# MASSIVE SHARK 27/12/8 NEWS



## johnny

I thought I better do a heading like this in the hope that as many kayakers read this as possible and the Longy 27/12/8.
My version ,I hope,corresponds with the others.
The morning was choppy-pea soup fog..for 2 hours we were lost at Longy not knowing where landfall was..Murd's GPS was not going in the low cloud...Redfin and Tugboat went home early
Then the fog temporarily lifted..we got our bearings and soon found out that the kingys were going nuts at the professionals buoys..1/2 kilometre north of the usual spots
Big mummas...I got busted on 80lb leader-50 lb braid-monster mesh/catalina..powerful fish everywhere-bleeding mouths of returned fish-cloudy overcast day..
10.30..pro fisho's yell out 5 metre white pointer..he's coming your way to Murd,Henry,Justin[a hobie non akffer visitor from south coast],Karnage and me.
The shark goes for me...dorsal fin out..tail out..2 foot under my kayak
His gut is 1 metre wide..wider and onger than the revolution hobie...oh f...steady johnny..go slow
F!..he goes for Karnage..he's tipped Karnage's hobie adventure over in the water
They yell out..Karnage is in!
I spin round and hammer for Karnage..we yell..he's in the water for a minute-one minute too long..and propeller neck cuts haven't stopped the shark..the fishos in a nearby boat[Northern Beaches Fencing-give em a plug] go for Karnage..
Karnage rights the yak
In a flash Karnage has no knife but is pulled aboard the tinny-eyes agog
We jettison our keepers as Murd suggests
Holy f
We hobie corral next to the tinny..I hold to Karnages boat/tinny..Justin outside me..
Murd tucked into the tinny by the Karnageless adventure
Maaaaan..A fin..A humungo tail-head..black on white..another lap..its the roman of boats tortoise/cowboy wagons and one monster shark indianing around...
Pro fishos say $80 and we'll tow ya...my eyes are agog-not in fear-stress takes you into automatic...pro fishos say me and Justin go peddle side by side 3km to shore-the shark will stay with the tinny...
We hold eachother's kayaks as we wobbily peddle away
F!
Torpedo of Jaws zooms to us..fins up outa the water
F!
"Shepherd us Shepherd us"I yell-from the shark
The pro tinny zooms up...we yell to another boat..thanks Mr.Quintrex 6metres-100 metres away zooms to us...Justin and I are hauled aboard-no stuff ups
Henry is rescued-he went away from everyone to escape the shark's inquisitivness
Everyone behaved fantastically under extreme tensions
2 divers were nearby
We were towed to Longy beach..I lost a bit of gear as the yak rolled under tow
The Northern Beaches Fencing tinny filmed it
Channel 9 had a recorded song when called
Channel 7 got the gig-we had interviews
Now I am totally jittery writing this
johnny


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## PhilC

Johnny,
Glad to hear you are all ok mate. Great recount! Sorry to hear you lost some gear. Will you go back to Longy?


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## Greybeard

*F__K*
Greybeard


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## karnage

well written johnny. thanks again to you and everyone else's help 2day. everyone seemed extremly composed during horold's mate's visit.


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## Marty75

So glad you guys are OK!!!

That is one hairy story....

Marty


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## johnny

No worries Karnage-how are your nerves?
I'm a bit scared of Longy as I write..
The Pros wanted the dough to stop catching monster kingys..
They realised it was the real deal when I yelled as the shark charged at Justin and me-at that the pros zoomed to us ..phoned their mates to meet them later at the ramp...and then the Quintrex 6.0 zoomed up as we yelled help..shark...


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## Alster99

Glad you fellas are ok! FAR OUT!!! Now there is a story to tell the grand kids!

I cannot begin to understand what you guys must have been thinking. Well done on holding it together.

Just glad you are all alright.

Al.


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## zipper

i've been robbed at knife point once, that would be no where neer as intense or scary as that shark. wow, just thinking about it i get the shuvvaz


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## Orange

OMG
Just saw the story on 7.

You guys are so brave - can't believe how well you held it together. :shock: Congratulations to ALL the people involved in getting everyone back to shore.

Were wondering if you were AKFF'ers when we were watching the report on the news. ;-)

Cheers
Georgia & Gary "Orange"


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## Southerly

Well Johnny, you are a true 'hard man' of longy now. Those flathead and bream are looking pretty good at the moment.

Very pleased he didn't bite anyone.

David


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## murd

Johnny, I'll be back out there again - but not in those classic shark-type conditions. As I told the Ch7 reporter, in 17 years of yakking Longy this is the first time I've had a shark encounter and it won't stop me going back in. I had a bad feeling about today when I launched. That fog was was weird and the fact it kept jamming my GPS made it even more unusual. The Longy 'triangle' perhaps?

Steve, you're a tv star now. Girls will recognise you everywhere, and love hearing about the day you fought off a GWS 'barehanded'. You're a lucky bastard. 

Rick


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## karnage

murd said:


> Steve, you're a tv star now. Girls will recognise you everywhere, and love hearing about the day you fought off a GWS 'barehanded'. You're a lucky bastard.
> 
> Rick


bring on the crocs.


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## Duane

Glad to see everyone made it back okay.

I hope the pro fishers get caught out one day and the rescue chopper demands $80 to bring them back in. Pro's or not that's bad form.


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## grinner

actually are you sure it wasnt lazybugger coming up to say hello


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## johnny

elation at getting into the quintrex..then relief..profuse thanking of rescuers...now jittery from relief/massive freak out


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## BJM

F that ! and boaties asking $80 to rescue you from some serious shit ! really....

I can't say that I've been in that kind of situation ever, but well done for comming out on the other side of it.

I'm a bit lost for words at the moment.


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## efc

lucky the GW was acting like a puppy dog


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## varp

Incredible story alright Johnny. Unforgettable.

Metre wide guts gunning for you would leave a hell of an impression. Hope it doesn't knock you around too much. Don't know anything about trauma counselling, but I believe that the more you talk about it the less fragile your neo-frontal cortex becomes or whatever part of your brain it is that is responsible for emotional haemorhaging.

Absolutely extraordinary story and kinda puts the wind up my plans to paddle around Portland next week.


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## tobes

incredable scary crap well done lads for keeping what cool u had 
to the pro fishers what goes around comes around karma karma karma aholes :x :x :x :x


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## ELM

Glad to here you guys are all ok, HOLY SHHHiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttttttttttttttt.


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## wapstar

WOW glad to hear you all made it back unscathed.

I found the article on Yahoo7, but no footage.
I hope they put it up sometime.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/523 ... rs-sydney/

And a message for the pros "karma is a bitch"

W*


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## Barrabundy

Sharks only like cold southern water don't they???? Good to hear no-one was physically hurt. Could have easily been a different story...WA incident.


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## garyp

What are we all doing at home online? We should be at the pub buying all of you involved Bundy & Cokes while to celebrate a happy ending to a harrowing tale.


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## tugboat

Something tells me I am glad Redfin and I left early... 
Glad everyone is ok.. makes Redfin's rolling over at the beach on the return pale in comparison to what happened after we left LR.

Was glad the GPS was working as you couldn't tell whether you were coming of going with the fog.... the conditions felt like out of the Jaws movie....
The thought of a large shark went through my mind today as I landed the first Kingie... but decided to dismiss the thought.


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## Astro

wow, guys glad it turned out well...gets ya thinking doesn't it....

wheres the .303 when you need it hey murd??


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## V8rob

Any photos? ;-)

Seriously though, an experience you're never going to forget.. happily everyone made it out unscathed 

Scary as hell though :shock:


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## tugboat

No photos of the event... and glad I missed it.

Added some pre shark visit photos. When Refin and I luanched at 5am we left with Karnage and there were another 2 yaks setting up for launch.
By the time we left and said our goodbye to Karnage there was a flotilla of yaks on the water.


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## TerryH

Barrabundy said:


> Sharks only like cold southern water don't they???? Good to hear no-one was physically hurt. Could have easily been a different story...WA incident.


Depends on the species Barrabundy. Some like cold southern water, others like warm northern water.


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## murd

Astro said:


> wow, guys glad it turned out well...gets ya thinking doesn't it....
> 
> wheres the .303 when you need it hey murd??


Astro, without a rifle out there I felt totally vulnerable and helpless unlike when I'm around crocs. I was wondering, can you legally carry a firearm offshore for protection?

Just for the record, I'm still feeling the effects of what happened today. I've watched the footage over and over and seen how lucky we were. My yak couldn't be seen on TV but I was tucked in next to the tinny alongside Karnage's yak. Karnage wanted to drag me into the tinny but I stayed in the water to keep hold of the back of Johnny's yak so it wouldn't move if he was bumped.


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## oldbloke

We lost a snorkeller in Perth today to a great white attack, in shallow water. I was out yak fishing in the same bay at the time. Glad you all made it home safe with a stroy to tell the grandkids, but how mercenary of the pros to attempt extortion at such a time.


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## Barnsie

Got a text from a mate saying there was a Hobie on the news which got bumped by 5m great white. Did i know him, thought there was a good chance of it . . .thought to my self, sure sure, 5 metres, i know the rule of 3, probs just a little fella!

Just got home and turned on the IQ to watch the recorded news (LOVE IQ) WOW, that gives you tingles down the spine looking at the sheer size of that monster!

Very glad that you boys made it back safe! Kudos to the gents in the tinnie for helping you out! Have a SAFE christmas break fellas.

Barnsie


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## zipper

murd, do you have footage you would be able to somehow share with us? the footage i saw was very short and cut down alot.


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## Shorty

Saw the footage on T.V scary stuff,,,,,,,the guy taken here today was a very well known local identity,,AKFF members Old Bloke and Shufoy were brave to keep fishing after being informed of the attack,,the area is closed now and for at least all tommorow,,,,,,,,

I don't know about hot or cold water but the sharks come into the bays for the spawning Snapper,,,,,,,,,,


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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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## mcbigg

Thanks for your version of events Johnny.

Really glad that everyone got out of it relatively unscathed. What a story you've all got to tell now!

I'd also love to see the footage. Any chance of anyone uploading it to youtube so those of us who couldn't watch it, can. Even if someone could take screen captures of the report and post the piccies that'd be a start.


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## Geoffro

Damn.......... After 6 hours of being blown all over the place this morning trying and failing (way too much wind - the usual 10-15min casual paddle into the the harbour took 2 hours of solid paddling) to get kingies of Pig Island Coffs Harbour, now reading this has made me think seriously about having my pillies in the footwells of my yak - turns me into a big burley cage l think. l will just continue with lures only maybe or be more preped.

So glad you are all ok, that is the worst nightmare and l love all sharks. Just not being harrased by them when trying to fish and as mentioned condolences to the family and friends of the W.A man who was taken....

SAFE PADDLING ALL


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## CameronH

Incredible footage guys, just saw it on Fox News, glad everyone made it out alive and well. Karnage never met you mate but well done on not being a dribbling mess after being in the water with the GW. It makes me wonder how often large sharks like this inhabit inshore reef systems such as Longy, i know several years ago a great white scared the beejeeesus out of some spearo's of jibbon bommie at the port hacking mouth. Anyway fella's well done on keeping cool in that situation and on helping each other out.


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## Lowkano

Hey guys,

WOW..... That is seriously intense.. So glad everyone is back safe. You guys must of been absolutely sheeting yourselves, but at the same time it must have been a bit of a buzz to see one of mother natures top predators in its element!!
I have been reading posts in this forum for a while without making a post and this is my first time. Love the forum, and hope to get to know a few of you guys..
Have a safe new years...

Lachie


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## CeltA

glad u blokes are alright....could have been much worse, ive read another story similar ,much scarier than this , gives me the jeebies
here: http://www.fishingkites.co.nz/sharks/gr ... ttack.html

glad u fellas never became its meal, & hope u get out there again soon.


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## murd

Red, I'll try to answer this before signing off.



> What did you feel went right?


We all worked as a team. No-one panicked. We asked for help and backup when needed. We dumped the fish.



> What would you do differently next time?


I will never go out in those conditions again (dark/gloomy/fog/sizeable swell). I found it hard to spot the fin in the swell.



> Your thoughts on the sharks behaviour? Curious? Hungry? Aggressive?


I believe all three. Some greenie-type guy in dreadlocks on the ramp tried to convince us how 'harmless' they are and that a 5m GWS is only a juvenile... He said just put your fish on the deck and move away. Sorry, but this thing tipped over Steve, went for Johnny and basically wouldn't go away. I watched it specifically 'sniffing' out each yak. How someone wasn't eaten was a miracle. If that tinny hadn't come over after we called it, I feel 100% that someone would have been killed today.



> Was he/she attracted to the yaks in particular? What part?


Totally. I posted this earlier but will repeat - the shark only went for the hobies. The mirage drive, *though a wonderful invention is I believe a magnet to sharks who can detect the pressure waves set up by the flippers.* Proof = as soon as Johnny and Justin moved away the shark left the tinny and went straight for them at speed. Steve was peddling when he got tipped. The shark never really came near me but went from hobie to hobie. Do I have an answer - I would recommend raising the mirage drive and adopting a paddle in a repeat scenario. Apart from detecting pressure waves, the MD also looks like 'seal flippers' to the shark which is possibly why he was so interested in the hobies.

Please, these are just my theories based on what I witnessed today. I don't wish to instill any fear in hobie owners but to make them aware of how nature works.

Rick


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## joejoe

glad u survived to tell the tail.joe


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## Knuckle

Again like I said on the other post I'm glad everyone is ok.
Was reading through some old reports and found one from SBD on the 28/11/08 titled Sydney Northside, which i presume was from longy. He said he was speaking to a pro who told him about a big resident shark that attacked his boat last summer, I think he called it Henry.
SBD is this right or do I have my wires crossed? below is the link for SBDs Reoprt.
Cheers
Knuckle
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=21744


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## Straddie

very imformative thread...........glad to see all are ok. I recall a Fishing World article where a GWS attacked a fibreglass kayak outside of WA. The story tells how the GWS attacked the front of the kayak from the deep and how the fibreglass actually withstood the pressure with the teeth sliding off the front nose section. The bloke was trolling over the trench for trevalley and after the attack, turned for shore and paddled to the beach and I reckon he would have been still paddling up the sandhills when he hit the beach. There were no photos, just sketches, I think it may have been about 15-20 years ago. But the story indicated that it was just a massive kill strike with no fore warning of circling or nudging.
So, in reading all the commentry, I do belive that the shark was not in a killing mood as in attacking from the deep, but more in a mood of looking for an easy meal of dead floating kingfish, berly pilchards and a few odd shapes with little black flippers.
I also fish in some deep waters that has some large sharks, so I am trying to glean as much information and also what actions to take when I am placed into a similar situation.

Once again, glad to see everyone is ok, and a terrific learning curve for all of us.

cheers Straddie


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## Feral

Glad your alright fella's.
But even happier wife was working last night and didn't see the news, otherwise I'd be trying to work out how to get my Tempo in the bath tub, coz there is no way I'd be allowed out any time soon if she had seen that!


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## noeskimo

wow...thats some scary sh&t!

i think i need a bigger yak........!! :shock:

it does sound like the GWS was just interested in the smell of the blood from caught fish? but considering most attacks are from shark 'tasting' people, there is little doubt if someone was unfortunate to be in the water with him, he'd have 'tasted' them....

thankfully all you blokes are ok, and a little wiser?

.


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## Flump

Glad you all survived what must have been a pretty harrowing experience :shock:


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## YakN00b

Thats some scary shit I have had a few encounters of the brown pants variety but trying to visualise what that must have been like gives me the heeby jeebies.


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## radar

Good to see you made it home safe. What a rush, now thats a story to tell the grandkids in future years.Missed the news footage,couldn,t find it on the internet. has anyone found a link to the footage? cheers


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## Jeffo

very glad to hear all are ok.

Cheers

jeffo


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## CHIMO

I just sat down to logon onto this forum last night when the missus sang out. "Quick, come have a look at this...". 
I took a minute to respond, as you do with such commands ("QUICK" & "COME" usually means something has to be done!).

I got to see the tail end of the news report and a bit of video... I wish I had the IQ box on so I could have saved it!
I don't even know which channel we were watching.

A few days ago I had read about the planned trip to Longy on the forum and realised this was the day! I expected to eventually
hear it was going to be people from this group. I'm glad it was (so I could read more about the experience)...I wish it hadn't 
been (because I am now concerned about being faced with a similar situation, not to mention that I am not happy reading that
any of us were first-handers on the day!!!). I often fish and paddle in Port Hacking and venture towards Jibbon where large 
sharks have been sighted. I don't burley (yet) off the yak because the ONLY time I have seen sharks was when using burley 
(from a stink boat on the South Coast). I figure, "Why invite them?"! I also block the scupper holes when fishing in enclosed 
waters...would not expect that to be wise practice offshore. Going to buy a leak-proof crate to keep the catch in from now on!

