# Northern NSW Kayakers beware 8m Great White



## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

Just to let everyone know today we were kiting at Lennox and the shark alarm sounded. I went for one last run and was shadowed by at least a 8m great white and I was going at least 15knots and couldnt outrun it. Five of us saw it as well as the life guards and some were calling 10m the biggest shark any of us have seen. I guess shark season has well and truly started. :shock:


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

That's one seriously large white...


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## theclick (Jun 25, 2007)

Not meaning to sound like a smart arse or anything, but it may have been overestimated in the heat of the moment

Commonly accepted largest white shark recorded is about 22ft. The one you described at 8m would be 26 feet, which would make it well over the largest 'properly' recorded size of a great white.

However, any great white of reasonable size is worth of being feared and cautious of, so good on ya for letting people know.


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

I'm thinking 8am start are you keen Bretto?
I'll bring the sharkshield ;-)


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## craig51063 (May 30, 2008)

Breambo you might want to change you name to Shark Bait :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## rob316 (Oct 2, 2007)

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........sounds like the white pointers have discovered "implants" ;-) ..like some of the other "white pointers" i have seen !! :shock:


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## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

Breambo,
It's good to know you can get the RTM Disco up on a plane with enough motivation...

Man, scary shit.. How far offshore were you at the time? I would have been looking ahead and getting the hell out of there..
Were the 5 of you all on kayaks? What was the game plan, stick close together to look bigger?

Dave


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

We've got the next 4 months to look forward to.
Usually a monster 6m GWS appears around December. Last year it herded up the Grey Nurses and swam circles around them for 3 days. Go figure! Maybe it hung around to eat the pups. I dunno.


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## mattayogi (Feb 11, 2007)

I'm reminded of that scene in Jaws with the water skier. :shock: I wonder if it was just toying with you. I would have pooped myself for sure.

Matt


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## breamingfromabass (Aug 22, 2007)

8m or 80cm's a great white is a great white!

That is gnarly!

Good to hear your ok.

Luke.


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## mulder (Apr 13, 2008)

funny thing, i was just on the shark shield site. started checking them out and 
thought it might be a bit poofy.......and a bit costly
starting to look cheap now and quite manly!!!!!

when you say you were kiting. was that kite surfing?


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## Marty (Mar 18, 2007)

theclick said:


> Not meaning to sound like a smart arse or anything, but it may have been overestimated in the heat of the moment
> 
> Commonly accepted largest white shark recorded is about 22ft. The one you described at 8m would be 26 feet, which would make it well over the largest 'properly' recorded size of a great white.
> 
> However, any great white of reasonable size is worth of being feared and cautious of, so good on ya for letting people know.


If you go to South Australia and fish in there waters , locals will tell you of great whites well over 30 ft , they are definately there , just because the largest properly recorded white is 22 ft , doesnt mean , that there isnt a lot bigger out there :shock: 
size doesnt matter too much when your torso is sliding down a great whites throat 
I reckon i would be totally shitting myself :shock: :shock:


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## OneLastCast (Mar 4, 2008)

wow! thats a big shark!!

Cant imagine being in a yak with that thing following you!

example 1:


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## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

I'm not an official measurer, but I will personally guarantee that there are 8m+ sharks out there...here's the story.
A couple of years ago I was out from Ulladulla on the shelf chasing marlin in my first boat - a 5m quintrex seabreeze, and we crashed into one - literally. It was fricking huge tiger which was 'sun baking' right in front of us as we were trolling lures. The guy who was with me (along with his step son), and driving at the time, asked what to do when we saw it about 50m directly in front of us. I've seen heaps of sharks out on the shelf lolling around on the surface and they usually move out of the way, so I said to just maintain course and it'll sink or move out of the way.
Well, this one didn't and we gently ploughed straight into the side of it, about half way down the left side of its body at around 2knts (shane had slowed the boat down as we got closer) and instead of it doing what you'd expect, freaking out and disappearing with one massive swish of its tail - it hardly moved at all and simply grazed along the starboard side of the boat so we got an ultra close up view. 
Man, it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen, but at the same time it scared the absolute crapola out of me. It was MASSIVE, like I said - my boat was a 5m tinnie, and the sharks' head and tail, at the same time, were WAY beyond the bow and transom when we hit it.
A couple of weeks previous to our encounter, a local bloke (Clappo), hooked and landed a 15 foot 810kg tiger on 37kg gear and a whole salmon, out of Ulladulla - it would have been the Australian record but he wasn't affiliated with the GFAA so it didn't stand as an Australian record, but it has been accepted by the IGFA as the All Tackle world record, smashing the previous record of a miserable 591kg. :shock: 
I'd seen the fish in the local paper, and the mould which is still hanging in the pub, and I would hate to guess how much bigger the one we hit was. I'm just glad that the behemoth didn't freak out when we hit it - it would have crushed the tinnie and its 3mm sides like a beer can, and that we didn't foul hook it with the lure loaded with a pair of 12/0's!
Anyway, apologies for going off topic a bit, but its one of the most memorable fishing experiences I've had...
sweet dreams everyone :twisted: 
Cheers,
Smeg


