Question:
I have been swimming in these Florida waters from the beach and off of boats, also diving into inlet from bridges, surfed up and down the coast, also off of rope swings as a kid into the murky intracoastal, dived a lot of reefs. Seen a few in my time and they all went the other way. Beleive it or not a most sharks see us as too big to try to tackle and if they do bite usually let go and turn tail and run. Of course there are acceptions tigers and bull sharks are aggressive. Florida bathers swim with sharks every day but don’t know it because they can’t see them. All you have to do is ask any pilot that flys over these beaches and he’ll tell you he sees sharks every day. Yet the sharks don’t go near them. Its too dangerous for the shark. Its a good idea to read up on sharks know their habits and avoid situations that could increase your chances of being bitten. I’ll bet ninety nine percent of shark bites are mistakin’ identity. Do you surf? I assume not. Its usually surfers that are mistaken for prey. If you know the facts and the astronomical odds of being bitten you wouldn’t worry. C’mon in the water is fine, you have a much better chance of getting killed on the drive down.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
Either way dem’s good eatin’
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I much prefer the term Dorado. Mahimahi is just to politically correct.
Response:
Sharon, Check out these web sites for shark info. http://www.shark.ch/Sharkdb/sharkdb.shtml & http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/ISAF/ISAF.htm Paul
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
Caught the last half of a Fox special on TV lastnight. The "shark expert" they had said several things and I have listed what I remember below. Most of them are things that most probably already know. -Sharks like invertabrates…. humans are too bony. -If a shark takes a "taste" of a human, they will generally spit it out and not return for a full course meal. -There are an average of 58 UNPROVOKED shark attacks worldwide each year. -Several hundered thousand sharks are harvested each year mostly for the fins only, (shark fin soup, and cartilidge) -More people are eating shark meat than ever -Last year, 7200 people were brought into the hospital having been injured at amusement parks (amusing fact eh?) -California has the highest rate of unprovoked shark attacks in the US (according to this guy) -There is a guy in the the Fl. Keys (Mannie??) they call Mannie the Shark Man, they showed him swiming with (holding onto the dorsal fin) and then holding the face (face to face) of an approximately 8′ Hammerhead. This guy was swimming with what looked like Bull Sharks??? (I’m not sure) and Hamerheads. They showed him touching several different species of sharks, basically he was petting them! He was definitely with in biting distance and there was no aggression. He has been bitten 3 times, not sure if any were very serious, he had all of limbs and was still smiling! -An average of 12 people are killed each year by shark attacks. -Sharks have excellent eyes, and thier corneas are aften used in human cornea transplants. -A whale shark can grow to 45′ -Average shark swims at 5mph, but some can swim for short distances at up to 23mph -There are 350 species of shark of which 20% are dangerous to humans. -The Great White shark is an endangered species, but I don’t know if this means it is illegal to feed them. I suppose you could get a ticket or fine you if they identified you as having fed one… -The guy said that the Muesem of Natural History has even more interesting facts. -Side note, I have read that the Bull Shark is considered by many experts to the most dangerous shark, due to the fact (like the Tiger Shark) they are considered to be Trash Eaters, ie. they eat almost anything. -Also have read that Bull Sharks are one of the main reasons they erected the "shark fence" in Australia.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – A bad meal. Humans taste like shit, I’m told. ( I wonder who made the taste test). Probably because of meat in our diet? But if that’s true, wouldn’t vegetarians be preferred by sharks? Then again, maybe they are and that’s why so many divers and swimmers are ‘tasted’ but so few eaten. pm Florida bathers swim with sharks every day but don’t know it because they can’t see them. All you have to do is ask any pilot that flys over these beaches and he’ll tell you he sees sharks every day. Yet the sharks don’t go near them. Its too dangerous for the shark. What are these sharks afraid of, Brian??
Response:
A bad meal. Humans taste like shit, I’m told. ( I wonder who made the taste test). Probably because of meat in our diet? But if that’s true, wouldn’t vegetarians be preferred by sharks? Then again, maybe they are and that’s why so many divers and swimmers are ‘tasted’ but so few eaten. pm – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Florida bathers swim with sharks every day but don’t know it because they can’t see them. All you have to do is ask any pilot that flys over these beaches and he’ll tell you he sees sharks every day. Yet the sharks don’t go near them. Its too dangerous for the shark. What are these sharks afraid of, Brian??
Response:
Florida bathers swim with sharks every day but don’t know it because they can’t see them. All you have to do is ask any pilot that flys over these beaches and he’ll tell you he sees sharks every day. Yet the sharks don’t go near them. Its too dangerous for the shark.