As with everyone else, I'm SO glad everyone got home safely (unlike the poor guy in WA!). Thanks for doing such a great
job of sharing the experience!


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## sbd

Knuckle said:


> Again like I said on the other post I'm glad everyone is ok.
> Was reading through some old reports and found one from SBD on the 28/11/08 titled Sydney Northside, which i presume was from longy. He said he was speaking to a pro who told him about a big resident shark that attacked his boat last summer, I think he called it Henry.
> SBD is this right or do I have my wires crossed? below is the link for SBDs Reoprt.
> Cheers
> Knuckle
> viewtopic.php?f=17&t=21744


Whether it was "Harold" or another of the countless (except in the case of Grey Nurses which number exactly 500) huge sharks that inhabit the waters off Australia is somewhat moot. There have been 2 small bronzies caught off yaks in the last week at Longy, one big hammerhead taken by a pro & these are only the tiny percentage that we see. There has never been a shortage of big bities off Sydney (ask any shark fisho), you just don't usually see them.

If a predator the size of yesterday's specimen is in attack mode, we're talking being slammed by a runaway locomotive - if I was a kingy I'd rather get taken by a yak fisho. Whilst I would certainly be crapping myself with a glimpse of that beast, & I shudder to consider Steve's experience (& Johnny's & Ricks etc), I doubt (from the comfort of my study) that the shark was keen to eat the yaks. Still think it was a bad idea to go for a swim though Steve ;-) .

The support & cameraderie between the guys out there is what it's all about. Another big hand for the boaties as well.

Steve, the girl in the red definitely wants you.

For a day or two, I'm going to re-open the jewie ledger. I'd like one of Erics EPs too. McBigg, you busy?

Yes, I'm going to buy a Sharkshield. I'd planned to get one anyway for DHI next year (it is called Shark Bay), but I'll buy it sooner.


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## azzaroo

:shock: :shock: really glad u guys r all ok...that was bs. i am syaying at the entrance ,central coast and went out at 5 for a paddle in that fog, ended up getting lost and paddling too far down the coast! anyway it was freaky out there , like a movie, low vis ,with stinko;s putting past very slow....no fish [feew kingy's the previous day!]
anyway get roaring drunk and celebrate a great white victory!!!!! take care aaron.........


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## Safa

Glad to hear all ended well, Lads buy each other a beer,slap each other on the back as you now have a special connection ,your calm manner of handling that situation I believe is the reason no one as taken by the GWS.
I think this is a reminder to us all ,always fish with a mate and think safety all the time .
It would be an honour and a pleasure to someday have a cold one with you guys .
Till next time on the water.
Safa


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## polylureosis

On the daily Tele's site.....
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24848858-5001021,00.html
Can't find the footage that the story mentions....

And this from the archives.....

NSW: Shark knocks man from kayak

Article from: AAP General News (Australia) Article date: February 8, 2002 | Copyright information
00-00-0000 
NSW: Shark knocks man from kayak

By Kylie Williams

SYDNEY, Feb 8 AAP - A man has narrowly escaped serious injury after a terrifying battle with a shark in Sydney's Parramatta River.

Paul McNamara, from Ermington in Sydney's west, was knocked off his kayak by the shark as he paddled in Cabarita Marina last night.

The shark circled him, coming in once to headbutt him and again for a nudge but did not attempt to bite.

Part of a shark's tooth was later found embedded in the kayak as well as a large bite mark.

Mr McNamara today said he was pretty scared when the shark knocked him into the water.


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## AJD

Holy shit guys - Great to hear that everything worked out OK and that all parties involved worked together when the heat was on. A very scary moment, just reading about it gave me the jitters. Once again glad to hear all involved are OK.


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## tugboat

sbd said:


> For a day or two, I'm going to re-open the jewie ledger. I'd like one of Erics EPs too. McBigg, you busy?


Heavy metal traces and big hooks?  From memory I think you were the one chasing a large shark I spotted whilst out at Cloey last year


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## GeoffC

Wow, that was something you don't need. But that fellow is still out there, and even though I am 200 km north, that's a day or twos stroll for these guys. I think the issue of the mirage drive is a very valid point that I have often wondered about. So if you see a shark, its best to use the paddle. I can see some shark shields getting sold. Although there is some opinion you can't stop them when they get aggressive. Not sure myself, I know the original design in St Lucia, South Africa seemed to work perfectly.

Geoff.


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## mcbigg

sbd said:


> For a day or two, I'm going to re-open the jewie ledger. I'd like one of Erics EPs too. McBigg, you busy?


lol, no I'm free. However, estuary Jew fishing is much more dangerous. I mean there's killer falling trees, not to mention the people fishing off the landing at the launch point who are liable to fly into a jealous rage and do something nasty when they see the Jewies you've caught whilst they've been stuck with tiny bream all day.

pffff I'd take on a GWS any day of the week.

BTW, anyone else think that the shark is likely to associate bumping kayaks with a free feed of kingfish and keep doing it?


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## mangajack

Is there any footage of this event on the web yet?

I am glad that event hasn't happened to me yet.

Jack.


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## noeskimo

i just saw the news report on sky news....

there was a whole lot of swearing going on....i wonder why..? :lol:

.


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## Grantos

Firstly, I'd like to join everyone else on this forum and beyond in saying how pleased I am that the "famous four" survived their encounter with a GWS. Whilst the comraderie and cool under pressure response to a life threatening situation clearly averted a trajedy from occurring, it just goes to show one should always be prepared for the unexpected. :shock:

Like Rick (Murd) I've regularly fished the waters around Longy for over 30 years, sometimes in my yak but more recently in my tinny. When there are plenty of fish in the water, sharks are an inevitable part of the equation, although typically what we don't see can't hurt us, right. ;-) I have never previously encountered a GWS at Longy, yet I had heard others have. I have though seen my fair share of whalers and hammer heads out there, sometimes right alongside my tinny in pursuit of hooked fish or following my burley trail. It is for these reasons I alternate between when I use my tinny off Longy and when I use my yak. Others might not have that "luxury", however clearly my "balls" are alot smaller than some others on this forum. :lol:

As I've done in recent weeks I found myself fishing alongside the "famous four" and others from AKFF on this fateful morning. The conditions were very weird, with visibility reduced to around 100 metres up until around 9.00am due to some of the thickest fog I've ever encountered at sea. The conditions were _very _"sharky".

I moved away from the group prior to the GWS encounter, eventually returning to shore as my fishing companion had turned a bright shade of "green". I now regret that I didn't remain out there just a while longer (as ordinarily I would of) so that I might have rendered assistance to my compatriots when Mr GWS decided to spoil the party. However I am truly glad that other tinnies were nearby to effect a rescue. 

I don't know what to expect next time I venture out off Longy, but I know that when I do I will be keeping both eyes on the water, particularly in the direction of any yak fishermen. GWSs apparently have a tendancy to hang around an area when abundant food is present, and Longy certainly fits that bill with one of the healthiest showing of kingfish in recent memory currently on offer.

So if you are off Longy and experience or see something of concern please don't hesitate to approach me for assistance. If you don't know who I am just ask Rick, he knows me quite well. ;-)


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## Alby

Exciting stuff. Glad everyone survived. 
Me, I don't need quite that degree of excitement. A $600 sharkshield was the first thing I bought once I decided I wanted to fishing out wide. Cheap life insurance and the peace of mind is great. I reckon they're a "must". I see guys write "I'm not scared of sharks." hmmmmmm. Bravado?.........stupidity!

Unfortunately it's only a matter of time before something much more serious happens. You guys were so lucky.

Makes for a great story though! LOL

Alby


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## sarmal

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 17,00.html

Just thought you might like to read this report on shark sheild

cheers

Mal


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## sarmal

The surf product only can be guaranteed to work when it's stationary, not when it's surfing in the wave or paddling," Mr Hartley said.

Quoted in the Auslralian (link above)


----------



## L3GACY

sarmal said:


> http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23300091-30417,00.html
> 
> Just thought you might like to read this report on shark sheild
> 
> cheers
> 
> Mal


Not again... :roll:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## noeskimo

> Now I can understand Justins reaction, and without trying to put words in his mouth I reckon he is probably saying something like - "holey f... I think I just shit myself", or perhaps "so this is how it's all going to end is it"


i can feel a caption competition coming on.... :lol:

.


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## DougOut

*absolutely amassing stuff *..... so glad to hear no one was eaten or physically injured in anyway
nice team work men and well done to the boaties who assisted
not sure I would not have dumped the catch .... kind-of-like rewarding the beast and asking him to come home with you :shock: 
then again, I really don't know "what" I would have done in those circumstances .... probable just totally shit myself

I've been wondering about the merits of someone perhaps setting-up an AKFF bulk purchase deal on Shark Shields
surely a supplier would come to the party dollars-wise on confirmed (deposit taken) orders.
Just a thought 
Tight lines men and hope you all get "back-on-the-horse" once the nerves settle


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## GregL

mmmm, that's gotta take out the Tale of Woe.
Dudes, well done on holding it together and not getting chewed. 
I guess its most yakkers greatest fear to have one of those lumps rock up and knock you out and into the water (mine included!) Its a risk we take each time we set out on the big wobbly, be it in a yak, tinnie, or wetsuit, but I take lots of comfort in knowing that there are thousands of people in the ocean at anyone time and the instances of such events are rare to say the least.

On a side note, I have to say though that sensationalist comments from the 'rescue' fisherman to the SMH that "the shark was pretty hungry" really REALLY shit me to tears. How on earth does he know when the last time that shark ate? A hungry pointer wouldn't have stuffed around checking everything out. It would have been over in seconds.

As for the MD being of special interest to the GWS, well there is no surprise there, they are pretty cool aren't they?
Anyway, there's a little reminder of what can happen, and I'm sure everyone will be a bit more on their toes (for a while at least ;-) )
I wish everyone tight lines and clean undies for the new year.
Smeg.


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## imnotoriginal

Scary shit that. Well done fellas for staying as calm as you did. An interesting theory about the mirage drive catching the shark's attention. I'd definitely want more than a few re-entry practices under the belt, I can only imagine how hard it would be to get back onto the kayak while that fella's in the water :shock: 
Joel


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## alcbb

wow you guys are lucky. Cant believe the response from the pro's thats pathetic.

i reckon i would be able to run on water to the shore


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## GMan

First i would like to say thanks for taking the time to post your story to give us the firsthand story. That would of been terrfying, well done as working as a team to survive it. The kayaker community is something great. Well done to the fisho's cutting the anchor and racing over to help, but shame asking for money. Everyone is so greedy, looking to even make a quick buck or cover exspenses in a life threating situation. Once again well done boys, that's one hell of a story to pass down to the future generations.


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## kayakfisherman

So glad to hear no one got hurt.

I hope this doesn't scare you guys out of fishing offshore!!! I remember after seeing my first shark I vowed never to go out again, but got back on the horse a couple of weeks later. I have had small hammers come right up to the yak, and larger sharks shadow me from a distance. But I have never experienced anything as terrifying as what you guys went through. There are only a few times in life when you experience that terrible sort of primal dread, and this would have been one of them. Its an awful feeling, and you cant explain it to someone that has not been through it. The fog would not have helped with the sense of dread!!! Well done for remaining calm and sticking together. I hope you guys get out fishing again soon.

Cheers
Brian


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## Swamp

You can view the video at the link below
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24848858-5001021,00.html


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## Gunston

So glad you guys are all right.
It just goes to show that kayak fishing off shore is an extreme sport, and when things go wrong it can happen very quickly and can be a life or death situation.

Regards
Chris


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## Guest

Yeah, I do think that off-shore kayak fishing does qualify for the moniker of 'extreme sport' but probably only that form of it. I find most other forms of yak fishing more relaxing than golf.


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## mcbigg

Thanks for the link Swamp. Amazing footage.

Geezus! That _was_ an effin big shark.

Didn't need much space to turn around either. At 0:24 it effectively turns on the spot.

And at the end when the fin cruises by the two in the yaks with them watching on. Christ, I would have been out of the yak and into the tinny the moment the shark came towards me.

I've always wondered how calm I would be able to stay in that situation. You guys have got nerves of steel.


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## Davey G

so who's rethinking their South West Rocks plans now? :shock: :shock: :?

Many more biteys up that way.........


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## Orange

"Some of the boys were out again today! :shock: Watch Channel 7 news again - footage of hobie yakkers in similar spot!"

Man you guys are so brave. :shock:

Glue yourselves into your yaks!!!!!!

Georgia.


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## hardyaka

scary scary stuff.....just seen it on 10 news
glad to no one was hurt.... what a sight to see a white up so close to your yaks
one could only imagen what went on through your minds like "i need a bigger net"lol!


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## Peril

I'm troubled by this:

* Long Reef is currently chock full of fish, including big schools of kingfish and trevally and the fish upon which they are feeding;
* Where there are large congregations of fish there are sharks;
* Long Reef has long had a reputation for having GWS in the area;
* So a group of guys head out with the yellow mist in their eyes and no preparation for a visit by a curious GWS;
* They do so using a method of propulsion that is likely to pique the curiosity of a shark;
* A GWS, probably stuffed to the eyeballs with food, takes an interest;
* The response is to do two things to keep the fish interested - dump dead fish in the water and pump the mirage drives hard;
* Noone gets hurt so everyone involved is applauded.

None of the footage shown to date shows the fish being anything but curious. Sure it bumped the contraption, but that is how sharks test things. It was trying to understand what the contraption was. Yet what should have been nothing more than an unsettling incident has been turned into a media event, probably with coverage around the globe.

The upshot is that once again people take unnecessary fright. My wife was in tears this morning telling me that she can't cope with me fishing in open waters from a kayak any more and urging me to buy a boat. I have spent the summer avoiding the circus at Long Reef but even then it has reached out to ruin my fishing enjoyment. Thanks screw-ups


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## keza

On my phone, can't get on line, glad every one ok 
Kerry


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## mcbigg

Has there ever been any _other_ 'evidence' that sharks are attracted by the Mirage Drive?

[puts on armchair expert hat]
I would say it's more likely that the shark was attracted by the kayaks rapidly moving away from it than the mirage drive itself. If there were more Hobies out there, then of course there is more chance that the shark was going to approach a Hobie.

I would think sharks would be equally, if not more, attracted by the splashing of a paddle on the surface, mimicking a dying bird, fish or seal.

Question: Did the paddle yak actually attempt to move away at all whilst the shark was there? If not, it's probable that the shark was just attracted to the moving targets, rather than the mirage drive.

The guy in New Zealand proved that GW sharks can get pretty interested in paddle yaks as well.


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## Wrassemagnet

Peril said:


> Thanks screw-ups


Mate I see from your signature you are a fan of Greek philosophy which is to be applauded. My old man is a retired telstra technician and Mr Whippy ice cream man by trade but by nature is pretty much an off-the-boat Greek and pretty good at philosophising and passing on wise old sayings. Although I didn't really want to listen when I was younger he did manage to get a few things accross by talking with the authority of having lived according to them. I do remember one saying that he describes as the truly golden rule - "Excellence is found in moderation" ("pan metron ariston"). He explained to me that this concept was very important when trying to judge the difference between the two types of philosophers in this world. The first type was the one you should listen and learn from as his advice and comments followed the golden rule. The second type was the philosopher you should take note of and then avoid following as without the golden rule a philosopher becomes a "donkey loaded down with too many books" (that quote is directly from my dad, I don't know where he got that one ).

I think there is room for all opinions on this forum and I am glad to be a part of it. Wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings coz what's the point of that anyway?

Cheers


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## azzaroo

:shock: :shock: :shock: hmmmmm??????screw ups? i dont think so! unless i'm one ..... probably :twisted: :twisted:


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## kayakfisherman

Peril, I have learned not to respond to posts like your one, but you have overstepped the mark by such a wide margin that someone has to tell it to you like it is.

Your post was uncalled for, unsympathetic, and ill conceived. These guys lives were at risk, and they did the best that anyone could hope for, and that is not to panic. Someone should dump you in a tank with a great white and see whether you don't end up bawling like a baby for your mother.

I fail to see how they are "screw ups". Yes, there are heaps of fish around, that's why people fish there. I don't bother casting a line in my backyard, because I know fish don't live on land. I go where the fish are, and of course the sharks go where the fish are too, for a feed. The sport comes with a risk, we all acknowledge that. But knowing the risk does not make it any less scary when the risk comes home to greet you with pearly white teeth.