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## radar (Nov 4, 2007)

breambo,from all reports looks like a big season for the men in grey suits up your way, :shock:


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## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

:shock: We're gonna need a bigger boat. :shock:

And that shark in the picture above (following the kayak) is 'only' 4m long. Imagine one twice that length! :shock:

You can keep that experience.


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Well at least breambo has found the ideal popper for GW's, kite boarders :shock: now all we have to do is get a helicopter some 2000lb line a tiagra reel and a telegraph pole and dangle the kite boarder ;-)

Mate seriously my pants would be brown for a week if something that big was following me, glad to here you made it in in one peice.

Cheers Dave


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## Big D (Apr 28, 2007)

I don't reckon 15 knots would be a fast enough retrieve for a shark that size - normally one would want at least 25 knots with a live bait - or make it bleed and let it sink slowly :twisted:


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## Wattie (Apr 30, 2007)

I will be out windsurfing tomorrow,

I have often wondered if I could out-run a shark.....now I know.


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

was in my local surf shop the other day and mentioned that i fish from a kayak at reef x 
the owner said "oh your the guy that goes out there in the kayak ? hey its good to see your havin fun & living it up, but man its good water out there, go and talk to bob from the dive shop and ask him about the great white that they often see out there and have a look at his photos of it" :shock: :shock: 
thinking about a sharkshield now :? :? :?


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

Is a Shark Shield going to work on a fish that size or are the electrical signals just going to make it curious? :shock:


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## Redfish (Apr 25, 2007)

Man, that's some serious poo in the pants action there!

I'd definitely be using a shark shield....or two!


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## Freak (Mar 25, 2006)

rawprawn said:


> Is a Shark Shield going to work on a fish that size or are the electrical signals just going to make it curious? :shock:


The SS will work on sharks of all sizes - i dont think just because the shark is huge that it will be immune to the shark shield.


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

Gatesy said:


> Freak said:
> 
> 
> > rawprawn said:
> ...


Yes please let us know how you get on ;-)


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

so Breambo - you went back out on your kiteboard after the shark alarm had sounded?

did you 'jump the shark' fonzie style? :lol:


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## avayak (May 23, 2007)

It's great to see that there are still some big sharks around. Just hope that I'm not the one seeing them. :shock: :shock: :shock:


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## Southerly (Apr 20, 2007)

A few people on other threads have expressed and interest in chasing sharks for the yak. All I can say is... go get em boys!

David


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Yep little bronzies are way fun, they fight hard all the way on light gear even getting air borne..........just dont try and retrieve your lure by hand if you tail hook a 4' one. Getting a treble through your finger while still hooked to the shark is no fun.


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## Shufoy (May 28, 2008)

I'm suprised a 22ft Great White has been "properly" measured, stuffed if i would be the bloke holding the tape at the pointy end....


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## paulo (Nov 1, 2007)

Freak said:


> rawprawn said:
> 
> 
> > Is a Shark Shield going to work on a fish that size or are the electrical signals just going to make it curious? :shock:
> ...


In fact Ive had it from the horse's mouth that the larger the shark the more effective the SS actually is. Bigger shark = more ampulae of Lorenzini = more sensitive to the signal. I was also told that it will work on all sharks bar a few non threatening ones (due to no AoL)and the smaller versions of the predatory kind will get closer to you before the SS is effective than the larger ones but it will work everytime.


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## MrFaulty (May 15, 2008)

forget about the shark, I am more interested in the kitesurfing - I bought one months back and am yet to get out of the water - excepting for the few times I got picked up and slammed down!


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## Shorty (May 11, 2008)

We had a large shark 4.5 metres bumping a guy in a boat at the snapper grounds yesterday, possibly a Tiger he reports,,but his brain froze for a while so was not to sure,,he was in a 5.4 metre boat and was scared,,i would not like to see one in the kayak thats for sure,,,,,


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