What are these sharks afraid of, Brian?? — edgar (remove nospam from return address for e-mail reply)
Response:
The term "shark-thirty" is sometimes used in the Caribbean to express a time of day (dusk)when sharks are starting to feed. pm – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Swimming at dusk, in water known to have baitfish in it, is a VERY poor idea. I feel for the kid. The parents, on the other hand, should be strung up by their toenails for allowing him to swim at that time of the evening. That is a manifestly unsafe practice around here. —
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The Potomac down where we are isn’t that dirty. I’ve heard that the jellyfish are good because they eat the ones that eat crab larvae. Using your logic, aren’t sharks that kill people also good? After all they eat the ones that eat crab! <G But they are so terribly inefficient at it! <g Actually crabs are really good – not just because we like to eat them, but because they are underwater scavengers. You have something against "out-of-the-water" scavengers? <G
No – but all scavengers are kind of shunned – from vultures to crabs to dung beetles. We need them all. grandma Rosalie
Response:
You may have me there Bill. I saw a TV documentary and can’t remember for sure. Most people use the term "dolphin" to mean porpoise but a dolphin can be either a fish or a mammal. <G
That’s true, but the ones that go after sharks are the mammal. That’s also why in restaurants the fish-dolphin is often called mahi mahi (Hawaiian term) because they don’t want people to think they are eating Flipper. Actually dolphins have been known to gang up on and attempt to kill a shark. The dolphins usually go for the tender undersides of sharks.
grandma Rosalie
Response:
The Potomac down where we are isn’t that dirty. I’ve heard that the jellyfish are good because they eat the ones that eat crab larvae. Using your logic, aren’t sharks that kill people also good? After all they eat the ones that eat crab! <G
But they are so terribly inefficient at it! <g Actually crabs are really good – not just because we like to eat them, but because they are underwater scavengers. grandma Rosalie
Response:
The Potomac down where we are isn’t that dirty. I’ve heard that the jellyfish are good because they eat the ones that eat crab larvae. Using your logic, aren’t sharks that kill people also good? After all they eat the ones that eat crab! <G But they are so terribly inefficient at it! <g Actually crabs are really good – not just because we like to eat them, but because they are underwater scavengers.
You have something against "out-of-the-water" scavengers? <G Bill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – grandma Rosalie
Response:
I didn’t mean the sport fish forgot about that one. — 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You may have me there Bill. I saw a TV documentary and can’t remember for sure. Most people use the term "dolphin" to mean porpoise but a dolphin can be either a fish or a mammal. <G Bill 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100 Actually dolphins have been known to gang up on and attempt to kill a shark. The dolphins usually go for the tender undersides of sharks. Dolphin or Porpoise? Bill — 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100 The latest attack was by a Bull Shark… They can live in fresh water for some time, including the Potomac. It appears that one of the greatest dangers of this shark is that it often feeds in dark/discolored and even shallow water (where it can get churned up) so that it doesn’t always see its prey, ie. it might think that a splashing arm is a fish, and attacks it before it really nows what it is up against. Sharks are a realistic fear. So is driving a car. If the same number of people that are afraid of sharks, were even more realistically afraid of cars, the roads would be a much safer place. Like they say (whoever they are), be aware of your sorroundings, and don’t take unnecesarry risks, just like you walking or driving to the store, use caution. There are dangers everywhere. I don’t have the statistics, but the same people say that you are 100x more likely to get struck by lightning than to get bitten by a shark. I wonder if that statistic is for swimmers or all of us. If it is for all of us, then the statistics go way up for us salt water swimmers, doesn’t it? The reasoning here is that if you never swim, or only swim in landlocked water, the chance of getting bitten by a shark is approaching 0. Any experts out there? I am just curious if there are any "good" statistics avaliable. What percentage of the population are salt water or brine swimmers and what effect does that have on the statistic? Also, there are electronic "shark repellants" available. They are supposed to work on all sharks. I wonder if they repell all