I think they were smart by tying the yaks together, because the shark would interpret the collective yaks as a bigger creature, and therefore would be less likely to attack. I also think jettisoning the fish was a wise move, if they were leaking blood. If the blood was contained, then I still don't think you could criticize anyone for dumping them in the heat of the moment. I can't see how the fog would have made the shark anymore dangerous, just more scarey (which makes your comments here seem completely stupid). Lastly, I think it is natural to try to paddle away from a shark, I have done it, and it has worked everytime. If your main propulsion is a mirage drive, then you can hardly criticize someone for using that.

So, unless you are saying fishing from a kayak makes you a screwup, I can't see why you would conclude they are screwups, or even feel the necessity to say something like that. Is calling everyone a screwup going to get your wife off your case about fishing from a yak? I don't think so. It just makes you a jerk.

There, I said it!

Brian


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## murd

> Has there ever been any _other_ 'evidence' that sharks are attracted by the Mirage Drive?


Hey McBigg, I assume you are referring to what i raised earlier on this post about the MD being a shark attractant. We should really begin a new thread for this because it could prove very interesting to all. Paddle yaks naturally attract sharks - look how many Bull sharks checked me out in the Gulf this year! But from what I witnessed with the GWS yesterday, the shark *only *hounded the hobies. We were *all *moving around at the time, not fast, but moving. Without being an expert, I feel the MD mimics the antics of a wounded fish alot more than a paddle does. I don't believe any studies have been done on this before but would like to see some undertaken by the Hobie company, with maybe a warning inscribed on all new yaks: 'Please remove Mirage Drive in the presence of Great White Sharks...' ;-)

Again, I am not making a judgement here, only passing on what I saw.


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## mcbigg

murd said:


> Hey McBigg, I assume you are referring to what i raised earlier on this post about the MD being a shark attractant....
> 
> ....'Please remove Mirage Drive in the presence of Great White Sharks...'...


Yeah I was Murd, but i couldn't remember who had said it and couldn't be bothered going back through all the posts to work it out.

_If_ the mirage drive _was_ an attractant then surely just keeping them in the 'up position' (pedals apart) would be enough, just as long as they weren't moving.


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## johnny

Thankyou everybody for your support...
The weather did not match my expectations..
The kayakers were all experienced and handled themselves selfessly and magnificently under extreme duress...
We could not forsee filming from an amateur cameraman on another vessel that fortunately for us saved us...Nor the pro boat and Quintrex 6.0 who helped save us...they need thanks and were not in the news much or at all...stay near boats in the sea-insurance...
See the shark mouth the tinny?I saw tail and fins torpedoing at us[not filmed except imagined on" jaws"-and a monster black under my kayak in the open sea at first...glide at us..around us..yes he was interested/curious...and sharks are opportunistic too..Murd is right


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## grinner

i would think a fish killed in a hobie is probably going to leave some juices which are going to find their way out thru the mirage hole so this might be a cause for hobies attracting slightly more interest


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## mcbigg

Okay, apparently I was a little out of line with my (now edited) comment, so Peril (Dave), if I offended you or your wife with the comment (which has now been modded away), I'm sorry, it was not my intention.

I never meant it to be as insulting or as inflammatory as some people have taken it. The harden up comment is one that my friends and colleagues use all the time as a bit a playful banter, and not in the least as an insult. I thought it was common throughout Australia, but apparently not.

Apologies to anyone else who was offended by my rantings.

Cheers,
Paul.


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## justcrusin

Stayed quite so far as I don't do much offshore and can't offer advice on something I don't do.

Very glad your all OK and I would have been leaving brown stains behind the yak even if it was curious, so well done to you all for keeping it together.

I think back to when I first joined the forum a couple of years ago, the advice on sharks (not catching fish) was given to me.

DONT BLEED YOUR CATCH, DONT USE BAIT, DONT BURLY they all attract sharks. Reading the trip reports we seemed to have adventured away from this in the chase for bigger and better fish.

I have been in a boat off longy as a boy in a school of jews having makos attack the boat and that was scary enough, it was bound to happen sooner or later and probably lucky it was a curious shark rather than an full on attack, problem is a curious bite from a five metre shark cuts you in half. So curious shark or not it is a mute argument really.

Hope to hear of you guys back on the water soon, feel free to join me on the shark free flats ;-)

Cheers Dave


----------



## JT

Peril said:


> I'm troubled by this:
> 
> * Long Reef is currently chock full of fish, including big schools of kingfish and trevally and the fish upon which they are feeding;
> * Where there are large congregations of fish there are sharks;
> * Long Reef has long had a reputation for having GWS in the area;
> * So a group of guys head out with the yellow mist in their eyes and no preparation for a visit by a curious GWS;
> * They do so using a method of propulsion that is likely to pique the curiosity of a shark;
> * A GWS, probably stuffed to the eyeballs with food, takes an interest;
> * The response is to do two things to keep the fish interested - dump dead fish in the water and pump the mirage drives hard;
> * Noone gets hurt so everyone involved is applauded.
> 
> None of the footage shown to date shows the fish being anything but curious. Sure it bumped the contraption, but that is how sharks test things. It was trying to understand what the contraption was. Yet what should have been nothing more than an unsettling incident has been turned into a media event, probably with coverage around the globe.
> 
> The upshot is that once again people take unnecessary fright. My wife was in tears this morning telling me that she can't cope with me fishing in open waters from a kayak any more and urging me to buy a boat. I have spent the summer avoiding the circus at Long Reef but even then it has reached out to ruin my fishing enjoyment. Thanks screw-ups


There's no way this post is from Peril. Peril in my experience is a solid guy. Someone with integrity, intelligence, character and a respect for the people who share our sport. Whoever has posted this in Peril's name is a little man devoid of character. If in fact Peril posted this then he has rotted to the core in record time which I personally fail to believe.

JT


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## oldandbent

Peril 
I think you have copped a fair canning over the *'screw up'* quote but i cant help weighing in here.

If these guys were screw ups for being in that circumstance, then where does that leave all the sky divers, racers, divers, spear fishermen, climbers and lovers of sports or extreme sports who come to grief or nearly so in pursuit of their passion.
:? :? :? 
Does our measuring stick of what we sport yakers do now, rely on your wife's reaction to the end result? I don't think so   
To all of the guys involved, well done, well handled and intense relief that it wasn't me!!! Your coolness under fire was outstanding.    
My wife also showed concern to and when I explained to her the general risks of life versus how much I love my Kayak and fishing that was the end of the story.
What has possibly been overlooked here to is that had the GWS wanted, he could have had the guy in the water in a milli second but didn't. Does not make it any less scary but when compared to the WA event, a more fortunate result.
Good luck you guys and keep paddling/peddling :twisted: :twisted:


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## paulb

I still have the chills re-reading this. Even if the shark was curious, a little too much 'action' from a kayak (or a person in the water) could trigger a very different response (just think how we work lures) . I'm sure Mirage fins create a more attractive action even when worked slowly, then compared to a gently dipped paddle - but I wouldn't believe for an instant that you could rely on paddling to guarantee your safety. Either way I wouldn't have handled it anywhere near as well as you guys did and hope I never have to - I just hope to learn something from this to make my trips safer.

Any idea what attracted the shark away from the pro boat and towards the kayaks ? Could it have been making a bee line for the tinnie (something about aluminum and electrical currents ??) and picked up on the more familiar vibrations of Steve's fins - or maybe it was coming straight to Steve anyway and was doing a first pass before turning around ?


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## sbd

Peril, that was way out of line. Would you care to outline the preparations you've made for GWS attack? Obviously the shark was attracted by Hobies, nothing to do with pros livebaiting the whole area, boats berleying up a storm, engine vibrations, paddle blades dipping, 8,000,000 kingfish... These are guys you've fished with, in a place you've fished many times.

I am by no means sure that Mirage Drive fins attract sharks. To suggest this is the case without evidence is a pretty serious claim, except that it's so ludicrous as to be farcical. I think kingfish attract sharks, and when they're having a break from chomping kingies they'll check out whatever else there may be. I've spent the last 30 months pretty much solidly catching, releasing & bleeding kingfish, offshore, frequently within metres of the incident, in a Hobie, with no close encounters (other than the odd bump you come to expect offshore). My understanding is that Rick was the only paddler, with four Hobies. You do the math. Do it again so you're sure.


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## MangoX

JT said:


> There's no way this post is from Peril. Peril in my experience is a solid guy. Someone with integrity, intelligence, character and a respect for the people who share our sport. Whoever has posted this in Peril's name is a little man devoid of character. If in fact Peril posted this then he has rotted to the core in record time which I personally fail to believe.
> 
> JT


I'm with you JT.


----------



## Marty

Peril said:


> I'm troubled by this:
> 
> * Long Reef is currently chock full of fish, including big schools of kingfish and trevally and the fish upon which they are feeding;
> * Where there are large congregations of fish there are sharks;
> * Long Reef has long had a reputation for having GWS in the area;
> * So a group of guys head out with the yellow mist in their eyes and no preparation for a visit by a curious GWS;
> * They do so using a method of propulsion that is likely to pique the curiosity of a shark;
> * A GWS, probably stuffed to the eyeballs with food, takes an interest;
> * The response is to do two things to keep the fish interested - dump dead fish in the water and pump the mirage drives hard;
> * Noone gets hurt so everyone involved is applauded.
> 
> None of the footage shown to date shows the fish being anything but curious. Sure it bumped the contraption, but that is how sharks test things. It was trying to understand what the contraption was. Yet what should have been nothing more than an unsettling incident has been turned into a media event, probably with coverage around the globe.
> 
> The upshot is that once again people take unnecessary fright. My wife was in tears this morning telling me that she can't cope with me fishing in open waters from a kayak any more and urging me to buy a boat. I have spent the summer avoiding the circus at Long Reef but even then it has reached out to ruin my fishing enjoyment. Thanks screw-ups


I have seen some pretty crook comments on this and many forums , but this would have to be the most pissweak comment of all , this could happen to anyone one of us at any time offshore , these guys are our kayak brothers , its a pity you are not


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## tomca

Geez. After reading Perils retreat from lucidity I feel I might be targeted by him if I take my yak up the Brissie river. Remember Terrys big bully from last years BRC? I'd hate to have the man think any less of me because of his perception of a 'screw up'. 
That whole post is insulting and offensive.


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## micknoe

I speak for myself here, but the only lesson ill take from this incident is to put an end to my solo trips.
The sea is a potentially dangerous enviroment ,that is what makes kayak fishing it ,an extreme sport, it is also why i find it so much fun. I think we all now that sooner or later we will have an encounter with a shark( hopefully not a gws of any size) they are much a part of the marine enviroment as Dolphins, seals and fish are!! if ya cant handle the reality of that then dont go into the sea ,take up golf or tennis. i think perils just upset he didnt get his five minutes of fame..


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## Shorty

Has my computer suffered a "Wobbly" it shows Perils only posted twice since winter,,,the last was inviting people to vote on a poll to save the fishing at Longreach and now this one having a go at people that fish at Longreach....


----------



## Guest




----------



## bazzoo

Nah Micknoe , perils not upset he missed out on his 5 minutes of fame champ , and i say that as his friend , he is upset that the sport he loves so much and the area he loves so much to fish close to home has now been basically been called out of bounds for him , not because of the guys that were threatened by the shark , but by seeing the anxiety fishing that spot alone has caused his wife . And his full fishing interest is offshore fishing in a kayak as other forms of fishing no longer appeal to him , I have been down that track when i fished exclusivly offshore out of a boat , i wasnt interested in rivers or bays , only outside .I know he would have been extremly upset seeing his wife in tears this morning as the guy loves his wife and family very much and they are lovely people , i am not in any way trying to say that Dave was right in what he said , but i can feel the emotion in his post and the sense of loss of a sport he really loves but i feel what was said was said out of sheer frustration , and was not a slight at any of the guys who were out there . My opinion only , i feel for the guy as i feel for all the guys that were out there who acted so bravely .


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## justcrusin

very well said Baz


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## Straddie

well said.......I agree.............let us not shoot the wounded. A song by Chuck Girard whose words have atimes resounded with me when people are hurting.

cheers Straddie


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## Crazy_Horse

Nice try Bazzoo, you are obviously a mate of perils and I realise that you are trying to see things from his end. However, I don't buy it. His comments were fine until he labelled the fella's "Screw Ups". That's out of line no matter what. Sorry.


----------



## Shorty

Bazz,,Well if thats the case its a matter of "i am just going river fishing love" and dont let her see the wire trace :lol:

Its sounds like we need a thread dedicated to how to stop partners and wives worrying so much (what to say to them etc)

Maybe Peril needs a shark shield and he can tell the wife they are 100% effective,,that will put her mind at rest.


----------



## Shorty

Well slighty off topic but in case i missed it who were the brave souls that went out to Longly today ? ,,,,were they AKFF members ?

I feel all the fish in the area was helpful in that the shark was not as hungry as he might have been otherwise,,,so you have more chances of seeing one maybe on days like this,,,but less chance perhaps of getting attacked and just investigated instead.


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## MrX

Johnny, thanks for putting up your version. What an experience!!!

So &#8230;&#8230; are you (and Karnage) hitting Longy again soon?


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## karnage

MrX said:


> So &#8230;&#8230; are you (and Karnage) hitting Longy again soon?


cant speak for johnny but i should be out there within the week.


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## Borider

glad to hear everyones ok, very freaky thought!

wonder how long it takes until yakkers take their own protection out there with them... (e.g. modified spear gun).

cheers.


----------



## tugboat

Peril said:


> I'm troubled by this:
> ......
> The upshot is that once again people take unnecessary fright. My wife was in tears this morning telling me that she can't cope with me fishing in open waters from a kayak any more and urging me to buy a boat. I have spent the summer avoiding the circus at Long Reef but even then it has reached out to ruin my fishing enjoyment. Thanks screw-ups


I can understand the emotion behind Peril's post and the fact the media coverage has upset his wife and has made it difficult to head out for fishing enjoyment at LR. I think if we all thought about it, the sport we love does cause anxiety to our loved ones... I know my wife worries when I head out and even does so when I go mountain biking where the risk of being eaten by another animal is very unlikely. She doesn't express it directly however the concerns are there.

For all those that have not realised it, the reality is heading offshore in a kayak even well prepared has it's risks. I wonder how many people here head offshore solo? I don't as my risk assessment says I'm not comfortable with this. Kayaks can leak, most SOTs don't have bulkheads so if a serious leak occurred there aren't many options. My Hobie has two inflatable kayak floatation bags in the hulls one at the front and one at the rear, I also carry a hand pump in the hull when offshore. My thought are if I do have a leak at least I have something I can hang on too or hopefully get back with. 
How many actually carry a marine radio and or a EPIRB? I have both when offshore, however I know even if I used either I would need to be self sufficient for at least an hour before assistance would arrive.
Shark Shield? Have thought about it... not sure if they actually work as advertised? Could they attract sharks? do they work well on a kayak? I need to read more independent research reports.
The shark risk is always present and if we choose to head out and enter a high risk area where predators and food exist then we need to be prepared that one day paths will cross. The reality is the number of people on/in the water vs the number of shark attacks means the odds are quite small however we tend to put ourselves in the higher risk category as we actually sit amongst the bait fish and predators when chasing Kingies or other fish. As Peril mention's "people take unnecessary fright", then again an incident like this at least highlights the risk to the complacent and also makes us all take check of our own risk assessment and reaction plans. I honestly don't know how I would have reacted under the circumstances Karnage, Johnny etc experienced. I have previously thought through what to do if it did happen, but having things unfold in front of you puts a different perspective on how one would react. That was one big shark! I've seen 4m sharks swim past and have happily left them alone and have even had encounters with whales and seals, thankfully no GWS.

Saturday was a day where heading out without a functional GPS was taking a higher risk. I know when I headed out with Redfin and Karnage I checked the GPS was functioning and batteries were not flat, I also had a set of back up batteries just in case.
I was expecting the fog to lift, however this did not happen whilst I was out on the water. We had a very brief glimpse of the sun then you could not see land and was very easy to loose bearings on which way was open ocean and beach. I can understand when Johnny mentions they were lost for 2 hrs.
I used the GPS and sounder to keep track of where we were positioned and ensured Redfin and I kept visual contact... not much fun loosing a fishing buddy when out on the water.
We left early as sea conditions did not improve and something in the back of my head was saying head home, even though I had caught 5 Kingies by about 6am.
It was around 7:30 when Redfin and I said our goodbyes to Karnage and the rest of the flotilla of kayaks.
The trip back was interesting just relying on the GPS as we had drifted a fair way south of the boat ramp. At one stage we were practically sitting on top of the reef in about 4m of water with me saying to Redfin head out to deeper water as I did not want to experience one of the waves that come roaring in over the reef.
We finally made it back to the boat ramp only to see the beach was quite steep. Redfin somehow managed to roll his kayak on landing... I landed without incident.

