Holy Crap!

flyingwelshman · #1 (**permalink**) 12-29-2008

Adds new meaning to the term 'white water kayaking'...

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Shark stalks Australian Kayakers

sailingdog · #2 (**permalink**) 12-29-2008

That shark wasn't really stalking them... if it had wanted to eat them...it really could have... there was nothing stopping it from doing so... I think it was more curious than hungry.

flyingwelshman · #3 (**permalink**) 12-29-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingdog

That shark wasn't really stalking them... if it had wanted to eat them...it really could have... there was nothing stopping it from doing so... I think it was more curious than hungry.

Perhaps from an ichthyological, animal behaviourist perspective you are correct.

However from the scrotal cinching perspective of the guys in the kayaks, I think 'stalking' is an apt description of the shark's activity.

sailingdog · #4 (**permalink**) 12-29-2008

Flyingwelshman-

I'm not saying that it wasn't a serious butt-pucker type situation...but it could have been far worse.... For instance, the orca-kayak incident in this video:

If the shark had done something like that... it would have been an order or two of magnitude more worrisome.

sailortjk1 · #5 (**permalink**) 12-29-2008

He just wanted to play.
Nice video, like I always say "better you than me."

flyingwelshman · #6 (**permalink**) 12-29-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Flyingwelshman-

I'm not saying that it wasn't a serious butt-pucker type situation...but it could have been far worse.... For instance, the orca-kayak incident in this video:

If the shark had done something like that... it would have been an order or two of magnitude more worrisome.

I've dived in waters in which pods of Orca are very close by and didn't give it a second thought. I would think twice about getting that close to carcharodon carcharias - although some people don't seem to mind:

(I have dived with other species of sharks, but the great white scares me!)

Here's another cool whale photo - if it's real....

poopdeckpappy · #7 (**permalink**) 12-29-2008

Though I wouldn't want to be in the water with either, I'd more concerned about a tiger than a GW

Gotta love those flying GW's though

US27inKS · #8 (**permalink**) 12-29-2008

My wife and I were approached by a GW shark while scuba diving off Maui. While the experience is enough to make you scale a sheer 20 foot lava cliff in full scuba gear (which we did when my wife refused to stay in and head to a proper exit) I too would have been much more concerned about a tiger. GW sharks are not stupid critters, and are picky eaters. Unfortunately identifying proper prey at the surface includes tasting it. If you are underwater and make yourself easy to ID, the shark is very likely to swim away as ours did.

A tiger is much less picky. Fish, seal, bird, tire, diver, it's all the same to them.

sailingdog · #9 (**permalink**) 12-30-2008

Just remember, while we may be at the top of the food chain on dry land... in the water, we're just more chum...

Danny33 · #10 (**permalink**) 12-30-2008

We kayak with whales , sea lions and everthing else in the sea .
the come out to see the tourists in thier neighborhood .

were guests in thier home, Why do people get so excited over this stuff ?