Official GWS Thread

Thanks for sharing Sharky....

 I can't even imagine that Hell that must have been. I'm sure you have taken a look at this thread and can see things get a Bit Heated around here as we talk about The Landlord....

 It is a Terrifying Thought to think of becoming part of the Food chain, but is also part of the Thrill Ride
of being on the Big Blue. An easy thing to say, but as Big Whitey comes to call, The thought of some pervention would seem priceless.

 Truthfully, I feel a little silly about using a SharkShield being so many us, including myself, just go out as we do without any protection and throw caution to the wind. We say to ourselves that the Sharks really are not interested in us and we have a Better chance of getting killed on the way to the Beach, all true, but,

 We just Happen to live and fish in one of the Most Heavily populated areas for GWS. They are protected and so is there food source and many more of us are getting out there, the odds that we are going to have more " Encounters " with our Top Predator would seem likely.

I do have a Sharkshield now and will be using it, as much as I feel a little silly about it, I know I would feel even more silly and irresponsible to my Family by not using it.

 And ya, I could just not go out in the Big Blue, But that is a Bummer too.

I ran into a Guy today that spearfishes around here, he goes way back, knew Mooch/ Sean ect...

And he said we are "F#@!@#@ Nuts!!!" to be out in any of that Water off the San Mateo Coast.

 I know that I don't know much about the Sea, and I don't presume to know how a GWS Thinks,

So, if I can put a Little protection on myself,

well,  WTF,  I'm going to do it...

Thanks Again Sharky for Telling Your Tale,  Glad your still out there with us......

Danglin.
I know both you and I were deliberating about how to mount this thing, and that yours is the "Freedom" (leg mount) and mine is the surf. Well i wouldn't over think it. Tie it to something, turn it on and get it in the water. As long as its on, in the water and has a charge, no Landlord. Period! You will soon figure out this is one powerful device. The probability of you getting "mildly" shocked, at least in the beginning, is near 100%. Especially while turning it on and off. Look, shooting 3 and a half inch magnum 00 buck loads outta my pump  action is less than painless, but is great home protection . In the future I'm gonna carry an insulated glove in a dry place to deal with it as necessary . It DOES NOT affect the fish we are targeting ( unless your puttin the hurt on 350lb salmon sharks, or winning shark Derby's by nabbin threshers while the competition is messin around with leopards ). While fishing SC recently I had chovies and smelt breezing all around the boat. they only veered off within 1 ft of the electrode, but remained all around the boat. You'll feel it within 6 inches. It pulses much like a electric fence. The guy at Shark Shield suggested i drop it thro' the scupper hole in my footwell, with a length of mono tied to the end of the electrode. the mono goes thro a point (carrying handle) on the stern, so the electrode can be pulled taught up against the hull, so it doesn't hang up on your fishing gear or kelp. (Yours is the compact version so you don't have to worry about this. yours may prove to be the better/simpler solution for our applications. plus you can use it for ab diving...i may have to get a "Freedom 7" just for that.). Well the guy at shark shield didn't know how close my foot is to the scupper hole, or how wet the footwell is on a Tarpon 140. ZAP ZAP ZAP. I spent that first test session paddling crosslegged, with both feet in one footwell. next session I tried dropping thro the tankell scupper and pulling it foreward. this worked well except for that connection btwn the electrode and mono picked up a little kelp. this was solved by a better low profile splice. in this position it takes the space used for my thro scupper bait tank, so I'm gonna try another solution. Id like to tie it to an anchor trolley, so i can access it as necessary and pull it all the way foreward or aft, and the electrode the opposite directions. I don't know if I'm making any sense. i should take pics.
Bottom line. Ive had a few good session on the salt safely. i couldn't have done it without it.
For those of you who try not to think of it, or think the odds of a car wreck or lightning strike are greater risk...do you use a seat belt/have or want airbags?..does your house have a lightning rod?...if you lived in Oklahoma would you want a cellar?...
Out of a tight group of friends of mine (+/- 30) back in South Africa, surfers, three of us have shed blood to the Landlord. One of us lost his life. Go ahead and google Alex Macun (attacked 1982). he was the older brother of my best friend Andrew. we all wanted to be him when we made it to college. he was a surfer/ photog extrordinaire. the most wildly published photog in Zig Zag, SA's surf mag. in this case"the good die young" holds true. Then there is Sergio Capri. More of a father/mentor to me than my biological. when i was 12 y old i would cycle 5 mi to the beach with my surfboard and lunch for 2 before the sun came up. without fail at grey light, sergios beat up van would appear. He'd say" tie the boards on, Niko. I'm too hung over to deal with crowds. lets go find some real surf....whats for lunch.."
The way i found out about Sergio's attack was one of the most bizarre instances of synchronisity i have ever experienced. i was in the USA for over 5 years in Oklahoma and had been living in the bay area for 2 weeks. i somehow ended up at a party in Berkeley. my new girlfriend was telling my GWS attack story to some of her friends, when someone said" you're Niko. I am Adam's cousin (Adam Harding, my friend that was with me when i was attacked). Sergio was attacked by a great white 2 days ago. hes in hospital, but is going to make it... ...
http://www.wavescape.co.za/top_bar/tidings/sharks/shark_koeel.html