I'm not so sure about saying Hobies were targeted, we need to present facts vs emotion. As has been mentioned there were more Hobies out there than paddle yaks so the odds would of been higher a Hobie would be bumped.
My own feeling is Karnage got nudged because he tried moving away from the shark quickly rather then lay low and move very gently away. I would have unclipped and used my paddle as this could also be used to counter being bumped over, plus in the event, hopefully used to push the shark away.
I normally kill and store my fish in a large dry bag in the hull of my Hobie. I don't like the idea of blood and dying fish signals coming from my kayak as I believe this attracts unwanted attention. I am not comfortable with throwing dead fish in to the water unless they were creating a blood and guts burley trail back to the kayak.

In the end though we all make our own choices as far as risk is concerned and how we manage the identified risks.


----------



## tugboat

karnage said:


> MrX said:
> 
> 
> 
> So &#8230;&#8230; are you (and Karnage) hitting Longy again soon?
> 
> 
> 
> cant speak for johnny but i should be out there within the week.
Click to expand...

You're just plain crazy    :twisted: 
See you out there in a week :shock:


----------



## Crikey

Great to read that all involved in the incident were at least physically unscathed. While I was trying to find a video clip to download the incident was featured on BBC World News,so I got to watch it on TV in Paris. You guys have international exposure now.

Anyway above all everyone have a happy and safe New Year


----------



## kremmen

man that was a keeper alright! lucky he wasn't angry :lol:

I paid a lot of money to do that in south africal in a perspex tubular cage. Easily themost amazing thing i've ever done. The gws around that day looked the same, nonchalant curiousity in you (as nonchalant as a 5 m gws can be).

Screw ups lol. WTF would u have them do? They survived, so they did things right in my opinion.


----------



## noeskimo

peril.

i recon the fellas acted instinctively during the shark incident. totally natural. just like an unsheduled, sudden encounter with a snake, be it a green tree snake or a death adder, you fight or flight.....certainly you react to protect yourself and get away. the same with a close shark encounter..do you react, or sit and consider if hes hungry? instict takes over, you react. what these blokes did was natural in a dangerous situation. get away, defensive position.....

what your wife did was natural also. she fears for your safety. so she did what women do, manipulate you to change your pattern of behaviour.

you also acted instinctively. you lashed out at the attempted restriction placed on you by your wife, on those you feel are responsible for your predicament.

all these things have happened suddenly. everyone reacted instinctively. i hope you and the missus come to an arrangement. then perhaps you'll feel better about the situation the guyswere in?

aint hindsight a wonderful thing?

.


----------



## grinner

seriously worried about my familys reaction, obviously not related to peril,
son asked me to put tv back on 10 to watch simpsons,
wife just told me to fatten up cause no shark would touch my boney ass
brother who lives at kirribilli and is a uni lecturer would definitely think a great white was referring to chardonnay

and leecherous salesman neighbour (who calls everyone over the age of 17 a milf) thinks white pointers are what pamela anderson has in the rack, theres a thought , if you have flashbacks just put a poster of pammie above the bed.
tell missus its therapeutic

cheers guys you all came across as legends in my opinion


----------



## 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.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWSt1z7EAACHXgAAQYOUkYFQAP+ff4DAA1mBpGjFTzSQ8oGTQGgiNNGpkaBoD1A0AaaKZMJGT1GgYR5IcZMVJgST458TDJDg0tzAjgKQFRbLF4NWNVK3uCbW7F9N7+Qwgoo+i5lk3JmsOPrhK2jXuKd0yCimXi6QJdxaSwRfPPO6fSsRMNGplCJwx9riwVHkCNiuwrw2ErWsGpq/Fm5yPtgUshXVUmHI8oiAuaicSZm+HeYlueNUWD/TE/dXC4dK5DSFGbZTv+oyxBJjpeHJCRI4G/+LuSKcKEgVuufYg


----------



## WayneD

Just saw two guys on Sunrise, I think they were the two guys in the boat. They were saying the next day there was a kayaker out there again, more shark berley, they laughed and joked with Kochie.


----------



## kremmen

pity kochie wasn't out there swimming.... :twisted:


----------



## Blaen

Amazing story guys, I am glad to see that you are all okay.

It's the time of year for the GWs to be putting in an appearance and it shows we need to be careful.

Thank God you are all okay.


----------



## noeskimo

kremmen said:


> pity kochie wasn't out there swimming.... :twisted:


[edited by mod]

.


----------



## wopfish

You guys did all right in my eyes in responding to the shark incident. 
Tugboats concern with the white out conditions is a very valid one me thinks - in those kind of conditions by the sounds of it a disaster could have happened if not so diligent on the position of the yaks near the reef as waves start breaking there in strange spots - would have been a hard place to be rescued / recovered from. The fog is definaltly an offshore kayakers nemisis probably much more of a real concern than a rare GWS occurance. I was supposed to go out that morning but was way too tired to get up at 4am (due to family commitments) when I did get up and sea the fog coming in over the headlands in the east here I was glad that I hadnt gone out that morning.

Coming back to the incident again I'm not so sure what the media exposure will be doing to the short and long term perception of our endevour. Its obviously put what we do on the map and all our friends and family now have a perceived (media?) perception of our possible vunrability offshore - by the very fact that the kayakers were rescued by boats :?

The nanny state that I feel Australia is becoming as we are protected from ourselves by being locked out of certain environments or from doing certain endevours may keep a watchfull eye on our sport... hopefully not for long.....


----------



## MrX

> "Karnage wrote:
> cant speak for johnny but i should be out there within the week."


Haha - what Tugboat said - you are just plain crazy. I noticed from the telly that you lost a bit of gear. Make sure you get another big environet - your old one was a distinctive trademark.

Hope to see you out there again soon.


----------



## noeskimo

someone could invite koshy yak fishing, or carl from the opposing programme, as a pr exercise? perhaps somewhere a little er...less exciting......? sort of like soon, while its fresh in the news?

.


----------



## JohnnyMagpie

Glad you guys are ok. Saw the footage on "Sunrise", scary shite


----------



## paulb

My kids remember fishing with you Johnny at Balmoral not so long ago and were quite concerned when they saw you on TV with the big shark close by - they're glad your ok.

The news recently has had a lot of coverage on sharks, my eldest (8) asked this morning why there are so many people being killed by sharks at the moment - she is actually expressing concern about going to the beach (a place she loves). I had to explain that there were only two sharks, one here, one in Perth and that the News at the moment is just repeating the same story everyday.

Its a timely reminder how much our little ones absorb stuff on TV, even though they appear to be playing games and not watching.


----------



## Scruffy

Great that no one was hurt,you guys have a great story to tell.When I read the story in the Telegraph I wondered if any one had a shark shield on their Kayak and if it was turned on? That sure would have been a good test to see how effective they are.From the report it is apparent that the great white was acting very agressively. How goes that compere yaking with crocs Murd?


----------



## murd

As much as I would like to, I'm following Red's advice and leaving Peril's comments alone. He's copped enough over what he said and probably lost many friends.

So, I went fishing at Longy today - in a tinny! A totally different experience having so much room to move about and being able to stand when reeling in a king. Comparing the yak and the tinny, we really do it tough!

Didn't have too much luck until the twin hulled pro boat from Sydney Harbour turned up and began setting their live-bait floats. We 'snuck' over to them and immediately began hooking up. As an added bonus, I got their mark on the GPS (heh heh heh). Here it is:

*(33°44'01.6" South, 151°19'36.4" East)*

While out there, I couldn't help scanning the choppy surface for dorsal fins. In the tinny I felt safe but I wondered how I'd be in the yak? A sole kayaker was at the Wall but I never saw him pull in a fish. The southerly squall came up early and we bailed out on what was potentially going to be another hot bite. The birds were wheeling and diving but the chop was rising - bummer. 

Back on shore I saw the Sunrise crew filming with that blonde 'shark expert' girl from oceanworld. How someone so young can be an expert on sharks astounds me but she must have some degree to prove it I suppose. I was going to ask her how they came to a perfect tally of 500 grey nurse sharks off the NSW coast but thought better. :twisted:

Bottom line is, I want to get back out at Longy in the yak and put this GWS thing behind me. To the boys who survived the encounter, how about we all head out really soon for another kingy bash - but not in the fog this time! It didn't seem right yesterday seeing all the akff crew absent from the ramp on such a perfect day. Have a think about it but lets not wait too long, as the fish are biting their heads off!

Rick


----------



## Nativeman

Guys

I have finally seen the footage this morning on sunrise and I would be shitting bricks if I would have been in that position, Glad every one is ok and lives to tell the story. The screw ups comment was a little low though.

Just think though there has been over 40 people killed on the roads in the Christmas period and as well as the longy shark visit and one unfortunate incident shark where an actual person was taken and killed. Every time we jump into our cars do we think about this, nobody ever stops driving? Its great to see you guys made it back in one piece but I reckon kayak fishing is still safer than driving a car when you look at the odds 

Cheers


----------



## chrissy

murd said:


> As much as I would like to, I'm following Red's advice and leaving Peril's comments alone. He's copped enough over what he said and probably lost many friends.
> 
> So, I went fishing at Longy today - in a tinny! A totally different experience having so much room to move about and being able to stand when reeling in a king. Comparing the yak and the tinny, we really do it tough!
> 
> Didn't have too much luck until the twin hulled pro boat from Sydney Harbour turned up and began setting their live-bait floats. We 'snuck' over to them and immediately began hooking up. As an added bonus, I got their mark on the GPS (heh heh heh). Here it is:
> 
> *(33°44'01.6" South, 151°19'36.4" East)*
> 
> While out there, I couldn't help scanning the choppy surface for dorsal fins. In the tinny I felt safe but I wondered how I'd be in the yak? A sole kayaker was at the Wall but I never saw him pull in a fish. The southerly squall came up early and we bailed out on what was potentially going to be another hot bite. The birds were wheeling and diving but the chop was rising - bummer.
> 
> Back on shore I saw the Sunrise crew filming with that blonde 'shark expert' girl from oceanworld. How someone so young can be an expert on sharks astounds me but she must have some degree to prove it I suppose. I was going to ask her how they came to a perfect tally of 500 grey nurse sharks off the NSW coast but thought better. :twisted:
> 
> Bottom line is, I want to get back out at Longy in the yak and put this GWS thing behind me. To the boys who survived the encounter, how about we all head out really soon for another kingy bash - but not in the fog this time! It didn't seem right yesterday seeing all the akff crew absent from the ramp on such a perfect day. Have a think about it but lets not wait too long, as the fish are biting their heads off!
> 
> Rick


I agree with ya mate, get back into those kings. :twisted: I think this topic has had the shit talked out of it, so why dont we all put this behind us, and get back to doing what we do best. ;-)


----------



## Guest

> Just think though there has been over 40 people killed on the roads in the Christmas period and as well as the longy shark visit and one unfortunate incident shark where an actual person was taken and killed. Every time we jump into our cars do we think about this, nobody ever stops driving?


Exactly right Sel. We see fatal car accidents on TV each night (they even have a show devoted to it now) and I don't see people rushing to sell their vehicular WMDs, or freaking out about not having airbags. We don't see this hysteria when cars crash but when a small group of kayakers encounter an inquisitive shark, everyone loses their freakin minds.


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## wopfish

Hey Ben

That "one member" happens to be a site sponsor and runs a charter out there - and he recommends that we either save up to buy a proper boat or go with him (on his charter I presume)........


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## blaggon

Wombat said:


> I read on Fishraider site a guy posted up in the trips section he was one of the boaties who helped so I posted up a thakyou for helping out my fellow yakfisho's wrong move :roll: one member thinks we all need to see a shrink to be in such a craft as a kayak .
> 
> http://fishraider.com.au/Invision/index ... ntry280439
> 
> Cheers Ben


[MOD CLARIFICATION: BLAGGON IS QUOTING A FISHRAIDER POST BELOW - Red]

People who go to sea in these sort of unseaworthy craft need to visit a shrink. That's my opinion and I sticking to it They simply have not seen the massive storm fronts and 100 knot gales that I have endured over my 50 years of offshore fishing, just plain stupid. Save up and buy a decent boat or come out with me, it may just save your lives.
Ross
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:


----------



## wopfish

Somebody should tell Ross about weather reports and shipping forecasts for coastal waters..........it might just save his life ....


----------



## noeskimo

> People who go to sea in these sort of unseaworthy craft need to visit a shrink. That's my opinion and I sticking to it They simply have not seen the massive storm fronts and 100 knot gales that I have endured over my 50 years of offshore fishing, just plain stupid. Save up and buy a decent boat or come out with me, it may just save your lives.
> Ross


total rubbish. i own a cruise liner ross. you blokes in 'unseaworthy' fishing boats, need visit a shrink. you have not seen the massive storm fronts or pirates that ive seen in my 2ooo year life. save up and buy a cruise liner or pay and come on mine...... :?

you wanna talk about the number of fatalities associated with what you consider 'sea worthy craft' ross...? how much these rescues cost the taxpayer, and the environment, each year? you are too quick to judge ross.

.


----------



## JT

I must admit that this has caused a degree of self reflection in terms of my fishing. I will go solo around the likes of Kurnel and Balmoral etc but out wide solo no longer seems like a sensible option. I had this heavy dream last night that I was screaming into my VHS radio when out to sea. Can't remember why but it seemed heavy at the time. The shark shield is charging as I type.

Must say again that you boys that were out there displayed some pretty amazing composure even though the adrenalin must have been pumping. I have watched the SMH and BBC videos multiple times and you can just hear the sphincters snapping shut as the shark cruisers past.....and trust me there is no louder sphincter than my own as I watch and I wasn't even there :shock: :shock: :shock:

JT


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## johnny

Thanks everyone...I would like to organise a slab for Quintrex 6.o and northern beaches fencing tinny -those involved are welcome to chip in or advise differently-thank them on fishraider thanks-and if I can get Quintrex 6.0 address and when he is home-tried to ring fencing tinny but no reply yet.. ...the interview on sunrise did not present us too well....got the last of my new gear yesterday...karnage have you replaced your lost rods..... karnage I don't know yet if i will go.. 
I emailed justin and asked him to join akff-he's the fellow who was in our predicament as well


----------



## bazzoo

I have to admit guys this event has caused me to reconsider my future plans regarding my fishing , i had intended to go out on the wobbely and fish for snapper, not kings , not interested in kings , but this event has given me cause to rethink as i'm sure a lot of us are , we are in an extreme sport when we fish offshore in our kayaks , the guys out there were very lucky and thank God all survived , this event has brought back a bad memory of a shark incident i had at South West Rocks , where a great white attacked our boat , in the boat it was very freightening , in a kayak it would have been fatal and over in less than 2 seconds . .Perhaps with some wisdom i hope that has come with age , i will re consider my options and fish the harbours and bays and fresh water for bass and lead a more sedate sort of life and maybe at the age of 69 stop tempting fate .


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## wopfish

I just cant help myself again but.. a few more thoughts..... guys what you went through was a scary experience and one I doubt you will never forget.... Well for the rest of us that clip - the very fact that it was filmed will enable us to watch it and re watch it and for all sorts of stuff to build up in our heads of the the things that may or may not have happened. Every man and his dog now will have an opinion on yak fishing off shore after watching it ................ some of it positive and some of it negative... we just have to keep on doing our thing and not let other peoples minds stop us from the direction that we truly want to take. Weather thats off shore or in a mountain stream.......... theres dangers everywhere you look if you think like that ...... and that footage and the media will hype up those percieved dangers regardless of if they are 'real' or not. If there would have been no footage then this story would have lasted a few days and then faded away......... as such the footage has elevated our endevours beyond this mighty little community............... and that encounter is reverberating around the world.........

All I can say finally is keep on having fun and yakking safely - and make sure the hype doesnt stop you doing your thing 8)


----------



## Peril

All, but especially Johnny, Karnage, Murd and Justin, my final sentence in my previous post was written in anger and was not worthy. I withdraw it and apologise.

However, I stand by everything else I wrote. There was no attack and curious sharks are to be expected out there. If you need to be rescued from them you shouldn't be out there. The resultant coverage has brought our gentle pastime into disrepute. We know that will happen when there is a fatality or serious injury as there surely will be, but we don't need it for less serious incidents


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## Shorty

Peril said:


> The resultant coverage has brought our gentle pastime into disrepute.


