Shark attacks
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a 25 year old surfer from san francisco was killed this week by a great white shark at troncones beach, about 45 minutes northwest of of ixtapa. also a vet was killed last week in san diego by a great white. the surfer in mexico had a bite that went from his hip to his knee 15" long. he bled to death right on the beach. the sharks are hungry on the pacific coast...be careful when going in the water.
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Sharks
I would imagine there are Sharks in every part of the ocean . Top of the food chain predators like Great Whites are very rare anywhere and would gravitate towards areas with Seal populations . Scientists usually equate a Shark attack as a case of mistaken identity - a surfer or kayaker mistaken for a Seal .
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Shark News
Surge in fatal shark attacks blamed on global warmingRichard Luscombe in Miami The Observer, Sunday May 4 2008 Article historyAbout this articleClose This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday May 04 2008 on p34 of the World news section. It was last updated at 00:03 on May 04 2008. Three decades have passed since the movie Jaws sent terrified bathers scrambling out of the ocean. But as any beach lifeguard knows, there's still nothing like a gory shark attack to stoke public hysteria and paranoia.
Two deaths in the waters off California and Mexico last week and a spate of shark-inflicted injuries to surfers off Florida's Atlantic coast have left beachgoers seeking an explanation for a sudden surge in the number of strikes.
In the first four months of this year, there were four fatal shark attacks worldwide, compared with one in the whole of 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
'The one thing that's affecting shark attacks more than anything else is human activity,' said Dr George Burgess of Florida University, a shark expert who maintains the database. 'As the population continues to rise, so does the number of people in the water for recreation. And as long as we have an increase in human hours in the water, we will have an increase in shark bites.'
Some experts suggest that an abundance of seals has attracted high numbers of sharks, while others believe that overfishing has hit their food chain. 'I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it's a convenient excuse,' Burgess said. Another contributory factor to the location of shark attacks could be global warming and rising sea temperatures. 'You'll find that some species will begin to appear in places they didn't in the past with some regularity,' he said.
New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is called the shark attack capital of the world. It has had more recorded incidents per square mile than any beach on Earth. So far this year there have been 10 attacks on surfers, including three in three days last week, although officials say most of the wounded were able to make their own way to hospital.
'It's more like a vicious dog bite, half a dozen stitches, a few bandages, that sort of thing,' said Scott Petersohn, a captain with the Volusia County Beach Patrol, which covers 47 miles of coastline including New Smyrna Beach.
'The sharks that inflict the most damage here, the black tips, can be about two or three feet long. There are some bigger ones along our coast, tiger sharks and bull sharks, but there's a sustainable food supply for them. People are not on the menu for sharks.'
At Solano Beach, California, where 66-year-old David Martin was killed last week by a great white shark estimated to be 4.5 metres long, and off the Mexican coast near Acapulco, where 25-year-old American tourist Adrian Ruiz fell victim to a suspected tiger shark, there were conflicting claims.
Meanwhile, the wildlife protection group Wildcoast has accused the Mexican authorities of 'international shark hysteria' over the slaughter of at least 10 near the beach at Troncones on the Pacific coast where Ruiz died. A navy spokesman said a 200-metre line with baited hooks was set up to catch any sharks threatening the beach.
'They more than likely had nothing to do with the attack. Since sharks are threatened in Mexico, this is the worst type of vengeance security imaginable,' said Aida Navarro, the group's wildlife conservation programme manager.
'It's the equivalent of stepping on to the plains of the Serengeti when you step into the water,' Burgess said. 'It's not like a swimming pool. This is a wilderness experience and with it comes a certain amount of risk.
'What's needed is some kind of system to prevent people and sharks coming together in a dangerous way.'
Two deaths in the waters off California and Mexico last week and a spate of shark-inflicted injuries to surfers off Florida's Atlantic coast have left beachgoers seeking an explanation for a sudden surge in the number of strikes.
In the first four months of this year, there were four fatal shark attacks worldwide, compared with one in the whole of 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
'The one thing that's affecting shark attacks more than anything else is human activity,' said Dr George Burgess of Florida University, a shark expert who maintains the database. 'As the population continues to rise, so does the number of people in the water for recreation. And as long as we have an increase in human hours in the water, we will have an increase in shark bites.'