fish? Swim with dolphins, sharks don’t like dolphins, or is this just an old wives tale? Bull sharks also eat dolphins, but maybe just small ones. The Bull Shark – Carcharhinus leucas Size – Grow from 7 to 11 feet weighing 200 to 500 pounds. Diet – Fish, (including other sharks and rays), turtles, birds, mollusks and dolphins. It will eat almost anything. Habitat – The Bull shark is found close to to shore and can live for a while in fresh water, frequenting estuaries, river and lakes. Bull Sharks have been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River in the USA and 2,500 miles up the Amazon River in Peru. Reproduction – Bull sharks are viviparous. Litters of up to 13 pups are common after a gestation period of about 1 year. Pups are about 28 inches long at birth. Very young Bull sharks are frequently found in protected bays near the mouths of rivers in briny waters. My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your a rm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
I much prefer the term Dorado. Mahimahi is just to politically correct.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You may have me there Bill. I saw a TV documentary and can’t remember for sure. Most people use the term "dolphin" to mean porpoise but a dolphin can be either a fish or a mammal. <G That’s true, but the ones that go after sharks are the mammal. That’s also why in restaurants the fish-dolphin is often called mahi mahi (Hawaiian term) because they don’t want people to think they are eating Flipper. Actually dolphins have been known to gang up on and attempt to kill a shark. The dolphins usually go for the tender undersides of sharks. grandma Rosalie
Response:
You may have me there Bill. I saw a TV documentary and can’t remember for sure. — 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Actually dolphins have been known to gang up on and attempt to kill a shark. The dolphins usually go for the tender undersides of sharks. Dolphin or Porpoise? Bill — 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100 The latest attack was by a Bull Shark… They can live in fresh water for some time, including the Potomac. It appears that one of the greatest dangers of this shark is that it often feeds in dark/discolored and even shallow water (where it can get churned up) so that it doesn’t always see its prey, ie. it might think that a splashing arm is a fish, and attacks it before it really nows what it is up against. Sharks are a realistic fear. So is driving a car. If the same number of people that are afraid of sharks, were even more realistically afraid of cars, the roads would be a much safer place. Like they say (whoever they are), be aware of your sorroundings, and don’t take unnecesarry risks, just like you walking or driving to the store, use caution. There are dangers everywhere. I don’t have the statistics, but the same people say that you are 100x more likely to get struck by lightning than to get bitten by a shark. I wonder if that statistic is for swimmers or all of us. If it is for all of us, then the statistics go way up for us salt water swimmers, doesn’t it? The reasoning here is that if you never swim, or only swim in landlocked water, the chance of getting bitten by a shark is approaching 0. Any experts out there? I am just curious if there are any "good" statistics avaliable. What percentage of the population are salt water or brine swimmers and what effect does that have on the statistic? Also, there are electronic "shark repellants" available. They are supposed to work on all sharks. I wonder if they repell all fish? Swim with dolphins, sharks don’t like dolphins, or is this just an old wives tale? Bull sharks also eat dolphins, but maybe just small ones. The Bull Shark – Carcharhinus leucas Size – Grow from 7 to 11 feet weighing 200 to 500 pounds. Diet – Fish, (including other sharks and rays), turtles, birds, mollusks and dolphins. It will eat almost anything. Habitat – The Bull shark is found close to to shore and can live for a while in fresh water, frequenting estuaries, river and lakes. Bull Sharks have been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River in the USA and 2,500 miles up the Amazon River in Peru. Reproduction – Bull sharks are viviparous. Litters of up to 13 pups are common after a gestation period of about 1 year. Pups are about 28 inches long at birth. Very young Bull sharks are frequently found in protected bays near the mouths of rivers in briny waters. My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
The Potomac down where we are isn’t that dirty. I’ve heard that the jellyfish are good because they eat the ones that eat crab larvae.
Using your logic, aren’t sharks that kill people also good? After all they eat the ones that eat crab! <G Bill
Response:
You may have me there Bill. I saw a TV documentary and can’t remember for sure.