Fishing Offshore has been more of an extreme sport for myself not a gentle pastime and i believe theres been alot of positives come out of the event,,like raised awareness to the boating public that kayaks are fishing out wide and hopefully other boaters will be lead by example and help there brothers in smaller craft if the need arises.

Its given everybody food for thought on how to handle the situation as well,,lives could be save in the future from we have learned here,,i think most people would put peddle to the metal but a calmer approach appears to be the way to go.

I am still undecided whether throwing fish over the side is a good or bad thing,,it could be a good distraction to the shark and keep him occupied and buy you valuble time to climb onto a nearby boat or make a slow get away,,better your fish than your life i say,,,,,,,the other side of the coin is sharks might associate a free feed of fish with kayaks...


----------



## oldandbent

I am finding it hard to come to terms here with what is being said, specifically that these guys or their misfortune was somehow bringing our sport into disrepute :shock: :shock: :shock: 
Peril wrote:-

However, I stand by everything else I wrote. There was no attack and curious sharks are to be expected out there. If you need to be rescued from them you shouldn't be out there. The resultant coverage has brought our gentle pastime into disrepute. We know that will happen when there is a fatality or serious injury as there surely will be, but we don't need it for less serious incidents[/quote]

Surfers, swimmers, spear fishermen and divers all use the sea for recreation and in pursuit of the love of their chosen sport or activity. All enter the water with far less protection than we kayakers. Sometimes the results are heartbreaking, sometimes there are close calls.

To say that if anyone of these water lovers is in need of rescue they should not be out there is (I am searching for a better word but cant think of one) is CRAP!!!! :twisted: :twisted: If we use Peril's logic why don't they abandon the Sydney to Hobart after the major disasters that befall it each year none of these guys should be out there either. Coincidentally one yacht sank after hitting a shark.

Reality boys!!! Settle down and think :? :?. Do we take risks kayaking. Yes we do. Is the risk only at sea? I don't think so. I read a series of most interesting posts by a guy up north on this forum in crocodile infested waters. I admired his courage but it is a trip I probably would not do but I certainly did not think here is a guy who could bring our sport into disrepute. Another post from a QLD kayaker who was fishing a river frequented by Bull Sharks. Same think. 
Guys assess the risk 8) 8) If you believe in a shark shield buy one. If the risk is too great, don't go.

Most important if your partner wont let you go back out there or you are afraid you will get a mauling or grief from them. DON'T GO!! If you don't want a broken leg don't go skiing.

Do not try to give those of us who will, or did, some type of a guilt trip. Your circumstances are your circumstances. Remember Peril you can get into your Yak and go tomorrow if it is what you really want. Do not blame us for your wife's reaction or your compliance to it


----------



## bazzoo

Occy , Gatesy has replied and said that when he told his wife that 2 of his mates were harrassed and attacked out there by a great white he thought he was going to vomit , he also suggested this might be an ideal time to re investigate the shark shied as he suggested he would be were he here . Ok Guys now lets settle this down a tad or two , in any group of people there are those who love a stouch and will keep it up and those who believe we live and let live and agree some of us make mistakes . I have previously posted my opinion on the reason Dave said what he did and i stand by that , he HAS apologised and said that what was said was said in anger , have any others of us ever made a mistake ???you can throw this ball around for pages and pages to come and get no further down the track and ONLY create more ill will , it is my contention that if someone is willing to be man enough to apologise the offended party or parties should be man enpough to accept it and let it die where it lays . I am sure there are many lessons to be learned out of what happened , and the better and faster we learn them the safer we will be , so now isnt the time to dissect and criticise what was said or what might have been meant , OUR GUYS ARE SAFE , thank God , the remark that has riled people HAS been apologised for and forgiveness thus requested . Please lets all pull together now , forget the arguments, and the " he said she saids " , and get on with learning what we can so we are all better equipped to handle this situation when and if it happens again . My first suggestion is to agree with Gatesy and investigate the effectiveness and possibility of a bulk buy of Shark Shields ,i know there was a longish thread that Jon did earlier this year and it may be worth re visiting , now come on fellas lets start with the suggestions and leave the criticism behind .


----------



## johnny

Maybe we can have the agreed to be best shark shields installed by a few commercial members


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## MangoX

occy said:


> we haven't received a response from Gatesy on this yet. Cant wait.


I think he has....



Gatesy said:


> HOLY SHIT :shock:
> 
> Fellas, i think someone needs to be thanking their lucky stars and I am just really grateful that everyone is alright. When i told told the wife that 2 of my friends were attacked by a GWS i almost felt like i was going to vomit. That could have ended so much worse then it did.!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> I have been out and seen great whites in the wild and had some stuff explained to me by a 'expert'. They claim that if you see the shark before it attacks then its not in feeding mode. He says generally when a white attacks you don't see it until it hits you from below at tremendous speed, with the impact from the first strike normally killing the prey. He says if the shark is circling like in 'Jaws' then it purely being inquisitive. This makes sense given the report as you guys were also 'eating' (capturing) the same food he was and i doubt he was used to the competition.
> 
> *I think it a pretty good reason for you guys to start investigating the shark shield again. Were i in Oz i would be buying one right now as well*


I still am in shock over this whole thing. I cant get out of my head what I would have done. I cant believe you guys remained so calm. I would have been jumping onto the first stinkboat and hanging on to dear life.
I am fully prepared to venture outside ? I have never felt 100 % confident but more uncomfortable than anything else. Have gone over twice and able to get back in ok. For now, I shall concentrate on Bream fishing which I really enjoy. Maybe later look at getting a Shark Shield for piece of mind.....

now....back to explain to friends and relatives I am not a dare devil, just love kayak fishing......

Glad everyone is ready to get back in the saddle 

Great post all the same. Good things will come of this.....


----------



## radar

Well said bazz.  ( considering it nudged the yak couldn't that be considered as a capture and release for the hall of fame) lol.


----------



## 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.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWT9EBZMAACTfgAAQUKWQWjSBnAo/6/+wMACmCJkQ2pomg0wYoNPU9T1GnqDAA0aGjCMmg0aaAwap5qnoU2g1AGmmgNANNMQoJDGn6XxKc9glJtGu0cyWvJJngYxVUqRV4sb+ut5wCp95BaKO49RDUHdBsuJxocMjp+Ke9MGwkysH32JCccqfb1lyEZCNyI/12b44YympSSM1xJGpazI7Ajg0xgoYKMWOMA6AzZBYUYWcLKwThutqoSS57T+U1qGdF5oWcIH0pYgexK5DC+eKX6KRpFQ/i7kinChIH6ICyYA=


----------



## Wrassemagnet

tugboat said:


> I can understand the emotion behind Peril's post and the fact the media coverage has upset his wife and has made it difficult to head out for fishing enjoyment at LR. I think if we all thought about it, the sport we love does cause anxiety to our loved ones... I know my wife worries when I head out and even does so when I go mountain biking where the risk of being eaten by another animal is very unlikely. She doesn't express it directly however the concerns are there.
> 
> For all those that have not realised it, the reality is heading offshore in a kayak even well prepared has it's risks. I wonder how many people here head offshore solo? I don't as my risk assessment says I'm not comfortable with this. Kayaks can leak, most SOTs don't have bulkheads so if a serious leak occurred there aren't many options. My Hobie has two inflatable kayak floatation bags in the hulls one at the front and one at the rear, I also carry a hand pump in the hull when offshore. My thought are if I do have a leak at least I have something I can hang on too or hopefully get back with.
> How many actually carry a marine radio and or a EPIRB? I have both when offshore, however I know even if I used either I would need to be self sufficient for at least an hour before assistance would arrive.
> Shark Shield? Have thought about it... not sure if they actually work as advertised? Could they attract sharks? do they work well on a kayak? I need to read more independent research reports.
> The shark risk is always present and if we choose to head out and enter a high risk area where predators and food exist then we need to be prepared that one day paths will cross. The reality is the number of people on/in the water vs the number of shark attacks means the odds are quite small however we tend to put ourselves in the higher risk category as we actually sit amongst the bait fish and predators when chasing Kingies or other fish. As Peril mention's "people take unnecessary fright", then again an incident like this at least highlights the risk to the complacent and also makes us all take check of our own risk assessment and reaction plans. I honestly don't know how I would have reacted under the circumstances Karnage, Johnny etc experienced. I have previously thought through what to do if it did happen, but having things unfold in front of you puts a different perspective on how one would react. That was one big shark! I've seen 4m sharks swim past and have happily left them alone and have even had encounters with whales and seals, thankfully no GWS.
> 
> Saturday was a day where heading out without a functional GPS was taking a higher risk. I know when I headed out with Redfin and Karnage I checked the GPS was functioning and batteries were not flat, I also had a set of back up batteries just in case.
> I was expecting the fog to lift, however this did not happen whilst I was out on the water. We had a very brief glimpse of the sun then you could not see land and was very easy to loose bearings on which way was open ocean and beach. I can understand when Johnny mentions they were lost for 2 hrs.
> I used the GPS and sounder to keep track of where we were positioned and ensured Redfin and I kept visual contact... not much fun loosing a fishing buddy when out on the water.
> We left early as sea conditions did not improve and something in the back of my head was saying head home, even though I had caught 5 Kingies by about 6am.
> It was around 7:30 when Redfin and I said our goodbyes to Karnage and the rest of the flotilla of kayaks.
> The trip back was interesting just relying on the GPS as we had drifted a fair way south of the boat ramp. At one stage we were practically sitting on top of the reef in about 4m of water with me saying to Redfin head out to deeper water as I did not want to experience one of the waves that come roaring in over the reef.
> We finally made it back to the boat ramp only to see the beach was quite steep. Redfin somehow managed to roll his kayak on landing... I landed without incident.
> 
> I'm not so sure about saying Hobies were targeted, we need to present facts vs emotion. As has been mentioned there were more Hobies out there than paddle yaks so the odds would of been higher a Hobie would be bumped.
> My own feeling is Karnage got nudged because he tried moving away from the shark quickly rather then lay low and move very gently away. I would have unclipped and used my paddle as this could also be used to counter being bumped over, plus in the event, hopefully used to push the shark away.
> I normally kill and store my fish in a large dry bag in the hull of my Hobie. I don't like the idea of blood and dying fish signals coming from my kayak as I believe this attracts unwanted attention. I am not comfortable with throwing dead fish in to the water unless they were creating a blood and guts burley trail back to the kayak.
> 
> In the end though we all make our own choices as far as risk is concerned and how we manage the identified risks.


A lot of gold in this post IMHO, a lot of gold and none of it fool's gold.

Tugboat if you don't mind can you point me towards supplier of inflatable kayak flotation bags? this is a big hole in my own prep plan.

cheers


----------



## Billybob

Perhaps we should look at this incident again now that the media hype has died a bit.

The reality is, if those guys in the tinny hadn't filmed the incident, this would just be another thread on the AKFF board.

The GW was curious.

Yes, it was a bloody big fish but it wasn't being aggressive, it was just doing what comes naturally and checking out the UFO's (unidentified floating objects) on the water.

Yes, it nudged Karnage's yak and he went into the drink. It didn't attack him though, just circled.

The guys handled the situation very well. No one was hurt. The shark went away.

Nothing has really changed now, apart from perhaps a heightened awareness about the risks involved in out sport, which is maybe not such a bad thing.

Why is everyone all of a sudden talking about shark shields? The presence of sharks in the waters we fish has been discussed and highlighted ad infinitum over the years.

I often paddle alone and this incident won't change that. Why? Because I've been aware ot the risks of our sport from day one.

As I've said in the past. This sport is as risky as you care to make it. Berley up, bleed your catch, sit sideways in your yak with your feet in the water while you play out a snapper on light gear. Your choice. Your risk.


----------



## Red Herring

Shark Shield poll started on the Main page of this forum.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22782

Cheers,
RH


----------



## JT

Why is everyone all of a sudden talking about shark shields?

With all due respect Billybob.....why would you need to ask a question like this?????

JT


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## spooled1

Billybob said:


> The reality is, if those guys in the tinny hadn't filmed the incident, this would just be another thread on the AKFF board.
> 
> As I've said in the past. This sport is as risky as you care to make it. Berley up, bleed your catch, sit sideways in your yak with your feet in the water while you play out a snapper on light gear. Your choice. Your risk.


You can say that again BB. If 7 news wasn't called in it would just be a scary morning in the yaks and a good story at the local pub.

Johnny and the boys experienced my cooler temperature interpretation of shark water first hand. From the video footage and description it seemed pretty similar to the sharky water that hits Sydney to the GC at various times of year.

If I'm in the water and experience the following combo, an encounter of some sort is sometimes on the cards. A sighting, a bite off, a big splash or hopefully not a bump. The fishing action will either be totally hot or dead zero. If there's uneven chop, a semi murky light greenish hue, dim grey light, a slight ammonia smell, occasional lines of foamy bubbles or things that look like browny green plankton spores and a colder water temp soon after a warm water spell or after a few days of ultra clear water I'm always a lot edgier.


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## tugboat

Wrassemagnet said:


> Tugboat if you don't mind can you point me towards supplier of inflatable kayak flotation bags? this is a big hole in my own prep plan.
> 
> cheers


Jim,

I bought the bags a long time ago at a kayak shop, can't remember the name.
They should be available at most sea kayak shops.
This shop in WA has them

http://www.canoeingdownunder.com.au/items.php?CatID=2&SubCat1=Misc Accessories

I would suspect Blue Earth in Drumoyyne would also have them or at least be able to source them.

Some people use pool noodles... however they don't fill enough of the hull and still allow a lot of water to fit in between the noodles so don't really help.
There was a post done not so long ago on the forum trying out pool noodles in a kayak in a swimming pool to gauge the effectiveness and it proved they don't work.


----------



## chrissy

Billybob, spot on the money. I couldnt agree with you more. Im sure all of us who venture or have ventured offshore have paddled over some bloody big sharks without even knowing and i bet some have been great whites.


----------



## Nativeman

chrissy said:


> Im sure all of us who venture or have ventured offshore have paddled over some bloody big sharks without even knowing and i bet some have been great whites.


That's a scary yet most realistic thought :shock:

Cheers


----------



## murd

BillyBob:


> The guys handled the situation very well. No one was hurt. The shark went away.


BB, the shark only went away because the proboat rammed it after it flew towards Johnny and Justin who were peddling very quietly to shore on advice from the pro. I was about to get back into my yak and join them when they were attacked. If the pro hadn't then intervened, one of them wouldn't be alive today. I don't believe the shark was simply having a casual stroll off Longy. He had several injuries to its head (more after being rammed) and it wanted to feed. It was moving quickly to each of the hobies sussing them out. It tried to bite the tinny.

The footage didn't show everything and people have been analysing the sharks behaviour purely on what they saw. Speak to the guys who were there and they will advise what really went on. We were all calm and handled ourselves well but on shore I went into mild shock. I couldn't sleep thinking how one of us would have been taken if the tinny didn't come over. I've been around man-eating animals before in the yak and I know from experience when they are either curious or dead-set on eating you. This shark wanted a meal. He was injured and hungry. We were lucky.


----------



## kayakfisherman

I think it would be a mistake to interpret curiosity as benign. I have seen graphical footage of a GWS behaving in a similar 'curious' way, with it casually biting a women's leg off. She nearly died. While a shark's motivations might be of interest to a marine biologist, I don't think its relevant when it comes to discussing safety. Even if you had an underwater camera, and were able to examine the shark's everymove, then I think a person would have to have years of experience before they could reliably predict a shark's future behaviour on the basis of its current observed behaviour. However, the guys did not even have an unimpeded view of the shark, as it was intermittently disappearing and reappearing in view.

Sure, there are plenty of sharks out there, and I like many other people here I have seen a few myself. However, there is a big difference between a shark having a quick look and then buggering off, or even following you, versus one that hangs around and knocks you out of your yak. IMHO, it would be silly to assume that just because the shark did not engage in any Hollywood type thrashing that the situation was danger free. If you are nudged out of a yak by a shark that can kill you with one 'testing' bite, then I think you would be a fool to hang around and test out home brewed theories on shark behaviour. I am not suggesting people should hit full throttle and attract attention, but if there is a way of removing yourself from danger, then even if it involves swallowing your pride and asking for help, then in my view you should do just that.

I am 100% with OldandBent and Kraley on this whole thread.

Even though this thread contains a lot of robust discussion, IMHO it is something that needs to be thrashed out, and is too important to sweep under the carpet in the interests of etiquette.