People often said i musta survived for a reason. i didn't pay much attention to them. if you see the extent of the damage, you may or may not agree. but maybe this post has something to do with it. we are all breaking new ground in the salt. our craft have the silhouette of a seal. we are working the same reefs they are using to set up ambushes. Its only a matter of time. Our community WILL experience unfortunate encounters in the future. The people at Shark Shield, as do I, believe all shark attacks are preventable. get a shark shield and use it! Yes the price is a tad steep ($700) but i see most of us paddling around with carbon fiber paddles color sonar and high end rod n reel combos. you may have to shuffle priorities, but its the rite thing to do. I have sooooo many stories of encounters.I could continue to type for days, but it drains me so.. nearly all of us from my old SA crew have had encounters...bumps and circled.. and as i said, 3 have bled and one is dead. I REALLY DONT WANT ANY MORE STORIES, but I'm sure as the sun will set in the west, they will come.....Like danglin said think of your loved ones..ask my sister or mom what it was like for them...

hoboy.

Thanks for sharing Sharky. I am sure you're right, there will be more unpleasant encounters. One only has to look at this site to know that kayak fishing is getting more and more popular. That has to mean more kayaks. We know that kayaks have been attacked before. It's only a matter of time.

Thanks Again Sharky....

 Words of Wisdom and experience, but we Americans live in the World of Denial,

   and most reading this will still say " Poppy Cock "... " I don't need no Stinking Shield...... "

 It's all a choice,

But thanks for bringing it home by putting your experience out there for us all to see and think about.

 It's a game of chance, but as the "Clicks" go by on the Revolver,
                                                                                   
                                      A Loaded Chamber is out there... 

 I got ahold of the Dealer and they said there would be liability issues about swapping. After looking at my options for mounting I realize I have the right one for the Hobie. It's all about leasing it off the back and letting it hang. I'm sure there will be a learning curve with how best to mount it ...
( Hopefully I don't get a perm out off it!! )

Spike has been just Hanging his off the side with no problems, so I think I'm good to go.

 Hope to Fish with ya soon ...... Danglin

I think Sea Change should donate a Shark Shield or two to the Elk raffle package, or any upcoming NCKA event for that matter.  It would be good PR!  Go to it, Bill! 

Yes the price is a tad steep ($700)

Yeah, just a bit.  When I added up the net worth of all my yak fishing stuff it came to $670.00

Sorry about your experience, and glad you recovered.

A proven device to deter sharks may be worth that kind of money, but from my understanding the jury's still out on whether they work.  I haven't read the entire shark thread, but I'm sure thats been mentioned.  Just because someone doesn't get bit doesn't mean it works, and 700 clams is a lot to spend on a maybe.

Dave,
"Recovered" is no quite the right word. I still have no calf muscle in my left leg, my left hip is prone to popping and all the flesh and skin on the top of my left fore arm is transplanted. They took out the muscular covering sheath of my right lat to cover my exposed ulnar and radius (snapped) and prevent amputation, and a skin graft from my rt thigh to cover the transplanted muscle. All the "extensor" tendons are gone, and i only have very little grip at all in this hand.
about the jury still being out, well some say the same about global warming. I like to base my decisions on the best science of the day. I visited the Natal Sharks Board after my attack,during the development of the device and saw its effect on tigers and ragged tooth (sand tigers). they could not physically get close to a chunk of tuna which they had been feeding on.
check out the testimonials on the shark shield website. I know....Because its in an ad on the web it must be true but check em out for yourself..
Dave, if you know of any info disproving its effectiveness, i would like to hear it. Of course a large shark may be able to defeat it, but it would be akin to scaling a 12 ft electrified fence to inspect what looks like a cheeseburger on the other side. ALL of the researchers i have spoken to say it works. PERIOD. it is not only extremely unpleasant to them it creates involuntary convulsions in the shark which prohibit it from attacking.
Dave, about the price...yea...ouch! My sister loaned me the money, cause she knew i wouldn't be able to stay off the salt. She made me promise i would ALWAYS use it. I was able to get her to agree that it was unnecessary inside the bay.
Usagi, I spoke to the guys from SS in Oz. I wanted to get stickers for the yak and car, they said they were so strapped they had no money for advertisement, except the web site. I also have inside info from people at the Natal Sharks Board that the guys in Oz paid a HUGE amount of money for the rights to this technology and they haven't sold near enough units yet...ie there still DEEP in the red. So they may be tight on donations. However it is a year since i spoke to them. They said we (yakfishers) were their quickest growing sector of the market. my hope is that they'll develop a yak specific unit with electrodes that mount to the underside of the hull.
They did say they would like to talk to the NCKA "Chieftan".......
I know these posts are bumming people out. Honestly im sorry. I just feel it would be wrong for me no to tell ya all the "bare bones" of my story. Ive done alot of post attack ab diving without it (before it was commercially available). good vis being the key. somehow sitting on top just feels wrong to me. cant see em.