Most people use the term "dolphin" to mean porpoise but a dolphin can be either a fish or a mammal. <G Bill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100 Actually dolphins have been known to gang up on and attempt to kill a shark. The dolphins usually go for the tender undersides of sharks. Dolphin or Porpoise? Bill — 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100 The latest attack was by a Bull Shark… They can live in fresh water for some time, including the Potomac. It appears that one of the greatest dangers of this shark is that it often feeds in dark/discolored and even shallow water (where it can get churned up) so that it doesn’t always see its prey, ie. it might think that a splashing arm is a fish, and attacks it before it really nows what it is up against. Sharks are a realistic fear. So is driving a car. If the same number of people that are afraid of sharks, were even more realistically afraid of cars, the roads would be a much safer place. Like they say (whoever they are), be aware of your sorroundings, and don’t take unnecesarry risks, just like you walking or driving to the store, use caution. There are dangers everywhere. I don’t have the statistics, but the same people say that you are 100x more likely to get struck by lightning than to get bitten by a shark. I wonder if that statistic is for swimmers or all of us. If it is for all of us, then the statistics go way up for us salt water swimmers, doesn’t it? The reasoning here is that if you never swim, or only swim in landlocked water, the chance of getting bitten by a shark is approaching 0. Any experts out there? I am just curious if there are any "good" statistics avaliable. What percentage of the population are salt water or brine swimmers and what effect does that have on the statistic? Also, there are electronic "shark repellants" available. They are supposed to work on all sharks. I wonder if they repell all fish? Swim with dolphins, sharks don’t like dolphins, or is this just an old wives tale? Bull sharks also eat dolphins, but maybe just small ones. The Bull Shark – Carcharhinus leucas Size – Grow from 7 to 11 feet weighing 200 to 500 pounds. Diet – Fish, (including other sharks and rays), turtles, birds, mollusks and dolphins. It will eat almost anything. Habitat – The Bull shark is found close to to shore and can live for a while in fresh water, frequenting estuaries, river and lakes. Bull Sharks have been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River in the USA and 2,500 miles up the Amazon River in Peru. Reproduction – Bull sharks are viviparous. Litters of up to 13 pups are common after a gestation period of about 1 year. Pups are about 28 inches long at birth. Very young Bull sharks are frequently found in protected bays near the mouths of rivers in briny waters. My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
Millions of folks swim in Fla. waters every year. Last year 65 people were bitten by sharks in the US most in Fla. If you are worried stay onboard or in your living room. Regards Bill
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
Honey, don’t sweat it. You picked a good area to retire and the waters are safe to swim in. And if you want statistics, I’ve been swimming in Florida (both coasts) since 1962 and have never been bitt, attacked, mauled or stung by anything but mosquitoes. Nor has anyone I know personally. On the other hand I have had several friends killed in auto accidents, bitten by dogs, cats, squirrels and attacked by a duck. And there are no reports ever of anyone in Florida freezing to death. Come on down! pm 147.iap.bryant.webtv.net: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with
There’s always something. I haven’t been to the Gulf coast in some time, but yes we do swim off the boat as long as we are not chumming. Look first. If the water is clear (and most of the time out in a boat it is – otherwise you wouldn’t be out there -it would be a storm) you could see a shark. The boy was right on the beach – the waves stir the water up and you can’t see. the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda.
My SIL doesn’t care for swimming with barracuda, but unless they turn black they are just curious and ugly and no danger. My SIL makes me wear gloves or take off my (shiny) rings. Most sharks also just want to be left alone. Several times we saw a Bull Shark (the one that did this attack) cruising in the marina, so they are by no means limited to FL. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where
The Potomac down where we are isn’t that dirty. I’ve heard that the jellyfish are good because they eat the ones that eat crab larvae. In any case, you can swim longer if you go farther up the Chesapeake. can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
THere is no such place. There’s always something. If not something in the water, the water itself, or the weather. grandma Rosalie
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Arizona? Capt. Bill
Response:
Actually dolphins have been known to gang up on and attempt to kill a shark. The dolphins usually go for the tender undersides of sharks.