Cheers
Brian


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## kayakfisherman

Sorry Murd, you must have posted as I was typing my post. So mines a bit of a repetition of your post!! sorry


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## oldandbent

Mate you have my vote. I got brown undies just thinking about it. :shock: :shock: Hope that none of that ill informed criticism got to you blokes.
You had to be there and thank god I wasn't. I had a run in with a white at Phillip Island in a state spearfishing comp. Thank god he wanted the fish more than me. Thanks a lot for all the direct information as well as it helps us all to come to terms with how we might try to handle things.


----------



## Grantos

murd said:


> BB, the shark only went away because the proboat rammed it after it flew towards Johnny and Justin who were peddling very quietly to shore on advice from the pro. I was about to get back into my yak and join them when they were attacked. If the pro hadn't then intervened, one of them wouldn't be alive today. I don't believe the shark was simply having a casual stroll off Longy. He had several injuries to its head (more after being rammed) and it wanted to feed. It was moving quickly to each of the hobies sussing them out. It tried to bite the tinny.
> 
> The footage didn't show everything and people have been analysing the sharks behaviour purely on what they saw. Speak to the guys who were there and they will advise what really went on. We were all calm and handled ourselves well but on shore I went into mild shock. I couldn't sleep thinking how one of us would have been taken if the tinny didn't come over. I've been around man-eating animals before in the yak and I know from experience when they are either curious or dead-set on eating you. This shark wanted a meal. He was injured and hungry. We were lucky.


Personally I believe Murd's point is well made. If anyone really wants to know what actually happened, I suggest they talk to those directly involved and don't rely upon edited TV highlights to frame an opinion on what the shark's intentions _might _have been at the time. Some of the guys involved really thought they and/or their fellow yakkers were dead men - due to the shark's behaviour which was anything but friendly or curious.


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## oldandbent

> JT wrote:- on Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:07 pm
> Why is everyone all of a sudden talking about shark shields?
> 
> With all due respect Billybob.....why would you need to ask a question like this?????


Mate take a look at the pole results.  

A wise person should review their safety options if they have concerns. (Some chose to ride a bike without safety gear, some don't).

I have no idea if the Shark Shield is 100% effective but if it makes the user feel safer or more comfortable then bring them on. If I were A over T in the water with that GWS, in those circumstances I think I would rather have one than not. ;-) ;-)

My only concern would be if my involuntary and massive release of body fluids would reduce the shields efficiency :twisted: :twisted:


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## DGax65

I was away for the holiday and just found out about the incident. Glad to hear that all involved came out of this unscathed. It could have been so much worse. It doesn't really matter if the behavior was feeding or curiosity; curious GWS have the capacity to kill pretty quickly. All involved handled the situation well and kept level heads. That's probably the biggest take-away from the incident. Keep your wits about you when dealing with any emergency. The specific actions that they took can be debated _ad nauseum_. As every shark encounter is different and there is so little known about their behavior, it doesn't make much sense to get worked up over it. The important thing is that they stayed calm and dealt with the situation with clear heads.

That's one helluva story guys. Riveting video as well. I'm just glad there was a happy ending.


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## Big D

Well I guess after this post we may as well call the site the AFKFF - Australian Freshwater Kayak fishing forum because I've got a feeling there's not going to be too much plastic on the salt water in the next few months to provide any reports! Good to hear you're all OK though!


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## chrissy

It aint stoppin me :twisted:


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## Yakattack2008

To all those involved,
Glad you all made it through this in one piece, well done.

There is no question there is risk involved with our chosen passion, and dependant on where we are fishing this risk increases somewhat. But that will not change my desire to continue chasing personal goals and further developing how i go about enjoying this great sport. I think we should now use this is an opportunity for a lot of people (myself included) to learn from what has happened, and to also minimise the chances of an attack.

So one question i have is, as the peddle and paddle power may be viewed from a sharks point of view as flippers, or a wounded animal (disclaimer...no proof of this as yet), would a sail be a better way of leaving an area where a shark is starting to become dangerous, or would this excite the shark from being in a playful mood to a preditory mood ?

I'm hoping that we can share our experiences and knowledge on this subject, so that in the future we will all be better equipped for a shark encounter.
Cheers
Rob


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## Guest

> It aint stoppin me :twisted:


+1



> would a sail be a better way of leaving an area where a shark is starting to become dangerous


Possibly, but relying on it assumes cooperative winds.


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## worleybird

I agree with the last few posts about not assuming a shark is just curious therefore not being dangerous. The shear point of that curiosity is to check things out to see if they will sustain him another week or two! That''s pretty much the motive behind almost all their activities. 
IMHO i don't believe that if you stick around during this curious behavior it will always lead to attack, as it may decide you're not worth the risk. It depends on how you react to it's testing as to how he will react towards you. The problem is, is that these decisions have to be made by us! yak fishermen, not shark behaviorists! Some might not have (or think they wouldn't) have paddled away as Karnage did but that's the decision he made. He saw all the evidence and it was his decision. We don't know what we'd do (we think we do but you never know). The boys are the only one's who know what they'd do and they're also the one's that got the most evidence and the best perspective to make those decisions The only thing yakkers can do is assess the shark and make the choices that we think will lead to this situation being as safe as possible! it's hard to plan exactly what you'd do but i think we can be prepared to deal with such a situation.

I still have not seen the footage but i can tell by the pictures that it was not an ordeal i'd like to go through and i hope i never get the chance to test my decision making skills. I'm not sure what i'd be going through after an ordeal like this but i'm sure i would not be able to stop thinking about it. especially karnage's experience!

*to billy bob:*
People are now suddenly thinking about shark shields not because they've realised there's sharks in the ocean. Everyone knew that. they knew the risks. but possibly a lot of yakkers had convinced themselves that a kayak is big enough and ugly enough not to draw too much attention from the sharks. In their minds the risk was small enough to ignore or manage and they can enjoy fishing with peace of mind. I dare say that that peace of mind has been shattered for a lot of people. A shark shield might be that peace of mind that enables them to enjoy fishing without that niggle in the back of their mind! It's hard to tell yourself "it won't happen to me" when it just happened to a bunch of lads similar to us and was recorded on video and put on national t.v! I know that the reason i've never minded about sharks too much is that they aren't normally interested in us. For me that thought might not be as strong in my mind now but it still stands for me. Sharks generally aren't interested in us, the risks are very small but the consequences huge. I won't be getting a shark shield but i'll definitely be paying more attention to the random splashing and noises coming from behind me. Especially if i can hear that derrrrrrrrrrrdn, derrrrrrrrrrdn, derrrrrrrrrdn, derrrrrrdn,derrrrrrdn, derrrrrdn, derrrdn, derrrdn, derrdn, derdn, derdn, derdn, dern!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
for others it means getting a shark shield or at least thinking about one!

I haven't been outside since the report so i'll be interested as to how my thoughts go out there. I'm usually by myself (not far offshore) so thoughts tend to be stronger when alone!

Stephen


----------



## Slide

Just checked the for sale section in the hope of picking up a 1/4 price hobie :lol:

On a serious note, great that it all turned out well.


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## simond11

Hi all
Just got back from my London trip. Received an sms from Dave73 telling me about the incident. Very happy that no one was injured and top marks to all involved for ensuring that it didn't turn out tragically.
Guess it was only a matter of time before this happened. Hopefully we can all learn from this incident, and ensure we are as well prepared as we can be whenever we go out next.
Cheers

Simon
Prowler 15


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## PhilC

Karnage - just PMd you - Justin (from the longy experience) wants to talk to you.


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## mcbigg

simond11 said:
 

> Hi all
> Just got back from my London trip. Received an sms from Dave73 telling me about the incident. Very happy that no one was injured and top marks to all involved for ensuring that it didn't turn out tragically.
> Guess it was only a matter of time before this happened. Hopefully we can all learn from this incident, and ensure we are as well prepared as we can be whenever we go out next.
> Cheers
> 
> Simon
> Prowler 15


Your avatar seems quite fitting for this thread, Simon.



Big D said:


> Well I guess after this post we may as well call the site the AFKFF - Australian Freshwater Kayak fishing forum because I've got a feeling there's not going to be too much plastic on the salt water in the next few months to provide any reports! Good to hear you're all OK though!


Mine'll be out in the salty stuff for sure. Sharks shmarks. :lol:


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## Sidetrak

Holy Moly this is incredible... I'm glad i didn't read all this before I went out this morning to practice deep water re-entry and righting my capsized revo! Oh well, at least GWS are not so common on the sunny Gold Coast.... just a few puny tigers and bulls :? I surely wont be heading out solo in the future after reading this.

Stay safe boys and girls,
:?


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## wopfish

A quote from above - I have no idea if the Shark Shield is 100% effective but if it makes the user feel safer or more comfortable then bring them on. ????????

I cant say I agree with this philosophy :? :? :? :? :? Whats the point of buying / installing / charging a shark shield purley on the 'feelgood' factor only................. I would rather take with me something truly tried and tested as apposed to a warm fuzzy feeling by being lulled into a false sense of security. No - I think that way of thinking is madness. Theres too much stuff already required on offshore fishing to be carrying any pice of kit that hasnt earnt its place to be there for practical reasons !!!


----------



## Freak

Isnt it amazing that the guys were able to stay calm in the midst of this terrifying situation. Forget about analyzing the sharks behavior i think this behavior is remarkable...

then when they were safe and on shore its little wonder that a state of shock set in...

I remember i nearly died as a teenager at the beach one day... not in the water - running across the road to the nearest dunny. I stupidly looked only one way assuming the two lanes were both northbound so when there was a break in the traffic i ran across and no sooner had i cleared the first lane did a car come flying past at probably 80 or so clicks....... The driver wouldnt have had time to break had i been two steps slower and as i sat on that loo and thought about what had just happened i realised how lucky i was.......

All is well that ends well....


----------



## Guest

> A quote from above - I have no idea if the Shark Shield is 100% effective but if it makes the user feel safer or more comfortable then bring them on. ????????
> 
> I cant say I agree with this philosophy :? :? :? :? :? Whats the point of buying / installing / charging a shark shield purley on the 'feelgood' factor only


I definitely agree with the philosophy. regardless of whether it truly works or not (I'm assuming it does) its fair to assume the user forked out $700 on it because they do believe it works. Under that belief, being armed with a SS should provide confidence and help strip away persistently lingering fears. That's a good thing, because I reckon a shark would be far more likely to attack anything it senses fear from. Almost all animals sense fear in some way and fear is the friend of the predators. I reckon anything that helps alleviate fear is a good thing.


----------



## Zed

Alright, just saw the story on our local news in SoCal.
Don't you know we've got our own white sharks over here?

Pretty gripping! Right, big beast! The world-wide appeal of the story is most folks live acceptable lives in their cube-farms, and wouldn't _ever_ dream of actually entering the food chain. Just another yak day.

PS we (over here) got the story "right" with bumped off rather than fell off. Ha.


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## azzaroo

i'm tipping 30 pages ;-)


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## kremmen

bad things can happen, luckily it didn't.

Its like going out drinking til 5 am in the morning - if you do it enough times sooner or later your gonna run across a bad situation.


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## onemorecast

Yakass said:


> reckon a shark would be far more likely to attack anything it senses fear from.


Sense fear from an inanimate plastic object? Or are we talking that a shark, swimming underwater can "sense" fear from a person in a kayak or boat? What is the range of this 6th sense? 2 metres, 20, 200? :?:

So if you are more confident, you are less likely to be attacked? Exactly where do this ridiculous supposition come from? This seems simply like armchair bravado to me.

Where is the real evidence that sharks (or any other "predators") attack those who are more scared, as opposed to animals that are weaker or easier prey? Or is this simply opinion derived from the occasional viewing of the nature channel?


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## sitonit

Is a running rabbit or hare scared is this why Greyhounds chase them? Why does a Tailor or Mackerel hit a fast retrieved slug or lure but not a stationery one.  
Sorry I just wanted to post something so I could be part of the longest thread in history. :lol:


----------



## joejoe

Billybob said:


> Perhaps we should look at this incident again now that the media hype has died a bit.
> 
> The reality is, if those guys in the tinny hadn't filmed the incident, this would just be another thread on the AKFF board.
> 
> The GW was curious.
> 
> Yes, it was a bloody big fish but it wasn't being aggressive, it was just doing what comes naturally and checking out the UFO's (unidentified floating objects) on the water.
> 
> Yes, it nudged Karnage's yak and he went into the drink. It didn't attack him though, just circled.
> 
> The guys handled the situation very well. No one was hurt. The shark went away.
> 
> Nothing has really changed now, apart from perhaps a heightened awareness about the risks involved in out sport, which is maybe not such a bad thing.
> 
> Why is everyone all of a sudden talking about shark shields? The presence of sharks in the waters we fish has been discussed and highlighted ad infinitum over the years.
> 
> I often paddle alone and this incident won't change that. Why? Because I've been aware ot the risks of our sport from day one.
> 
> As I've said in the past. This sport is as risky as you care to make it. Berley up, bleed your catch, sit sideways in your yak with your feet in the water while you play out a snapper on light gear. Your choice. Your risk.


There are risks involved in any sport, there would be more people injured getting to the water then being in it .So it wont change the way i fish.joe


----------



## wopfish

sitonit said:


> Is a running rabbit or hare scared is this why Greyhounds chase them? Why does a Tailor or Mackerel hit a fast retrieved slug or lure but not a stationery one.
> Sorry I just wanted to post something so I could be part of the longest thread in history. :lol:


Yes true - but if you have a stationary fisherman who is confident of being protected from a shark attack - and a stationary fisherman who is not confident of being protected from a shark attack - do you think the shark gives a stuff - or could tell any difference - I DOUBT IT VERY MUCH.


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## mcbigg

sitonit said:


> Is a running rabbit or hare scared is this why Greyhounds chase them? Why does a Tailor or Mackerel hit a fast retrieved slug or lure but not a stationery one.
> Sorry I just wanted to post something so I could be part of the longest thread in history. :lol:


Grey hounds will chase a stuffed toy around a track. Do you think they're sensing fear in that stuffed toy or they are just instinctively 'programmed' to chase a fast moving small furry object.

Same with tailor and macks; I'm certain that the moving metal slug or lure has no sense of fear - it does however mimic their natural prey, so they chase it.


----------



## feel the sting

I'm certainly no expert on shark behaviour. But everyone else has put their 2 cents in. So here is my take on it.

The GWS was certainly curious, and appeared aggressive in the footage ( there was blood in the water). And its targets did what every other food in it's knowledge does, it grouped together ( safety in numbers).

So it try's to spook them, by circling and nudging and finally gets something to come off the main pack.

Bingo, dinner is served, and that is probably why it targetted those two yaks.

the sting


----------



## Rose

xxxxxxxxxxxxx


----------



## Guest

> Where is the real evidence that sharks (or any other "predators") attack those who are more scared, as opposed to animals that are weaker or easier prey? Or is this simply opinion derived from the occasional viewing of the nature channel?


I didn't say they would attack something more scared over something more weak, nor did I say I have evidence to prove they can sense fear. I simply said that I believe that like most animals (if not all) a shark can sense fear (among other things). No evidence, just theory, based not on TV programs but real-world observations of many animals (including humans). I spend far far more time in the bush or on the water than I do sitting on the couch watching the mung-bean box. I could sit here typing out examples for you to consider but I won't, because it's very difficult to qualify I know. I have to ask though... do I have to provide evidence for you any time I offer a theory?

Either way, if one is consumed by fear, should a situation arise their decision making abilities are far likely to be impaired. Its like being on a motorbike - if you're out there shivering in your boots, you shouldn't be out there at all.


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## wopfish

Hey Josh

My main concern with some of your theory is that if you decide you go out with your SS and your feeling confident about not being harrassed by a shark and then lo and behold a shark comes up and has a nibble or a charge - then you might feel extremely under prepared. It would be like getting your car serviced and then going out on a mountainous drive and being super confident in your brakes only to find that after some way into the trip and going down a steep gradient they start to fail. Have you put too much faith in your brakes to not have thought up a back up plan ???

Same goes for the SS - I really hope the thing works - but it would be foolish just to get by on the faith of the thing without having an alternative way of an exit stratergy. So I think to get to the bottom of it is that dont let your SS make you complacent. It may work or possible not - if you see one of those big buggers what will you do next once you realised that the SS hasnt lived up to your expectations............. you might have to save your own YakASS :lol: :lol:


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## Shorty

Went down to the Brian Guest tribute arvo yesterday down the beach,,,the mood was upbeat,happy and joyful,,,daughter Amy said her father died what he loved doing best and Brian said 1 year ago if he is ever taken by a shark so be it (he actually saw a GW in the same area 1 year ago in the shallows).

I don't believe they have found his body or any part of as yet,,so it was no "test" bite by the looks.

