If you were kayak fishing and.....

just a reminder of what a shark looks like from a kayakers point of view  / courtesy of Scwafish pics......


http://myfishingpics.com/photopost48c/showphoto.php?photo=689&size=big&sort=1&cat=500

http://myfishingpics.com/photopost48c/showphoto.php?photo=688&size=big&sort=1&cat=500

I was just having a conversation about this with a friend the other day. I think it would be incredible to see one of these fish, as long as it kept swimming away from me.
I think I would simply begin paddling toward shore as smoothly and calmly as possible, figuring if it's gonna hit me there is nothing I could do about it. I would try to be ready with a brace to attempt a recovery if bumped, but if the fish actually hit with any force I know I would be knocked off the kayak. I dont think I would not toss it any fish.
Once ashore I think I would puke, and shake for awhile. When I recovered, I'd probably head for the nearest alcohol & swig. After enough consumption of said spirits I'd start figuring out how to tell the story so that I sounded really brave & collected, & I'd edit out the barfing part. Then I'd post it here & sound ultra cool.
-Sean
PISCEAN ARTWORKS
Bonny Doon, CA

PS: I may be wrong, but I think Brendan Crahan ran into one of those big guys down in big sur a few years ago.

White sharks are pretty smart, for a fish.  They actually taught some to do minor tricks for food in filming the 'jaws' movies.  The last thing we want to do is teach them that they can shake down kayakers for food.

Sean wins the "answer Mooch's Question" Derby.  Bragging rights to Sean!!!!..............

uhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I was a judge, right Mooch?????    

Pat

I would take my 24" gaff that I straightened, splash to attract him, what the the bite, stick the spike vertically under his brain, and sacrifice the necessary amount of arm and hand to properly place it, and hope it goes threw his brain.
The good: It kills him, apply tourniquet, attach bow line to his tail, paddle with your good arm, collect your million for your story and be consider the one the could have killed Rambo, and enjoy the 90% of the body you have left.
The bad: You died a kayak hero.......

I love to surf, make that flop around in the ocean like a piece of drift wood leashed to a big slab of foam. At any rate I am really scared of sharks. Jaws was the first movie I can remember watching in my life. I would be totally stoked to see a GWS in real life but at the same time I would probably loose all bodily functions. I almost had a heart attack a few years ago when a porpoise fin came directly at me from about 30 feet immediately followed by my body's board splashing me from behind as he paddled back over the crest of a wave. I kept telling myself it was just a porpoise but then that splash from behind, I think I screamed like a little girl. If I were to do much fishing in the Red Triangle I would look into getting one of these:

http://www.sharkshield.com/detail.php?Product=3

If they're small enough to be worn by a surfer why not strap one on to your yak. I don't know if they would screw with a Fish Finder. Maybe mount your transducer up front and hang the shark shield from the back?

the tiny fine print.....

Warning: Sharks can be dangerous and often unpredictable creatures. While great care has been taken, and extensive testing has been done, to develop and manufacture the Shark Shield™, it is simply impossible to guarantee that all sharks will be deterred under all circumstances. With or without the protection of a Shark Shield™, all sharks should be treated with respect and caution. Water sport participation in the presence of sharks is inherently dangerous. Any human activity in the water near sharks must always be considered as possessing a considerable degree of risk.

Or maybe just sit motionless and make up for all the years I missed in church in that brief period of time I was waiting for it to leave. Either way I would probably need a clean pair of shorts when the coast was all clear.

Sure I did, just in different words.

BASK (Bay Area Sea Kayakers) has documented the only two recorded attacks on kayaks in Northern California that I have been able to find through Google. For those of you who want the short version of the lessons learned there are only two:
1) stay clear of Sea Lion rookeries like Ano Nuevo which are GWS supermarkets because of the large populations of Sea Lions and multiple haul-outs
2) paddle boats substantially longer than a Sea Lion i.e. 12 feet or longer.

http://www.bask.org/ARTICLES/1shark.html

http://www.bask.org/ARTICLES/2jaws.html

But since there are no guarantees, just remember you are far more likely to die in a traffic accident to or from your launch site than be attacked by a shark--many more times more likely. Small comfort I suppose though since our fears are often more tangilbe than statistical reality.

gaff it!

I've thought it might be useful to attach something sharp like a nail to the end of the paddle w/ fiberglass.  Then you use it to deter overfriendly sea creatures at an instant's notice.  However, I often reach the paddle over to other kayakers to 'raft up' and it'd probably stick more people/kayaks/gear than agressive critters.

you could use that to keep mooch off your bait bag!

you could use that to keep mooch of your bait bag!

I'm with you Matt-- crap my drawers, sit in paralyzed awe, and hope it goes away.

Nearly the same thing that you'd do if you were returning late one night from a long day climbing in the Tetons and up in front of you about 10 yds was a big ole griz. If you were lucky there would be a zillion tight little trees between you and him, and he'd just take a look and then amble off.

There is a company that makes a battery-powered, small device which emits some kind of electromagnetic radiation that really wreaks havoc on a shark's lateral line and other electromagnetic senors--something akin to a Tazer to a human (sort of anyway). And drives any shark into a panic supposedly. The device lasts 4 hours on a charge or batteries. I know they work as a repellent in general--I suspect they'd make a shark nosing around take off as well if you just turned it on when you saw one. One question would be if it drove all fish from the area as well, but if Whitey is around, kayak fishing is over for while anyway