Dolphin or Porpoise? Bill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – — 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100 The latest attack was by a Bull Shark… They can live in fresh water for some time, including the Potomac. It appears that one of the greatest dangers of this shark is that it often feeds in dark/discolored and even shallow water (where it can get churned up) so that it doesn’t always see its prey, ie. it might think that a splashing arm is a fish, and attacks it before it really nows what it is up against. Sharks are a realistic fear. So is driving a car. If the same number of people that are afraid of sharks, were even more realistically afraid of cars, the roads would be a much safer place. Like they say (whoever they are), be aware of your sorroundings, and don’t take unnecesarry risks, just like you walking or driving to the store, use caution. There are dangers everywhere. I don’t have the statistics, but the same people say that you are 100x more likely to get struck by lightning than to get bitten by a shark. I wonder if that statistic is for swimmers or all of us. If it is for all of us, then the statistics go way up for us salt water swimmers, doesn’t it? The reasoning here is that if you never swim, or only swim in landlocked water, the chance of getting bitten by a shark is approaching 0. Any experts out there? I am just curious if there are any "good" statistics avaliable. What percentage of the population are salt water or brine swimmers and what effect does that have on the statistic? Also, there are electronic "shark repellants" available. They are supposed to work on all sharks. I wonder if they repell all fish? Swim with dolphins, sharks don’t like dolphins, or is this just an old wives tale? Bull sharks also eat dolphins, but maybe just small ones. The Bull Shark – Carcharhinus leucas Size – Grow from 7 to 11 feet weighing 200 to 500 pounds. Diet – Fish, (including other sharks and rays), turtles, birds, mollusks and dolphins. It will eat almost anything. Habitat – The Bull shark is found close to to shore and can live for a while in fresh water, frequenting estuaries, river and lakes. Bull Sharks have been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River in the USA and 2,500 miles up the Amazon River in Peru. Reproduction – Bull sharks are viviparous. Litters of up to 13 pups are common after a gestation period of about 1 year. Pups are about 28 inches long at birth. Very young Bull sharks are frequently found in protected bays near the mouths of rivers in briny waters. My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
Actually dolphins have been known to gang up on and attempt to kill a shark. The dolphins usually go for the tender undersides of sharks. — 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The latest attack was by a Bull Shark… They can live in fresh water for some time, including the Potomac. It appears that one of the greatest dangers of this shark is that it often feeds in dark/discolored and even shallow water (where it can get churned up) so that it doesn’t always see its prey, ie. it might think that a splashing arm is a fish, and attacks it before it really nows what it is up against. Sharks are a realistic fear. So is driving a car. If the same number of people that are afraid of sharks, were even more realistically afraid of cars, the roads would be a much safer place. Like they say (whoever they are), be aware of your sorroundings, and don’t take unnecesarry risks, just like you walking or driving to the store, use caution. There are dangers everywhere. I don’t have the statistics, but the same people say that you are 100x more likely to get struck by lightning than to get bitten by a shark. I wonder if that statistic is for swimmers or all of us. If it is for all of us, then the statistics go way up for us salt water swimmers, doesn’t it? The reasoning here is that if you never swim, or only swim in landlocked water, the chance of getting bitten by a shark is approaching 0. Any experts out there? I am just curious if there are any "good" statistics avaliable. What percentage of the population are salt water or brine swimmers and what effect does that have on the statistic? Also, there are electronic "shark repellants" available. They are supposed to work on all sharks. I wonder if they repell all fish? Swim with dolphins, sharks don’t like dolphins, or is this just an old wives tale? Bull sharks also eat dolphins, but maybe just small ones. The Bull Shark – Carcharhinus leucas Size – Grow from 7 to 11 feet weighing 200 to 500 pounds. Diet – Fish, (including other sharks and rays), turtles, birds, mollusks and dolphins. It will eat almost anything. Habitat – The Bull shark is found close to to shore and can live for a while in fresh water, frequenting estuaries, river and lakes. Bull Sharks have been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River in the USA and 2,500 miles up the Amazon River in Peru. Reproduction – Bull sharks are viviparous. Litters of up to 13 pups are common after a gestation period of about 1 year. Pups are about 28 inches long at birth. Very young Bull sharks are frequently found in protected bays near the mouths of rivers in briny waters. My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
I know this sounds cold hearted but it is really not intended that way. If you have salt water you have sharks. Here in Florida if you have fresh water you have gators (keep your poodles away from the canals). It makes no difference if it is here in Florida or anywhere else salt water & sharks go hand in hand. The kid was playing in water late in the evening when sharks are usually feeding early morning the same situation. This particular area is a big fishing area. Lots of fish attract lots of sharks. There have been several shark attacks on the Florida Gulf Coast. Most make local news rarely national news. The news media has gone crazy over this story because it was a kid and the circumstances. Don’t misunderstand I have kids too and feel for the family. Now in addition to all the tourists the media have descended and all kinds of SO CALLED "Shark Experts" are roaming around spouting off all kinds of advise and not saying anything at all. I bet you didn’t hear a peep out of the national news media a few years back when a kid got mauled a bit by a gator in Mobile Alabama a few years back. Of course he didn’t loose his arm just a few teeth bites. Or the long distance runner that lost a leg several years ago in a shark attack. Last several years he has become somewhat of a celebrity because he is running & competing on his good leg & the false one so we usually see him on TV during all the big Mobile Alabama marathons. From May