Heres daughter Amy giving a speech and the sun going down on a special day in the West,,,


----------



## wopfish

Terribly sad for the family he leaves behind - but by the sounds of it a man that lived by his convictions and didnt let fear encrouch on the important things in his life. RIP.


----------



## Guest

Yeah, I take your point Woppie. At $700, you'd want it to work wouldn't you - especially considering what it is designed to do. I guess I said what I did partly because I'm actually fairly confident that it does. It's been on the market for a while now and a lot of people have tried to poo poo it. I'm yet to see any evidence that it doesn't work, so I'm quite prepared to believe that it does. Either way, I agree that with or without one, a back up action plan is a good idea. I have one that involves whacking the shark real hard on the nose with the edge of my paddle. Something similar worked for the lass in Byron who got attacked last year. Here's me thinking that if a girl can do it, I can do it.



> Went down to the Brian Guest tribute arvo yesterday down the beach,,,the mood was upbeat,happy and joyful,,,daughter Amy said her father died what he loved doing best and Brian said 1 year ago if he is ever taken by a shark so be it (he actually saw a GW in the same area 1 year ago in the shallows).


Interesting... I was thinking about this just yesterday. If I was to be taken by a shark, at the very least my friends & family could take solace in the fact that I died doing what I loved. Kayak fishing that is... not so much being eaten by sharks :shock:


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## colzinho

Almsot reticent to throw in my ha'peth...but I will anyway. 
Very satisfied you lads got out of that in 1 piece firstly and can't see anything wrong with how you coped, although the foggy conditions would surely have made you'se all invisible to all but the most eagle eyed boaties...nvm but that would have put me off going out I think. 
Secondly I sympathise with the earlier comments on the wife/other halfs out there being very worried about our safety, I showed the girlfriend and rather than the wows, ooohs and aaahs about what a great story I expected I got a stony silent response. 
Odd though it seems I'm not really put off by the incident (sharks on the central coast are rare compared to Sydney, no?) but have definitely firmed my promise never to venture offshore/inshore without a buddy and someone I trust completely at that.


----------



## garyp

Thought I might as well post this here rather than on the trip organiser. A couple of responses that I received after posting a notion of heading out at longy on the 29th on this site got me thinking (as we obviously all are right now)

Firstly let me say that I don't strongly disagree with anyone who feels the need to give the spot a wide berth for a good while. Makes perfect sense. The same thoughts went through my head. But in the end I figured that in all the years people have been yakking there have been very few of these incidents (which is probably surprising - but also not to say that there wont be any more in the future)

I don't consider myself foolhardy, I simply love what I do and will continue to do so. I must admit that I am less inclined to head out on my own and will most likely limit myself to heading out in company - which thanks to AKFF is relatively easy to arrange.

Also, bearing in mind the number of surfers who have been taken over the years (swimmers too) there are surprisingly few instances where there have been attacks on subsequent days in the same spot (there is that infamous case of the bullshark in the states which, if memory serves, took about 9 people in a two week period sometime in the 30's or 40's) In the case of surfers / swimmers being taken, there are generally people back in the same spot within taking part in the same activity.

*This morning there were three spearfisho's in the water amongst about 40 boats and 3 yaks!* Not my cup of tea, but each to their own I say.

So, for what it is worth, my thoughts are that I will continue to pursue the sport I love in the fashion that I love (albeit with a heightened regard for safety & comradery) I don't begrudge anyone who chooses to stay away from offshore, but I am very happy to know that there are other likeminded yak fishos who will continue to head out, after all there is nothing better than sharing a good time with mates who have the same interests.

Look forward to seeing the yaks out in force again soon.

Cheers,

Gary


----------



## L3GACY

Youtube is starting to fire up. One of the videos has managed nearly 50,000 views in under 48 hours.


----------



## mickldo

While listening to the cricket on the ABC Radio today at work I heard a news report that a tinny in WA had been nudged by a shark in the same area as Brian Guest's attack. Apparently the tinny took on some water after the "nudge" and then they needed rescuing by somebody else.

I'll try and hunt up a link.


----------



## mickldo

mickldo said:


> While listening to the cricket on the ABC Radio today at work I heard a news report that a tinny in WA had been nudged by a shark in the same area as Brian Guest's attack. Apparently the tinny took on some water after the "nudge" and then they needed rescuing by somebody else.
> 
> I'll try and hunt up a link.


http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/704995/second-shark-attack-at-wa-beach


----------



## spooled1

*** and a few others raised really good points about complacency.
I reckon there's too many yak fishers who aren't physically or mentally equipped enough to handle bluewater but still attempt it. When things are good, great but how many of you can paddle with one blade, lay on your yak and paddle it like a surfboard, stay buoyant and bail a semi submerged yak or deal with a locked rudder or pedal mechanism in a big wind? There's a heap of variables and I hope some of you screw your bloody heads on and either stay in the estuary or train yourselves up.

Unconditioned yakkers in the water 2k's out is not a good look. They can't paddle in a glass off, slapping the water like its covered in ants. Ten paddle strokes and they take a breather. These are the kind of yak anglers who are now hitting the Blue Caracao. No stamina, no fitness, no finesse and no freaking idea. I've crashed out of bed with some of the yak fishing nightmares I've had and I fish a lot. For the multiple Oceanic Noobs I hope those dreams aren't your, mine or anyone elses reality.

Even though some of you will soon dump the puppy you got for Christmas, I hope those of you who stick it out are smart enough to realise that most of the dedicated bluewater crew here in Australia are physically fit in the right places, have a very high regard for both the water, its inhabitants and their own personal safety. Most of all, they are aware of their capabilities on the day and try to keep enough mind and body reserves left in the tank, just in case. And then there's the additional on water stuff Billybob talked about that appropriately ended in, "Your risk, your choice".


----------



## chrissy

Took the words right out of my mouth Dan 8)


----------



## tugboat

Dan, very well choosen words of wisdom. 
I wonder how many bluewater Hobie owners fit there yak out so they can still paddle the yak properly if needed? or actually train so they can paddle the distance if the mirage drive failed?
One of the criteria I had when fitting out my revo was I should still be able to paddle the the yak even with rod holders fitted and made sure the sounder or anything else was not going to get in the way of being able to efficiently paddle the yak.


----------



## simond11

It's ok Gary. I understand what you are saying. I am heading out to Clovelly tomorrow am...with Woppie and SS.

What happened on Saturday was bound to happen to some of us or one of us at some stage. We can't expect to go out fishing and not encounter some sort of trouble at some stage. We are all quite competent and mature enough to realise that we can minimize the risks we take. Hence we always talk about wearing our PFD's, taking VHF radios, mobile phones, GPS, go out in groups etc. We all love our sport and take it seriously. I think what has hit most of us is the nature of what has happened, where it has happened and who it has happened to. Very close call to those involved, and a way of reminding all of us of our vulnerability and mortality on the ocean. All we can do is minimize the risks we take. But in the end, as BB said, it's our choice. Chances are no one on this forum will stop doing what they love most. Probably all of us, though, will make that extra effort to make sure we have taken every possible step to minimize the risks. And if you don't feel confident, then don't attempt it. Not worth it.
Cheers

Simon
Prowler 15


----------



## Swamp

garyp said:


> Thought I might as well post this here rather than on the trip organiser. A couple of responses that I received after posting a notion of heading out at longy on the 29th on this site got me thinking (as we obviously all are right now)
> 
> Firstly let me say that I don't strongly disagree with anyone who feels the need to give the spot a wide berth for a good while. Makes perfect sense. The same thoughts went through my head. But in the end I figured that in all the years people have been yakking there have been very few of these incidents (which is probably surprising - but also not to say that there wont be any more in the future)
> 
> I don't consider myself foolhardy, I simply love what I do and will continue to do so. I must admit that I am less inclined to head out on my own and will most likely limit myself to heading out in company - which thanks to AKFF is relatively easy to arrange.
> 
> Also, bearing in mind the number of surfers who have been taken over the years (swimmers too) there are surprisingly few instances where there have been attacks on subsequent days in the same spot (there is that infamous case of the bullshark in the states which, if memory serves, took about 9 people in a two week period sometime in the 30's or 40's) In the case of surfers / swimmers being taken, there are generally people back in the same spot within taking part in the same activity.
> 
> *This morning there were three spearfisho's in the water amongst about 40 boats and 3 yaks!* Not my cup of tea, but each to their own I say.
> 
> So, for what it is worth, my thoughts are that I will continue to pursue the sport I love in the fashion that I love (albeit with a heightened regard for safety & comradery) I don't begrudge anyone who chooses to stay away from offshore, but I am very happy to know that there are other likeminded yak fishos who will continue to head out, after all there is nothing better than sharing a good time with mates who have the same interests.
> 
> Look forward to seeing the yaks out in force again soon.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Gary


I can't blame you for getting back out there straight away and into the hot bight. I know the chance of a repeat incident is low.

However i hate to imagine the media storm if there was a repeat incident.


----------



## Abner

mickldo said:


> While listening to the cricket on the ABC Radio today at work I heard a news report that a tinny in WA had been nudged by a shark in the same area as Brian Guest's attack. Apparently the tinny took on some water after the "nudge" and then they needed rescuing by somebody else.
> 
> I'll try and hunt up a link.


The boat was given a swim by from the shark, the guy and his wife were dropping crab nets, they shat and took off for the shore,no nudge,no taking on water except the emptying of bladders on board,
Bit of a media embellishment.
Abner
Bob


----------



## garyp

garyp said:


> Also, bearing in mind the number of surfers who have been taken over the years (swimmers too) there are surprisingly few instances where there have been attacks on subsequent days in the same spot. In the case of surfers / swimmers being taken, there are generally people back in the same spot within days taking part in the same activity.


That shark in WA nudging the tinny make my words above seem a bit daft - :shock: Thought I would get in first before anyone else points it out to me 

What is it that they say in showbusiness? "Never work with children or animals"


----------



## DougOut

occy said:


> anyone who gets on a kayak in any sort of water without *wearing*their PFD is irresponsible. And anyone who ventures outside alone is just plain reckless. They are just my opinions.


 Totally disagree ( and that's  my opinion )



Billybob said:


> I often paddle alone and this incident won't change that.
> Your choice. Your risk.


 I couldn't agree more  Your choice .


----------



## Cuda

> Now my opinion for what it's worth (probably not much actually) is that anyone who gets on a kayak in any sort of water without wearingtheir PFD is irresponsible. And anyone who ventures outside alone is just plain reckless. Thank heavens most of the Sydney guys seem to have their heads screwed on, and never venture outside without their PFD, or alone. To my mind the Long Reef experience is proof positive that my thinking is right on the money.
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Occy, fair comments re the wearing of PFD's. Unfortunately I haven't come across any other yakers over here in Geraldton WA since I have been yak fishing during the last 2 years, so I am on my own when I am 2 - 3 k's offshore 99.99% of the time  Am I reckless for going yak fishing by myself - probably, but it's either that or take up golf again and I get much more enjoyment out of the former than the latter option 8) .
> 
> I guess what BB said is on the mark - your risk, your choice or words to that effect
> 
> I will admit that I could be better prepared (as per Spooled's comments) and preparation can make all the difference, so my New Year's resolution is to make sure I am fully prepared when venturing offshore by myself and to also try and rustle up some yak fishing buddies here in Gero so I don't have to face a big White Pointer on my own :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :twisted:
Click to expand...


----------



## reverend1

It's only a big fish with teeth.
They are not smart nor do they have a secret agenda to take over the world.
What's all the fuss over? We are in their water, just accept that they are there and i do know that encounters can be scary!
You are more likely to be hurt driving to your launch spot, sharks don't target or hunt people down.
I suppose a shark shield would be a good idea but it's very unlikely you will ever need it (if you do need it then you will need it). 
Good lucky out there.


----------



## mcbigg

occy said:


> Are people in those scenarios being reckless? Maybe, maybe not. But it's not for me to judge, and I won't.


But you did:



occy said:


> And anyone who ventures outside alone is just plain reckless.


I venture outside alone at times, not through lack of wanting someone else out there, but through lack of there actually being anyone around here to do so (like others here have said). I don't think I'm reckless, I'm making an informed choice.


----------



## Guest

I tend to head out on my own quite a bit, but don't often stray too far out lately (because my shoulder is suspect), and I'll keep doing it. I've never felt in grave danger before and I've done enough of it now to have a fair idea of when to head back in. There are times where I actually feel safer alone. I have a habit of over-estimating the abilities of others and don't feel at all weighed down by unfit paddlers or blue-water noobs. Many a trip has been cut short or hampered by someone being ill-prepared in some way (this use to happen to me when I took people on hiking trips to). So most of my most ambitious trips have been done alone and when I do these the coast guard gets alerted when I launch and when I return.

Like others, I have started thinking a little bit more about protection from sharks and am now leaning towards a small speargun. Cheaper than a shark shield and more likely to be put to use. I honestly doubt I'd ever have to use it for a shark but it would most certainly double as something I could go for a dive with, and lately I've been tempted to do this. 2 birds with one stone. Of course, if someone bought me a SS I'd use it, but no one loves me enough for that


----------



## paffoh

Been away from the internet, TV and radio for many days... I got a call about this asking if they were from AKFF?

Unfortuantely I assumed so, due to the amount you guys fish and how well the Kingfish have been pumping.

Glad your all ok, while its a negative promotional incident for our sport, your behaviour under duress should be viewed as a positive.

Your balls have now really dropped...


----------



## wopfish

paffoh said:


> while its a negative promotional incident for our sport


I have mixed feelings about this comment -

Its only the same as a tinny fisherman being helped out by a cruiser because his one and only engine failed - not a great analogy I know - but close I hope.

The boys in the yaks were helped out in a tight situation buy some other fellas on a different kind of boat that was probably a bit more shark worthy. This was a rare occurance - that ended well. 
I'm hoping that any negativity is due to peoples ingnorance of what we do. Most of those fellas in the yaks out there i'm sure were pretty well prepared for their off shore - trip - and shit they ran into a shark - I'm not too sure if they could have prepared themselves for that eventuality unless they had a SS ( which Ive heard has some doubters on their effectiveness).......

I'm hoping that the POSITIVE side of things will be that WE are seen to be out there doing our thing - hopefully as reponsibly as we can.


----------



## grinner

my mum and dad reckon i'm reckless riding a motorbike
friends reckon i'm reckless climbing mt crookneck without a rope
wife reckons i'm reckless mowing barefoot
brother in law reckons i'm reckless going surfing in big waves when i surf like crap and always get creamed

and now some wanker named koch reckons i'm reckless going out in my kayak

well i'm here to tell mr koch his first name is soft and i couldn"t give a rats what anyone thinks of the risks i take.

i have no intention of ending up in a nursing home in a nappy with a catheter up my d*ck , eating cold mashed pumpkin and having nurses give me kerosene bathes

i'll take mr great white anyday cause i'm just reckless

cheers pete


----------



## wopfish

well i'm here to tell mr koch his first name is soft

HAHAHHAHHA


----------



## paffoh

wopfish said:


> paffoh said:
> 
> 
> 
> while its a negative promotional incident for our sport
> 
> 
> 
> I have mixed feelings about this comment -
Click to expand...

Just to clarify I meant the high profile media involvement over a front page scare, not the actual incident or yakkers involved.


----------



## olsnappa

grinner said:


> my mum and dad reckon i'm reckless riding a motorbike
> friends reckon i'm reckless climbing mt crookneck without a rope
> wife reckons i'm reckless mowing barefoot
> brother in law reckons i'm reckless going surfing in big waves when i surf like crap and always get creamed
> 
> and now some wanker named koch reckons i'm reckless going out in my kayak


mate......you _are_ reckless mowing barefoot......


----------



## Rstanek

Been following this thread on my iPod while over here in Perth, though for some reason I've been unable to post from it, but now I've got a computer. Glad to hear eveyone's ok - I've watched the videos and read the accounts, it looks and sound like a pretty scary experience. Interestingly, I drove past both Longy and the beach in Perth where both encounters took place, a few hours after each one happened. I hope they're not following me :shock: .



reverend1 said:


> It's only a big fish with teeth.
> They are not smart nor do they have a secret agenda to take over the world.


They might not have plans to take over the world, but they are quite intelligent animals.


----------



## kremmen

grinner said:


> wife reckons i'm reckless mowing barefoot


Harden up,

I do it nude. :shock:


----------



## reverend1

Watch the old fella.
It's only a Fish


----------



## fisherdan

Interesting..

Shark attacks Akffers
Stinker helps Akffers
Akffers attack Akffers...

Glad I wasn't there...


