on the bay early this morning and i am very scared of sharks but usualy when i paddle i dont think about them but after that guy told me he saw one.I looked over my shoulder a few extra times.But i dont no what i would of done if i was in your situation.
Regards Ben
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Ecobehzhig Perception
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6/Aug/2005, 9:48 pm
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Rod L
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Location: Melbourne
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Re: Fear or a Rush?
Geez Bent, that's full on 
I've only been "outside" once and was very conscious of sharks (not that there were any around).
Your a braver man than me
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Regards
Rod
Melbourne
----------------------------
Cobra Explorer "Fire Water"
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6/Aug/2005, 10:34 pm
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bent1
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Registered: 01-2005
Location: Bruny Island Tasmania
Posts: 122
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Re: Fear or a Rush?
Ben, mate i used to spend 3 nights a week fishing for jews in the hawksbury or the harbour and i can tell you there are a lot of big whalers in the harbour and the hawksbury.
I have heard of whalers tipping over the occasional rowing club member on the harbour but never one chewing on anyone afterwards. I wouldn't worry to much unless i was in really dirty water. I had my 10ft tinnie grabbed and shaken one night near Wisemans Ferry while chasing jews and have seen whalers up to around 150 kilo come out of the upper hawksbury.
Myself and a mate once spent 7&3/4 hours on a big tiger we hooked one night out of a 12&1/2 foot tinny in the hawksbury. We hooked it just in the mouth of Cowan while fishing for school size whaler sharks and ended popping it off at the side of the boat just after sunrise off Whale beach.
There are lots of them out there but unless you are paddling in really muddy water with low vis i reckon you would be right.
Rod, mate i reckon the more common species such as whalers are always around and are very much an inshore shark that exists in estuarys up to and sometimes beyond the freshwater influence. I have caught small whalers while bass or carp fishing in the Hawksbury when i used to live near Windsor.
I am still more concerned about brain dead powerboat drivers than those magnificent saltwater super predators.
catch ya bent
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"Katana" OK Prowler XT
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6/Aug/2005, 10:53 pm
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Ben 30
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Registered: 07-2005
Location: Hurstville NSW
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 Re: Fear or a Rush?
Thanks Bent you have did it again i wasnt thinking about sharks until this morning reading your post again.Is it true they say you have more of a chance of getting hit buy a car.Tell me if you would have a run in like you did every time with a shark would you stop getting in the kayak.Have you known any one who stoped kayaking because of such a scare
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Ecobehzhig Perception
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7/Aug/2005, 8:26 am
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bent1
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Registered: 01-2005
Location: Bruny Island Tasmania
Posts: 122
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Re: Fear or a Rush?
Ben, mate i just got in from my morning paddle. I can quite honestly say that if it had been a repeat of yesterday i would be sticking to trout and atlantic salmon in the local dams. I avoided the kelp beds and seals this morning. i wouldn't worry about them mate, be aware and move on. A boatie will run you down long before a shark will get you in my opinion.
catch ya bent
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"Katana" OK Prowler XT
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7/Aug/2005, 9:11 am
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PoddyMullet
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Registered: 12-2004
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Re: Fear or a Rush?
G day bent, that encounter would be fear with a few other f words for mine. Bruny Island is a great producer of wildlife and must have some spectacular scenery aswell for the yakker - although I'm not sure I'd be too keen myself to explore it all. Any estimates on his size?
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Perception Swing & Dagger Drifter II. Wouldn't one yak be enough?
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7/Aug/2005, 10:39 am
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rawprawn
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Registered: 07-2005
Location: Central Coast
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Re: Fear or a Rush?
I was talking about this type of situation with my mate the other day and what we should or would do if we became the object of a very large sharks attention whilst in deep water on a Kayak.
We both surf, fish and spearfish so understand and respect the environment we play in and we both agreed the chances of being aggressively attacked are remote. However that is hardly a comfort when you are confronted with a shark large enough to seriously compromise your safety (as was Bent1) and your a couple of Ks offshore and help. We also had a local have his surfboard nearly bitten in two last year near the same reef we fish.
I guess my initial response would be to flee as fast as possible back to the safety of land and I guess this would be most people’s reaction. My mate suggested that if you are too far from shore and paddling is not an option you could increase your appeared to the shark by spreading a sheet of coloured plastic on the water and placing your Kayak on it. Not sure if this would work but it is a topic which concentrates the mind.
Bent1 you are one brave man. No way I would have had the guts to go ramming speed on a large white. I would have probably frozen.
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Greg
Central Coast
NSW
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8/Aug/2005, 2:31 pm
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