Why I don't go in the ocean...ever. ;)

Kamakazie Sith · Post by **Kamakazie Sith** » 2004-12-17 02:01am

Petrosjko wrote:
Kamakazie Sith wrote:I think it's stupid to kill an animal that has killed a human. I mean sure if it comes into the city limits or something of that nature then hunt it down but otherwise we all take certain risks in life.
Agreed to an extent. There are animals that can get a taste for people, such as bears, and if they're in a place where they can menace people, they have to go.

But with sharks, there's no point. As Weem will likely attest, the key is to avoid acting in fashions which will trip their 'prey in the water' sensors, such as hanging on to a kill after spearing it, swimming in murky water at twilight, or surfing.

Don't get me wrong. There is a line. I don't believe it was crossed in this situation. If you have a JAWS scenario break out then yes by all means hunt it down and kill it. If you have a Ghost in the Darkness scenario hunt them down and kill them. I think the situation needs to be examined. This seems to be a case of mistaken identity. It is common knowledge now that humans on surf boards look like seals from under water.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2004-12-17 02:05am

Yeah, and that's why you'll never see me on a surfboard.

The ocean is beautiful, vast, and full of mysteries that we'll likely never solve the entirety of, but it's also dangerous as all hell. And while I don't like to see surfers get nibbled on, they should understand that they are placing themselves at a greater risk for shark attack.

Even so, shark attacks are incredibly rare even on surfers. Sharks are amazingly discriminating creatures.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2004-12-18 05:55am

It pisses me off when they hunt down and kill an animal just for being what it is.

Sharks hunt things, bite them, and even sometimes eat them. It's what sharks do. They've been doing it for a long, long, long, long time. They're very good at it.

So... a shark attacks and eats someone. Now the authorities are out shark hunting. Um... how will they know they have the correct shark??? I have no doubt sharks have distinguishing characteristics just as other animals do - indiviudal scar patterns if nothing else - but I hardly thing the victim's friends would be able to pick the guilty shark out of a line-up.

If we dare to enter the ocean we take the risk. WE are the alien invaders. Now, if you have something like lions or a tiger that is clearly stalking human beings that's one thing, but I think it's pretty damn unlikely you're going to get a shark specifically targeting humans. Fish and seals are just so much more available, even to an injured or debilitated shark. Also, sharks aren't very big on sophisticated thinking, they operate largely on instinct, and that instinct focuses on seals and fish, not hairless apes.

As pointed out, sharks normally take one bite and leave. Or rake a swimmer/surfer and leave. They don't really like the way we taste - what kills people is that one bite from a shark is sufficient to kill and maim. If the shark ate this guy, it must have been one hell of a hungry shark.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2004-12-18 07:07am

It didn't say that it actually ate him, it just said that it probably bit him in half. Which for a great white of that size wouldn't be all that hard. I don't know if they researched it with other species, but Sevengill sharks have an automatic bite reflex if something penetrates far enough into their mouth.

Fact is, we're simply not blubberous enough to appeal to a great white, and reports of actual devourings are so incredibly rare that their veracity is somewhat dubious.

Outside of air/sea disasters, anyway. All the blood and panicky thrashing about can possibly trigger feeding frenzies.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-12-18 12:16pm

Not to worry, the GDC will help you by ramming those evil Great Whites...

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-12-18 12:56pm

Gil Hamilton wrote: Let me guess. Every single one of them has a size measured in microns, don't they?

Actually, no. There are a fair few organisms our size I wouldn't want to meet, but that's another story.

I know the warmer waters around the UK now hold a whole host of sharks such as Blue ones and Basking ones and even Tigers. The native dolphins must ward them off from attacking our beaches (yes, we have beaches), that or the masses of toxic waste we dump in the Irish sea.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2004-12-19 12:09am

MKSheppard wrote:(Image snip)Not to worry, the GDC will help you by ramming those evil Great Whites...

That is the definition of a sweet picture. Weem, anybody, do the lines suggest a great white to you? Looks a little too sleek to me, more like possibly a tiger.

Post by **weemadando** » 2004-12-19 01:05am

Petrosjko wrote:
MKSheppard wrote:(Image snip)Not to worry, the GDC will help you by ramming those evil Great Whites...
That is the definition of a sweet picture. Weem, anybody, do the lines suggest a great white to you? Looks a little too sleek to me, more like possibly a tiger.

Hard to tell.

Instinctively going by the very much sickle shaped tail and angles of the fin, I'd say Great White...

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2004-12-19 01:58am

And it lacks the blunt nose of the tiger. Its a Great White, most probably.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2004-12-19 02:27am

Okay, I stand corrected. On further study, I can see that it does have the chunky midsection that I tend to associate with great whites, too. It's the angle of the shot that threw me.

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2004-12-19 07:48am

Petrosjko wrote:Okay, I stand corrected. On further study, I can see that it does have the chunky midsection that I tend to associate with great whites, too. It's the angle of the shot that threw me.

apparently its a dolphin

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2004-12-19 08:08am

Whatever happened to that surfer guy? Is he like...dead or anything?

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2004-12-19 08:13am

Shroom Man 777 wrote:Whatever happened to that surfer guy? Is he like...dead or anything?

Most likely he required a change of garments when he reached shore.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2004-12-19 08:16am

Zac Naloen wrote:apparently its a dolphin

Oh look at Mr. Fancypants "I can actually read the name of the image instead of making futile guesses."

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2004-12-19 09:06am

Ah fuck. It IS a dolphin. Goddamit!

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2004-12-19 09:09am

Shroom Man 777 wrote:Ah fuck. It IS a dolphin. Goddamit!

Yeah. Trust us, we're the EXPERTS.

Post by **weemadando** » 2004-12-20 06:40pm

Shroom Man 777 wrote:Ah fuck. It IS a dolphin. Goddamit!

Angle threw me, made the tail look vertical instead of horizontal. Thats also a decent sized dolphin...

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-12-23 11:48pm

Most people don't realize that you're way more likely to get hit by a car then you are to be attacked by a shark. I'll keep on swimming.

Lusankya · Post by **Lusankya** » 2004-12-24 12:39am

Ironically, if Mr Flibble hadn't mentioned this to me, I would have remained blissfully unaware of it. Sharks don't bother me.

If he'd gone up to that guy's door and then bitten him in half, then yeah I'd be pissed off, but it's really like sitting on a toilet seat in an outback dunny without looking and then complaining that a redback bit you on the arse. It's a risk you choose to take when you're in the shark's environment.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-12-24 03:39am

Rogue 9 wrote:Most people don't realize that you're way more likely to get hit by a car then you are to be attacked by a shark. I'll keep on swimming.

Note to self: Change password, then find who's using my account and throttle him.