I was thinking of contacting SharkShield about a Donation, but it looks as though you have done the leg work already,


Maybe you could PM the Contact info of SharkShield to our " Chieftan "  Bill, and give him a Heads up...

Dave,
"Recovered" is no quite the right word.

Apologies, that was a bit insensitive.  I haven't read the entire thread.  I just tuned into the last part.

But......didn't someone post something about a shark eating one of those things?  About a month or two ago.  If they indeed work, I'll put one on my card.

Dave,
I don't know about the post, but i did hear a rumor about that. i heard it along time ago. before the commercially available shark shield, when it was still the shark pod project, under development in South Africa, by the Natal Sharks Board. I also heard that it was taken when the were still experementing with the rite frequency/strength. both rumors i haven't been able to verify/dispell.Anyone?
i sometimes wonder if the reluctance of surf/dive shop owners to remind possible customers of the danger by putting them on display, may hurt shark shield sales....just a thought..

Sharky, thanks for posting on this thread.

I kind of started this thread, fed it, and even bet Bill that he was living in denial about an attack being a matter of time. Well, as things happened, Dan's yak got munched and Bill bought me a bittersweet sushi lunch. I have surfed this area for a long time but only crossed paths with one significantly sized shark (that I know about), and it was a case of me seeing it and it being focused on something else. But there are attacks each year and some pretty bad ones like eric larsen @ davenport or even the one just last year at marina. I do wonder if SA has just way more sharks because we have more people, but they seem to have more attacks per capita.

Sometimes I am surprised there is not an attack every weekend given the number of people we have going into the ocean. I think as the population comes back now that they are protected, we will see a big jump in attacks one of these years soon.

Regarding the Shark Shield.

I think you might still get hit by a GWS since they commit from below on sight and are hauling ass upward before they feel the electricity, but the shield might stop them from sticking around to finish the job. so far the plastic shield between one's ass and the teeth seems to have worked to save people, but I do think a big shark is going to get a mouthful of kayak and person in the first pop at some point.

So I am not using one now. But it's mainly a case of me knowing that I probably would not bring it since it is heavy and yet another piece of equipment and it is a lot of money too. I am hoping that if I get hit, the shark will hit the yak like the other cases, figure out it is plastic. not notice the edible thing nearby (me) and leave. I have flotation in my yak which I hope will let me get to shore before it sinks.

Sin Coast, I was out there that day with you and Sack Yak. SY saw a dorsal, so I think it really was a 10' or so,  but I did see some solid sized sea lions doing the 180's on the surface as well that day.

Jim,
I agree about the boat providing fair protection. and yes, in a from below ballistic attack, momentum may allow for a bump, and possibly ejection, but the field siezes its jaw, so you should be good. my attack was side (30 degree approach).its really light. the unit weighs as much as an entry level hummingbird+ 10 aa batt. the electrode is additional weight,but not much, and is in the water.
i saw alot more in the cape than here, but i spent alot more time in/on the water. possibly the biggest ive seen was here, but im not sure.too much time has passed..

There was this posted on another thread: http://www.cdnn.info/news/industry/i060115.html   Don't know if this is dredging up old business.

Don't know if this is dredging up old business.

Nope.  Quite tiimely.     Good link there, Dave.  I have my doubts about the Shield, but I'd have one if I were a lottery winner probably...  Isn't it the case that the Shark Shield actually attracts the sharks at first, so those yakkers along with someone with the Shield are in even bigger danger than usual?!  My bud Matt has the Shield, and he brought it to the Cape the other day.  I asked him not to use it because of hearing that it could attract a shark to me.  He complied and I was relieved. 

Isn't it the case that the Shark Shield actually attracts the sharks at first, so those yakkers along with someone with the Shield are in even bigger danger

I've heard this too, and I think it goes into the rumor Bin along with other unknowns,

 They seem to have done plenty of research on this thing, and most of it comes up that it does deter, not Draw.... I know these are Aussies making these statements, but where is the Proof that it draws sharks?

I asked people who were familar with this product and they all said the same thing that it does not draw.

They of course all had stake in the shield being safe, but again, what is the reasoning that The Shield draws Sharks?

 I know I hate to think I drew a shark to everybody, and if it did happen, what's the proof that the shield brought Him/Her in?

 I really don't understand the Nay saying on this product.

 And, I think Hauling a Bunch of Bloody Rockfish, leaving a Bloody trail draining thru the scupper holes would be a stronger draw than this shield being it's range is only 24'.

 I realize a Shark also feels it's way by picking up on " Distress Signals ", but is this the same as what the Shield puts out?

 We don't know and I Welcome any Hard facts on the Possibility that it does....

Sorry to get a little Huffy on this, but there is no proof out there ( that I have Found )

  Saying a Shark Shield draws Sharks,

 I think this " Rumor " puts a Unfair light on those that do use them...IMO