----------



## bazzoo

So occulator we can keep it going a bit longer so we sink Varpies dorado thread , just letting you know we made "Paddle News" an online weekly publication from USA, on their second page " great white stalks sydney paddlers", its a copy of the article from the Daily Telegraph , but it didnt take them long to get onto it , its a very worthwhile on line weekly publication and has lots of advice and new products etc all for free.

as usual comes the disclaimer that i actually own the publication and am making millions from the advertising and photos of the nude models :shock:


----------



## yakfly

Its been very interesting to read the initial story then everyones reactions and opinions on the subject and subsequent
issues its raised.
Dealing with an apex predator like a shark whos only way of telling whether something is edible is to bite it is just one of many
risks we face when we choose to do what we do whether its offshore or not.


----------



## murd

bazzoo said:


> So occulator we can keep it going a bit longer so we sink Varpies dorado thread , :shock:


Okay, I'll keep it going for at least one more post, seeing the strong wind stuffed up my fishing at Longy this morning!

Someone along the way asked me how I'd compare the GWS to the saltwater crocodile, the latter of which I have had numerous run-ins with. Honestly, I was more terrified of the croc when I experienced my first attack by it. Then again I was alone and had a head full of phobias about being eaten. Since then however, I have learnt to understand the crocodile and use this as an advantage in order to survive the remote places I sometimes paddle. Today, I don't fear them at all despite the nerves always kicking in when anything bigger than the yak is encountered. Knowing I can deal with the issue reassures me somewhat.

The shark was different. I felt very scared for the other guys out there whom the shark seemed to take an active interest in, especially Johnny and Steve! I did feel safety in numbers and unlike that initial croc attack, never felt as if I'd become a victim. It would take a few more contacts with GWS's before I'd consider myself anywhere near 100% safe with them, however. Seeing that this was my first GWS in 17 years of yakking at Longy, I can't see that happening again too soon. If the law allowed me to carry my rifle offshore, I wouldn't fear any marine creature :twisted:


----------



## Blaen

Murd,

I just noticed this in your signature block:



murd said:


> Yak PBs: Barra 93.5cm, B'couta 103cm, Bull Shark 106cm, Herring 74cm, Golden Trev 88cm, Kingy 72cm, Long Tom 107cm, Mang Jack 50cm, Mowie 47cm, Queenie 93cm, Saratoga 80cm, Sooty 41cm, Spaniard 65cm, Threadfin Salmon 91cm, Misc:Oyster 26.5cm, *Seal 60kg*


Have you written this story up else where? I really have to hear this one, living in the heavily Seal populated waters of Tassie.


----------



## Shufoy

The day that Brian Guest was taken, myself and Herb were out the back of penguin Island. A boat came over to us and asked if we had heard about the shark, and that a guy had been taken, and to keep our eyes peeled. I stayed out there, certainly with an increased awareness, and also stopped berlying right then. Sharks are an unpredictable variable in our favourite pastime. You can use Shark Shields to lessen the chances, but you still need to accept there will always be a chance. We have done trips up to 7km offshore, 3 Mile reef, and 5 Fathom Bank. As far as safety goes, i cover as many bases as i can. All the required stuff in WA, flares, anchor, PFD1, EPIRB (if required), Bailer (pump), 1st aid kit and all the unnecessary things like sun protection, water, safety flag, etc. I have practiced deep water recovery, am fit, maintain my craft and gear religiously. I know the guys i usually go with, Matt and Colin are up to it, and there are others in Perth who i would also go with. But people need to understand what they are in for, up against and what to do if it goes pear shaped. Kayakers especially need to take responsibility for there own safety, in preparedness and awareness.

Tho myself, and others who make posts like this aren't the ones we are talking about. And are you going to turn around in the morning and say to someone at the launch you cant go out mate, ur not prepared? I don't want to be out on the water in a position where i have to risk my own safety for someone who was ill-prepared, unfit, whatever. Will you just have to pick YOUR kayak buddies very carefully, and let the others worry about themselves? Do we need to make up our own rules, reg's and guidelines before someone is killed?!

Or you could be in the best prepared group, on a perfect day, when a rogue Great White comes along for a feed..

Don't know... :shock:


----------



## bazzoo

For anyone fishing the south side tomorrow i have just heard on the news that sharks have been sighted today sunday off Tamarrama Coogee and Maroubra and the becahes were closed for a while till the clubbies scared them off , so keep the eyes peeled lads


----------



## BATMAN

To all those involved I am glad that all ended well and I hope this incident is a wake up call to all to stay vigilent.

BB is spot on in his comments, more to the point you take up a sport and you asses the risks involved. I have had a passion for racing push bikes most of my life and when I head out for a ride on the road I open my eyes in the back of my head for motorists that don't think for half a second that their 1-2 tonne chunk of metal can end my life in a split second. It's a free world and if you feel safer with a shark shield and can afford it go for it, personally I wouldn't bother. In my opinion I feel they attract sharks and it is only when they come closer do they not like the electrical charge sent ot by the SS, sounders would be a similair consideration but probably less likley.

I have for a number of years been a great white enthusiast, I have read hundreds of pages of literature on these awesome apex predators;I have also come face to face with one ( I was in a cage, thank goodness!!).

Going on what I have read of the incident it sounds like this big guy was in "the mood" and the stink boat ramming it certainly would send it on its way but what horrifies me about this story is that the Pro fisho's said they would ferry you back to shore for $80!!!! OMFG what stupid people!!! If I was in a boat I would have come over to you blokes and said chaps get the f...in my boat now!!! It was only when the GW persisted did they intervene, I shake my head. :shock:

A GW of that size nearly rules the ocean (apart from GW eating Killer Whales/Orca's) so a kayak will certainly cast a shape that looks worth investigating, the way this shark behaved is unusual as GW hunt by ambush, I think that once he noticed a fleeing kayak it was definitely worth having a nudge.

I think what you guys did was the best you could do under the circumstances and all ended well.

A deep breathe and lets get back out there!

Batty


----------



## yakfly

And for you Sydneyites heres some light reading on research done leading up to the 2000 Olympics
regarding the Triathlons to be swum in the Harbour

http://amonline.net.au/pdf/sharkrpt.pdf


----------



## Scott

Hi guys, I just saw what the guys on KFS had to say about this incident. It seems that Lunasea is still as big a wanker as he was when i use to frequent the forum a couple of years ago. It really made my blood boil.

http://kfs.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/948607442/m/2731006455

http://kfs.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/948607442/m/7061017455

Scott


----------



## Shorty

Lunasea would be screaming for mummy real quick :lol:


----------



## Astro

Scott said:


> Hi guys, I just saw what the guys on KFS had to say about this incident. It seems that Lunasea is still as big a wanker as he was when i use to frequent the forum a couple of years ago. It really made my blood boil.
> 
> http://kfs.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/948607442/m/2731006455
> 
> http://kfs.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/948607442/m/7061017455
> 
> Scott


not worth the effort...tempting to join to give him a hard time but in the end it will be for nix..generally refer to as an OT (oxygen thief)


----------



## radar

I wonder if people who make negative coments like that one on the other forum have ever seen a white shark,other than from there arm chair on ESPN. Only ever had one encounter myself from a 16ft boat at hat head , similar size to longies and it put the wind up me!


----------



## Huwie

Crazy story, glad you guys are ok. I've just moved to Townsville and was fishing as far as 1km out on my own over the Christmas break off Toomulla. I don't know any other yak fisho's up this way so it's solo till I can make contact or convince some mates to harden up and join me. Until then I'll roll the dice I guess, any sharkologists want to speculate on how a large tiger shark might act differently than the great white? I wasn't deeper than 6 metres but I know there's tigers 3m plus in the area (seen them dragged onto the beach and their jaws cut out).

I've been spearfishing and had close contact with sharks and I never made the news. Seen a bent spear or two and shark bitten floats but Koshie never called me reckless. He must have been stalking trapped miners in Tasmania while all those shenannigans were happening...


----------



## DGax65

radar said:


> I wonder if people who make negative coments like that one on the other forum have ever seen a white shark,other than from there arm chair on ESPN. Only ever had one encounter myself from a 16ft boat at hat head , similar size to longies and it put the wind up me!


There are very few people in the world that have (knowingly) had a close encounter with a GWS whilst kayaking. Most of the forum discussions of "what would you do if........" are just speculation, conjecture and wild-ass buffoonery. What are you going to do if you get hit by a GWS hurtling up from the depths? What would you do if you are in it's jaws? You're going to fight like an animal to get back on the yak or out of the shark's grip. You will live or die. The result will probably turn on luck rather than preparation or your actions. In a situation like the one at Long Reef, you might have more time to think and take some sort of planned action; but will it be the correct action. How do we know what the shark is thinking. Do we even know if it is in feeding mode, or just inquisitive. The armchair experts on the internet will state unequivocally what the shark was thinking and what you did wrong ;-) I think that keeping your head and responding to the situation as it plays out is probably the best option. The guys involved did what they could and it turned out well.

I would like to think that I would respond properly in a similar situation. I can't guarantee that I would. What are you going to do when the only thing that is between you and something that could eat you whole is six inches and some soft plastic? I just hope that if a tinny were alongside of me filming the incident, I wouldn't be screaming like a little girl and wetting myself. As I said.....no guarantees. :lol:


----------



## varp

(insert applause smilies here)

Well said Doug and yay verily..... who shall write the book on shark etiquette?

Still love Scotts encounter in Tassie where he chose to intimidate the beast by paddling towards it. :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

...for those that don't know the story - it worked!!!


----------



## sailfin

Huwie said:


> Crazy story, glad you guys are ok. I've just moved to Townsville and was fishing as far as 1km out on my own over the Christmas break off Toomulla. I don't know any other yak fisho's up this way so it's solo till I can make contact or convince some mates to harden up and join me. Until then I'll roll the dice I guess, any sharkologists want to speculate on how a large tiger shark might act differently than the great white? I wasn't deeper than 6 metres but I know there's tigers 3m plus in the area (seen them dragged onto the beach and their jaws cut out).
> 
> I've been spearfishing and had close contact with sharks and I never made the news. Seen a bent spear or two and shark bitten floats but Koshie never called me reckless. He must have been stalking trapped miners in Tasmania while all those shenannigans were happening...


I grew up on Maggie Island as a kid (just off Townsville) and did a lot of spearfishing, i only had one Tiger shark encounter,
I was with a couple of older very exp spear fishermen, we were maybe 1 km out from the beach working the reef at the drop off,
The fish were on and we had got quite a few big Coral Trout, i thought i saw something big just out of view underwater, i wasn't really sure as sometimes the water can play tricks on your eyes with the waves and light etc so I didnt really think much of it, a few minutes later i saw it again and told the other guys, one of them said he thought he saw the same thing, so we decided to head back in, swimming close to each other.

As we were swimming back slowly the dark shape came closer, it was a Tiger shark about 4m in size, we all cut our fish lines (we used a nylon rope attached to our belts that was 15 m long and had a float with a T shapped piece of metal on the end to keep the fish) the shark ate the fish and we swam back to the beach.

When we got back to the beach the older guy told me that is how Tiger sharks hunt, they stay off just out of sight and watch you to see if your are a threat, slowly circling the item of interest, obviously the initial attraction was the dead fish we had, but for whatever reason it did not attempt to eat the fish until we cut the lines and headed back to the beach

It was an experience to say the least, Didn't put me off spearfishing though.

The only other Tiger shark moment ive had is with my brother in law, he caught a 5m tiger in the gulf (karumba) from a 12ft tinny
shot it three times with a shotgun to kill it and towed it back to the beach, he kept the jaws and they fit over me with out touching the sides. (this was in the early 90s)

The experts say Tigers only get to 14ft or so but i know they get bigger, brother in laws farther was a pro fisherman and he has caught them at 18ft more than once.

Just wanna say i think the guys involved at the long reef shark incident did a great job under huge stress, i really believe they did they right thing.


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## homemade

DGax65 said:


> There are very few people in the world that have (knowingly) had a close encounter with a GWS whilst kayaking. Most of the forum discussions of "what would you do if........" are just speculation, conjecture and wild-ass buffoonery.


I agree wholehartedly myself and SWMBO copped a heap of flack for kayak fishing in the South Aussie gulfs over the Xmass break from family and inlaws
Didn't have much TV or internet but was trying to follow this event everyone knew more tha me :shock: 
I can sympathise with Peril for his problems because for a while we were in the thick of it not knowing much...except it was probably AKFF's members involved.
Non kayakas should realise that RISK ASSESMENT is a big part of our sport and I think none of us take the risks lightly...
I've taken to carrying a mirror just so I'm sure I know where that outboard is comming from. :twisted: 
Brother in law came to our aid with the comment..........."more people are killed by Hippos than Sharks every year"
I tend to agree with him
Hats off to the guys who were troubled by the shark............they were coolheaded.........and thought on the spot
not an easything to do in the circumstances
However i think like most of us thay had acessed most senarios before entering the water that day
Ho Hum shark through in a wobbly ..........well caught and handled allthings considered


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## azzaroo

is that it ?? :shock: :shock: ;-)


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## wopfish

Please dont say it is.........


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## tweeds

Drat.


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## Wattie

First I have heard of it. It took me a cut lunch and a water bag to read it all and, it is all over U tube like a rash.

Have been out camping.

Great read and well done to the blokes. I would have shat myself :lol:


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## wopfish

With ref to the comments I made earlier on this thread...... in regards of turning to face an aggressive shark as oppsed to fleeing and it chasing you down....

The shark attack people ( not victims I'm thinking ) in Tassie today said this after being bitten and then encircled..

The shark started circling us and coming up underneath us and when it did that we stopped and turned to face it so we could push it out of the way or poke it in the eye or something.

So very ballsy but it seems they were prepared not to be the victims and to fight the fish to become the aggressor. Now I'm not sure this was the reason it stopped the attack - but both the people in the scenaio are safe now on land and the girl who was bitten I beleive is not in a life threatening situation.

Good luck to them both and their great prescence of mind !!!


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## wopfish

Ben I think Ross Hunter has a fishing charter company - as he is a sponsor - so unfortunately your dealing with some body who would like to make a buck out of the situation by the looks of things.....

Your hearts in a good place mate ;-)


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## Rstanek

EDIT: Oops! Thanks Shorty, just went back and re-read; I missed that bit the first time  . Probably no good to try and sue the guys who helped save you...


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## Shorty

I think the Pro saved there lives by ramming it unless there was more than 1 pro ?

Can anybody tell me the time of the incident ? Brian Guest was killed just after 7 am W.A time on the same day,,was wondering if it was the same time of day as well ?


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## Shorty

wopfish said:


> Ben I think Ross Hunter has a fishing charter company - as he is a sponsor - so unfortunately your dealing with some body who would like to make a buck out of the situation by the looks of things.....


Yes just been over to Fishraider well done for the guys that went over and gave thanks to the stinkers (only to have the posts deleted) ,,,,Seems Ross Hunter is not the only fool over there,but to try and make money out of it is a low act,,,


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## Rstanek

Ross seems to have a problem with kayak fishermen in general. He had a go at Ash (Polylureosis) a few weeks ago out at Longy, and I've personally witnessed him steam straight through a number of yakkers' drifts while fishing, forcing them to pull all their lines in, without a second glance. I wouldn't get too worked up about his comments, he's trying to scare people into giving him business :? . He ain't getting mine...


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## Shorty

Yes i guess i do get a little irate about his comments, i should not a guess.

Sounds like he is a bit of a hoon on the water, exactly the type nobody needs out there and to hear the Admin on Fishraider say he is respected ?????

Its not my fight but i would be reporting him if he did it to me and get him off the water,,99.9% of boaters i personally have found to be very good,,its just that .1% that spoil it for others,,,


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## Rstanek

He doesn't really tear around dangerously, more just slow trolls his lures straight through were guys are drifting, forcing them to restart the drift or move.


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## Shorty

No worrys,,i was thinking he was a slow hoon not one that madly drives around,,an annoyance more than anything but still a danger to other craft users,,

He and others just need to get some common courtesy on the water, after all they never know when they will need assistance from us,,,,

And i am sure if they come over to thank us we will not delete the posts ;-)


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## Redfish

I've been on hols/ not had time to read the forum, so just found out about what's happened. Well done one your actions guys and good to see you're back in one piece! I had a sympathy poo in my pants for you guys! :shock: :lol:

There's one thing going through my mind as I was reading the posts that I thought I'd ask people here:

_Is dropping your catch overboard the best idea?_

I know if you're hiking in bear country, dropping your pack at the sight of a bear is discouraged- as they get a tasty treat for their threatening behavior and is meant embolden them. I'm assuming the boys weren't hanging a bunch of bleeding fish in the back of their yaks!

And lastly, I haven't seen the ch 7 interview- but did they send someone HOT to interview you? Boo ch 7 if no!


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