Some experts suggest that an abundance of seals has attracted high numbers of sharks, while others believe that overfishing has hit their food chain. 'I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it's a convenient excuse,' Burgess said. Another contributory factor to the location of shark attacks could be global warming and rising sea temperatures. 'You'll find that some species will begin to appear in places they didn't in the past with some regularity,' he said.
New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is called the shark attack capital of the world. It has had more recorded incidents per square mile than any beach on Earth. So far this year there have been 10 attacks on surfers, including three in three days last week, although officials say most of the wounded were able to make their own way to hospital.
'It's more like a vicious dog bite, half a dozen stitches, a few bandages, that sort of thing,' said Scott Petersohn, a captain with the Volusia County Beach Patrol, which covers 47 miles of coastline including New Smyrna Beach.
'The sharks that inflict the most damage here, the black tips, can be about two or three feet long. There are some bigger ones along our coast, tiger sharks and bull sharks, but there's a sustainable food supply for them. People are not on the menu for sharks.'
At Solano Beach, California, where 66-year-old David Martin was killed last week by a great white shark estimated to be 4.5 metres long, and off the Mexican coast near Acapulco, where 25-year-old American tourist Adrian Ruiz fell victim to a suspected tiger shark, there were conflicting claims.
Meanwhile, the wildlife protection group Wildcoast has accused the Mexican authorities of 'international shark hysteria' over the slaughter of at least 10 near the beach at Troncones on the Pacific coast where Ruiz died. A navy spokesman said a 200-metre line with baited hooks was set up to catch any sharks threatening the beach.
'They more than likely had nothing to do with the attack. Since sharks are threatened in Mexico, this is the worst type of vengeance security imaginable,' said Aida Navarro, the group's wildlife conservation programme manager.
'It's the equivalent of stepping on to the plains of the Serengeti when you step into the water,' Burgess said. 'It's not like a swimming pool. This is a wilderness experience and with it comes a certain amount of risk.
'What's needed is some kind of system to prevent people and sharks coming together in a dangerous way.'
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In Banderas Bay? Really?
I saw lots of anecdotes regarding shark attacks in various parts of Mexico...which is a little like someone where I am (Seattle) panicking over a shark attack in the Gulf of Mexico, given the size of the country we're talking about, and the length of its shoreline. I also heard some guesses. My family is planning to swim with the dolphins in Banderas Bay in three weeks. I would like to know if anyone has heard of a recent, documented problem with sharks in Banderas Bay.
To the best of my knowledge there has NEVER been a shark attack in the Bay of Banderas. There are sharks in the bay but not the man eating species. I have always heard the dolphins keep them out of the bay. You are more likely to get stung by jelly fish or and sting ray that you are see a shark in the bay.
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No Sharks After All
That sounds a lot more likely. Thank you for your comforting reply. That said, do you know when the jellyfish are at their worst? We'll be there in about three weeks.
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Sharks and More Sharks
What I have read, is that the dolphins form a shark patrol across the mouth of Banderas Bay in order to protect their young (in the Bay) from shark attacks. Apart from that possible stopgap, no, nothing is set up. That's the point of this particular experience--to enjoy the dolphins without putting them in a concrete prison in order to access them.
Until now, I had not read or heard any suggestions that we should all stay out of the bay because of predators that might be lurking there...
Until now, I had not read or heard any suggestions that we should all stay out of the bay because of predators that might be lurking there...
Sharks in Puerto Vallarta
This article is a short write up on sharks in Puerto Vallarta and the Banderas Bay, as stated the most dangerous species of sharks seem to be the Timeshare ones in the shark tank at the airport, still can't figure out why the don't eliminate that insult to tourists... anyway here's the article:
http://www.puertovallarta.net/fast_fact ... llarta.php
Greets
Mogens
http://www.puertovallarta.net/fast_fact ... llarta.php
Greets
Mogens
Dolphins keep the sharks out of the bay.
They protect their young and old.