bigAPE

Well the Great White has been around for at least 5.5 Million years and they are showing no signs of going away any time soon. So regardless of if they have been "spotted" or not they are there and, as far as our species is concerned, they always have been. With any luck they always will be.

Being the only remaining Carcharodon they represent the pinnacle of their evolutionary chain. Pity we can't say the same thing. I'm sure some bigoted morons will eventually find a way to wipe them out, all because they fail to understand and appreciate the creature for what it is as a predator, pure perfection. Whenever you set foot in the water you're entering his yard and he's the big dog. Every surfer knows that and accepts the risk.

calNgary

Birds are looking for fish aswell as the sharks, another thing you may want to look at before you go into the sea are the waves, if you go to a beach that has two sets of waves (a set close in & a set 100m out) you will find a sand bank between them if you can walk to the sand bank swim between the waves & the flags , also watch the waves when they are breaking gives you a good picture of whats in the sea (check pic on avatar). Dont go in dawn or dusk, dont go in if dogs are in the water.

Gazzap

Because of their strong scent?
Never thought of that before, I swim with my dog every other day!

bridie

You'd be better off in the water and off the roads..

Four die in 12 hours on WA roads
28th December 2008, 9:00 WST

Four people have died in an horrific 12 hours on Western Australian roads, taking the state’s holiday road toll to eight.

BadgeIsBack

Funny how these attacks seem to take place around Christmas. I guess people are out and about on vacation in the sea, others are at home ready to take the news story. And the waters have warmed up nicely I guess.

The other nasty in Australian waters is the Bronze Whaler (in QLD I think) and the Bull Shark, some of which swim up estuaries. I think they might be responsible for more attacks or deaths (etc etc) and would get annoyed when their mates the Great Whites get all the press.

Rainydaze

Oh, I totally respect that it's a marine environment and the shark's at the top of the food chain. I'm not advocating that we should kill sharks or anything as facile as that, because I do understand their place in the ecosystem. There was actually a great article about great whites in a weekend supplement only a few weeks and all research indicates that great whites are intelligent, highly inquisitive creatures.

People weigh up the risks at any given time before they get into the sea and they all take precautions. And sometimes, that precaution is staying out of the water after a shark sighting. The beaches are closed in Perth right now for that reason.

Rainydaze

Yes, the road's probably the riskiest environment for homo sapiens.

BadgeIsBack

As I've mentioned on another thread, yesterday some pissed kid slammed headon into a family's car hospitalising the mother and son. The book will be thrown, unsecured load, bald tyres, over 0.05, causing serious injury, failure to remain at the scene.....

He did a runner (but got caught). If it was not for the fact I was busy protecting the engine from cooking, I would have effing tackled the arse myself.

Now that is *bottom* of the food chain.

daddyofthree

Sorry but I must say some people talk complete crap. Fancy saying we should have full respect for the sharks because they basically rule the sea. A bloke was killed and a family is distraught so why shouldn't we try to hunt down the shark and kill it - it may be responsible for killing a young child in a day or so! I'm sure a few rounds would simply prove it is not always king of the waves.
Don't yet know how defences are made, ie nets etc, but I can't understand how the Aus government cannot make certain areas defensive against such predators, ie block off certain areas which allow for swimming etc safely.
Just a statistic, but apparently there are more people killed by fallen coconuts each year than by sharks!!

moneypenny20

How do you know which shark killed the guy? You can't go killing every one of them. As others have said, you go in the sea you have to abide by the rules of the sea and accept that something bigger and uglier (sometimes) may decide you're dinner.

Weird Fish

Actually this post stinks of total crap. Would you kill a cat because it killed a bird? It is natures way and we are all part of it. Like it or not the sea is not our natural habitat and if you choose to go into it there are risks that you have to take (which the poor man that died and his family understood). Not to mention that the Great White is an endangered species.

As for shark nets, they are in use in some places, but most people that are killed or injured by sharks are swimming/surfing in places that would be out of net zones, so nothing is solved. BTW the Aus Government do block off areas for safer swimming, they are called swimming pools. As for coconuts falling what a stupid statement!

twhurl

Right On ! We have ruined and raped the land and all its creatures so leave the sea alone (as if, thats ruined too). Just go to the Perth zoo and read about every animal thats been wiped out. It's just too bad a man who really loved the sea and respected all life was taken.

daddyofthree

not a stupid statement - it's surprisingly a true fact.
I disagree with you about this being a stupid site - just that we all have our own opinions. I still think we should kill the great Whites if they pose a danger, unless of course we can lead them away. C'mon sharky sharky? Why not kill a cat for killing a wee bird if it's not killing it for food! Ooh a sense a can of worms being opened! Lol

moneypenny20

The shark though, presumably, was killing for food so he/she wasn't doing anything wrong so shouldn't be killed. Hardly a can of worms unless you want it to be.

JR230898

OK...and what do you propose to do with horses? More people killed in Australia annually due to horses than sharks.

...and of course, by your (il)logic, we need to be doing something about all them nasty cars as well....every time there is a road fatality we better go out and hunt some cars down...we'll all feel so much better after that.