I am on my surfboard... I spot a 4m shark approaching me what do I do?

Question

Ok somehow I have found myself in deep water.. don't ask me how I managed to be 100m from shore... maybe a strong rip?

I can see the bottom due to the clarity of the water.

I am laying on my surfboard and I suddenly spot a 4m shark approaching me about 10 metres away.

What do I do? do I make sure my limbs are completely on the surfboard and wait for the shark to make the first move hoping it will bite the board instead of me.

Or do I jump off the surfboard and start going crazy and swinging my fists widly at the shark?

OR do I jump off the surfboard and put the surfboard between the shark and myself and attempt to fight it? this sounds easier said than done.

I am thinking of putting a flip knife in my wetsuit too...

What do I do? I had a bad vision about this happening to me.. need answers..

Answer 1

The first thing you would do is to stay on your board, because your surfboard is made of styrofoam, and can keep you afloat.

Second off, don't make any sudden movements. The shark is attracted to movement, and can 'feel' it from about a half a mile away. His vision is poor, so he's going by smell and feel. He's only curious, and has no intention of attacking unless it feels threatened or if he senses food, which more than likely isn't the case.

If, however, the shark does come after you and try to attack you, the best thing you can do is to make a very tight fist and deck him right on the tip of the snout. A shark's snout carries about 4,000 nerve endings, and is very sensitive. Punching him on the snout will give him the signal to move on and leave.

Otherwise, you can straighten your hand out and give him a quick jab in the gills. A shark's gills are pure cartilage, and will easily break, instantly killing the shark.

One thing to remember, is to NEVER get off your board. If you fall off, then SLOWLY get back on, without drawing a lot of attention to yourself, because the shark is about 100 more times agile than you in water, and can easily turn you into a rag doll.

Answer 2

First of all, you have to realise that the chance of being attacked by any shark, even one of the dangerous varieties, is quite small.  Humans are not normal prey for sharks and generally they attack surfers 'by mistake', apparently being stimulated into the attack by some resemblence to a seal or sea lion.  

I had an acquaintance in Northern California who was surfing when a large shark attacked.  The shark actually bit at the board and left tooth marks.  But as soon as the shark figured out the surfboard wasn't a seal, it simply swam off.

I am a scuba diver myself and have done many dives in waters where large sharks were common.  One place in particular there were many Blue and Mako sharks.  Many divers there carried short billy-clubs that they claimed they could whack curious sharks with and thus discourage them.

I never carried such an item, nor did I carry a knife.  I have only felt threatened by a shark on one occassion, and that probably says more about my own perception than the shark's intent.

Personally, I would stay with the surfboard.  If a shark approached closely I would want to keep the board between myself and it as much as possible as a short of shield.  

In the rare instance that a shark got within reach you might wish to try striking it to discourage its behaviour.  I have heard that striking a shark over the eyes or gills is the best, but I would think that would be a very rare instance indeed.

Fighting sharks with knives only happens in the worst sort of movies.  Not even worth thinking about.

Shark attacks are extremely rare.  I wouldn't let that slim chance affect your enjoyment of surfing.  Here's an internet source for information specific to avoiding shark attacks:  http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/education/...

More information on sharks in general can be found at the Florida Natural History Museum website:  http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/sha...

Answer 3

ive seen alot of sharks while im out before, theyve never bothered me at all...

i think ther cool and most of the time sharks arent just going to just attack you.

but i herd your suppose to curl up in  ball and dont move at all if one comes up to you.

and while im out and i see one i just keep reminding myselfis helping fact:

more people die from vending machines falling on top of them than shark attacks every year.

lmfaoo

Answer 4

Kiss your butt good bye and not go back in the water that far

Answer 5

just hope hes not hungry coz if it wants u its guna get ya

Answer 6

why are you even thinking of this its just a shark, they don't mean to eat you! well i think with your suggestions i would just stay on the board1 or you could swim back to shore, lol he could catch and eat you though. its our fault if we are bitten by a shark we are in its habitat!

Answer 7

If it is a dangerous shark and approaches you use the knife but If you can tell the shark is not dangerous stay on one spot and wait for it to make its move.

I suggest researching sharks.