through October I’m sure we can find a few jelly fish for you to play with so you don’t get homesick. For real fun we have hurricane parties. From usually July thru October. Romantic candle light (no power) dinners. Sounds of rain drops on the roof (at 80 miles per hour). Wind moaning (if your hearing aid is turned down) in the trees. All the swimming you could ever want because the streets are flooded. Kids don’t have to go to school (cooped up in the house or a hurricane shelter) And, the most exciting part of all you usually don’t have to go to work. During the last several years some of our Pensacola residents took the hurricane party to a higher level they spent the time stranded in bumper to bumper traffic on I10. You don’t wait until the day of the hurricane to decide to bug out. You leave 24 hours in advance. July thru September boating is lots of fun 90 degrees with a 100 degree + heat index. Water temperature is 80 + degrees. Humidity if your lucky around 80% Summer winds for sailing are light & fluky. Although I must admit the thunderstorms that come ashore late in the afternoon make boating real exciting, If you are lucky to get caught in the downdraft zone the cool air washing over you is most defiantly refreshing. The real joy of Florida living comes October thru April when all your northern buddies are still snow bound. 2000 December 27 I was out sailing. Yup paradise if I ever heard of it. And, yes I am joining all the other stupid boaters going out tomorrow (Saturday) to watch the Navy Blue Angels fly. It will be a zoo out there, it will be hot, it will be fun. By the way, have you purchased your flood insurance yet? Does the name FWUA mean anything to you? Welcome to Florida. I wasn’t joking about the poodle thing! ;0) Red tide in September is so exciting it will bring tears to your eyes. — 22′ South Coast Sea Craft Eclipse model "Don’t Ask" Pensacola, Florida http://members.tripod.com/mr-wayne/ http://communities.msn.com/SouthCoast22SkippersbayBee&naventryid=100
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
Response:
The latest attack was by a Bull Shark… They can live in fresh water for some time, including the Potomac. It appears that one of the greatest dangers of this shark is that it often feeds in dark/discolored and even shallow water (where it can get churned up) so that it doesn’t always see its prey, ie. it might think that a splashing arm is a fish, and attacks it before it really nows what it is up against. Sharks are a realistic fear. So is driving a car. If the same number of people that are afraid of sharks, were even more realistically afraid of cars, the roads would be a much safer place. Like they say (whoever they are), be aware of your sorroundings, and don’t take unnecesarry risks, just like you walking or driving to the store, use caution. There are dangers everywhere. I don’t have the statistics, but the same people say that you are 100x more likely to get struck by lightning than to get bitten by a shark. I wonder if that statistic is for swimmers or all of us. If it is for all of us, then the statistics go way up for us salt water swimmers, doesn’t it? The reasoning here is that if you never swim, or only swim in landlocked water, the chance of getting bitten by a shark is approaching 0. Any experts out there? I am just curious if there are any "good" statistics avaliable. What percentage of the population are salt water or brine swimmers and what effect does that have on the statistic? Also, there are electronic "shark repellants" available. They are supposed to work on all sharks. I wonder if they repell all fish? Swim with dolphins, sharks don’t like dolphins, or is this just an old wives tale? Bull sharks also eat dolphins, but maybe just small ones. The Bull Shark – Carcharhinus leucas Size – Grow from 7 to 11 feet weighing 200 to 500 pounds. Diet – Fish, (including other sharks and rays), turtles, birds, mollusks and dolphins. It will eat almost anything. Habitat – The Bull shark is found close to to shore and can live for a while in fresh water, frequenting estuaries, river and lakes. Bull Sharks have been found up to 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River in the USA and 2,500 miles up the Amazon River in Peru. Reproduction – Bull sharks are viviparous. Litters of up to 13 pups are common after a gestation period of about 1 year. Pups are about 28 inches long at birth. Very young Bull sharks are frequently found in protected bays near the mouths of rivers in briny waters.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My husband and I are avid boaters who currently boat on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. We have just purchased our dream retirement waterfront lot in Port Charlotte (on the Gulf). We dream of the time when we can walk out of our back yard, drop our boat down from its lift and spend a day on the water fishing, swimming, and enjoying everything FL has to offer. BUT – with everything we have heard lately about the dangers of sharks in the water, we are now feeling maybe we made a bad decision??? To the FL boaters out there – do you just jump off the transom while anchored in the gulf to cool off or is that dangerous with the sharks everywhere? We are now also hearing talk about Baracuda. What is the fun of boating in the FL sun if when you get hot you can’t even jump in the water for a swim without being afraid of your arm or leg being bitten off? The Potomac River is dirty, the Chesapeake Bay is full of jellyfish in the summer and Florida is full of sharks? Where can a boater retire to that offers year round warm weather and boating without anything in the water to get you?
The absolute best thing to use for drying a wet dry fly is an Amadou. Among the many semi-liquids, Dave’s Bug Float is the best. — Ken Fortenberry 
Munchies 9) T.P. 10) Polarized sunglasses!!! Later, - Ken — "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet." - Al Gore