# An intimate experience



## Phoenix

I read a story recently about a kayaker in Australia. I wont rewrite the story, but the essence is this.

The guy hooked up big time on a long line - but as he was pulling the line in, a shark started taking fish off the line. The kayaker could easly see the large fin breah the water - a clear sign of agression.

He cut the line hoping the shark would continue it's smorgers board and leave him alone - but no, it started to bump the kayak.

This guy starts to paddle link all hell for shore (he was only 800 metres off shore) but the shark continues to play with the bottom of his yak, and bumps him about 20 times.

He then throws his bait and burley out hoping to draw the sharks attention away, but moments later it's back playing with it's new toy.

He nearly gets capsised with all the bumping and vomits over the side.

This shark was probably a great white, and around 3.6 metres long.

Finally the shark gave up when the guy went over a reef - but continued to cruise around the area for about an hour. This was seen by around 40 onlookers.

A lot of people compare the shape of a kayak with a large seal - gotta make you think.

Lessons;
* Use thigh straps as these help to avoid capsise
* Use a shark shield
* Sharks are attracted to fish shaking when they are in distress
* The kayak hull will only amplify this noise.
* I would recemend killing fish quickly and wrapping them in a wet towel.

There have been a lot of reports about large Bull Whaler sharks on the Queensland Coast recently particulary between the Sunshine and Gold Coasts - and soon we will see Tiger sharks return.


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## fisher

ummmm, thanks Phoenix (I think!) :shock:


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## scupper

That report was from somewhere in New Zealand.
I've read it on another forum or somewhere. The story is even more graphic than Phoenix's summary and it sounds like this guy was lucky to make it back to shore.
I reckon the main lesson to learn from this story is - dont long line in deep shark infested waters from your yak!

Regards Scupper


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## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Guest

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:


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## JB

The guy that got attacked is in our yak club I think -it took him a year to get back on the yak but now fishes (but a different technic obviously) . Yes it did happen and not the shark was not 3.6m but substainually bigger.

The location was about 2 and a bit hours north of Auckland on the east coast. Although the yaker in mention was not trying to attract a shark he was doing a lot of actions that did (like known to him at the time).

There was a good article on in New Zealand fishing news 6 months or so ago. The article actually gives more detail than the link above.

To me the moral of the story is its about risk minisimation.


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## Guest

Cough Cough!............ :shock: 

Maybe I should take a safer hobby like Knitting.


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## Physhopath

jrjr said:


> Maybe I should take a safer hobby like Knitting.


More people die playing lawn bowls than any other sport, so I've been told :lol:


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## DGax65

Physhopath said:


> jrjr said:
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe I should take a safer hobby like Knitting.
> 
> 
> 
> More people die playing lawn bowls than any other sport, so I've been told :lol:
Click to expand...

Isn't that because the average age of lawn bowlers is 89?


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## Rogue

Holy mackeral,my yak looks like a floating whale carcase from underneath?

Perhaps yellow polka dots are the go?


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## rawprawn

I don't know if I would reward the shark for hassling me by throwing it food (i.e. bait). It probably though gee if I keep nudging this thing it keeps spiting out food. Having said that I probably wouldn't have acted rationally in that situation either.


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## Biggera Yakker

Do you think whacking the shark or jabbing the paddle underwater hard at the shark would scare it off?


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## HiRAEdd

Biggera Yakker said:


> Do you think whacking the shark or jabbing the paddle underwater hard at the shark would scare it off?


I've often wondered that myself. Would whacking the shark with the paddle scare it off or just help it make up it's mind that it did indeed want to eat me?


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## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Crazy_Horse

It kind of reassures me.....strange I know.

Here is a massive shark, a known man-eater. It could clearly take down a man in a kayak. And yet it doesn't. Sure it harrasses and scares the piss, shit and vomit out of him (literally) but it doesn't attack him despite that in the water, along with the fish, bait, etc. Why didn't it attack? Kayaks aren't food. They just look intriguing to a shark....

I'm happy (and maybe more twisted than Andybear???).


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## rawprawn

Crazy_Horse said:


> It kind of reassures me.....strange I know.
> 
> Here is a massive shark, a known man-eater. It could clearly take down a man in a kayak. And yet it doesn't. Sure it harrasses and scares the piss, shit and vomit out of him (literally) but it doesn't attack him despite that in the water, along with the fish, bait, etc. Why didn't it attack? Kayaks aren't food. They just look intriguing to a shark....
> 
> I'm happy (and maybe more twisted than Andybear???).


Good point. I guess we all really know it's very unlikely you will get attacked. And that the best form of defence is attack. Having said that being confronted by a large shark it's hard to know how I would react but I suspect it wouldn't be with cold rational detachment.


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## Phoenix

I have a theory on this.

I've seen Aussie zoo shows where the staff tickle the water to annoy the crocs - could it be the same for sharks. Mako sharks amoungst others will attack a boats motor.

Could it be that sharks are distressed and annoyed by the noise that boats make. Thus kayaks are not agriviating the shark - perhaps the shark is just showing it's dominance in the food chain. Perhaps trying to work out if the yak is in fact part of the food chain or not?

Yaks are so stealthy - and because we can easily approach sea animals such as dugons, turtles, dolphins etc with ease - perhaps it is because there is little to no noise and disturbance of the water. I've heard of boaties who have lived around brisbane their whole lives and never seen a dolphin - yet I seem them every week.


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## Crazy_Horse

I like your theory.... I agree.


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## Phoenix

All in all - I have only heard of two actual attacks by sharks on kayaks - one being the one in NZ another in South Africa. And only two by crocodiles. One was a Brit who was paddling around the Aussie top end - he used his paddle to shoo away the croc - he lived to tell the tale, so must have worked :shock: .

I have had what I beleive to be sharks bump the bottom of my yak doing what I believe to be - working out wether I am part of the food source. However never anything agressive.

I dunno.


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## Baldy

As far as I know a healthy noah only has 2 possible natural predators....bigger noahs and Orcas.

The reason they nudge stuff with their nose is because they dont have hands!! Its the same as us squeezing a peice of fruit to see if its ripe :lol: It really is that simple.

Lets all paint the bottom of our Yaks black and white.....Orca camo :lol: :lol: As far as being stealthy is concerned, it might help with some things but Dolphins arnt one of them, if ya spent enough time on the water ya would know they quite like boats...the bigger the better, they use the pressure wave in front of a boat/ship to get a free ride and just for the plain fun of it. seals and dolphins display behaviour than can only be decribed as having fun, I could watch them all day 8)

Having surfed from my early teens till early twentys, worked as a decky for a diver for a couple of years and spent alot of time on the water with family over the years, In my opinion your more likly to die driving to the boatramp than in the jaws of some noah :?

Dont get me wrong, I have a healthy respect for their place in the foodchain but a shark looking for a feed is far more predictable than the drunken/drugged hoon in a 2ton V8.

Dont worry, be happy 

Cheers
Baldy


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## Astro

i'm actually looking forward to seeing sharks.......

personally i feel that i shark will be disconcerted if it was attacked....paddle on the snout should do it....if needed.....

hope i will be able to tell how it goes........


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## rawprawn

So long as you see it coming then it's all good


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## jaredluke

Yeah I read that a couple of months ago now and he cut his leg while trying to cut the line. Ouch and all the blood went down the scupper hole. Pretty scary stuff eh.


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