Surfers! How do you overcome the fear of sharks so you are able to go out in the ocean??

Question

Surfing looks so thrilling, yet I am so terrified of sharks I cannot bring myself to get out in the water and try it. Any suggestions? :-)

Answer 1

I would find a friend who wants to go surfing, and go out together. The buddy system is probably the best/safest thing you can have.

Have fun!!!

Answer 2

here this should help-http://www.thealarmclock.com/euro/images...

oops wrong picture. HAHAHA

Answer 3

You are more likely to get struck by lighening than get attacked by a shark. Just remember there is always a possibilty, but HIGHLY unlikely.Surfing rocks! Don't let the landlord scare you away. Are you afraid to drive or ride in a car because there might be a wreck???

Answer 4

i was told that your 100 times more likey to be admitted to hospital after falling over while trying to put your undies on than be admitted to hospital for a shark attack.

and that doesnt seem to happen to me every day so im not too worried.

and um theres shark nets where im from so the chances are even lower! and surfings awesome!!

Answer 5

yeah more people have been killed by vending machines falling on them then by shark attacks, and no, that's not a joke.

(when people get angry that the machine ate their dollar they shake the machine and it falls on them)

Most surfers never even see a shark. The only ones I've ever seen are sand sharks and leopard sharks while surfing, and both are terrified of humans. The only time I've seen sharks that could actually hurt me was snorkeling in Fiji, but as long as where you live isn't too tropical, you really shouldn't even think about it.

especially if you are on a long board you'll be bigger than any shark around, if in the slim chances there actually was one and you would really scare it away.

Answer 6

All shark attacks are mistakes.  The we look like seals to them.  The odds of seeing a shark while surfing is so rare.  I have been surfing for 8 years and I have seen one great white, but I was surfing in an area where there had been a shark attack a week prior.  As long as you keep a look out, the better.  Stay in deeper water.  It sounds scarier, but sharks, especially great whites, attack is more shallow water.  Also, avoid surfing in the evening or night time if you are affraid because that is when sharks feed, for the most part.  You are way more likely to die in a car accident on the way to the beach then see a shark in the water.

Answer 7

look at local or world annual shark attacks, I'd be more afraid, driving, cooking, eating, even walking compared to those results

Answer 8

i went surfin gin hawaii, it is sooo much fun, wen u get up there on a wave, u cant think of anything else, jst get out there and dont think about sharks, and even if there was a shark they would evacuate everyone and get a team to get the shark back out in to the ocean! i hope u try it it is a BLAST!!!!

Answer 9

Knowledge. You need to understand the reality about shark attacks, or lack there of. Despite the recent shark attacks in California and Mexico, sharks attacking surfers or swimmers are not all that common. Ok, there is an unusually large number of Bull Sharks which migrated to Florida this year, so you might want to be a bit more careful there. But even less than shark attacks are fatalaties from shark attacks; many people survive them. Shark attacks are hardly frequent enough to be worried about, even less so than a plane crash, getting struck by lightning or winning the lottery twice. Of all places, Florida is the most shark infested, and I'm not sure what the numbers are but still, there aren't a ton of shark attacks. If you're really worried, stay out of Florida and leave the waves to me. There is also a company which makes Shark camoflauge, and though its pretty unneccesary, people still buy it. The idea is that there are certain marine animals which sharks don't eat because they are poisonous or simply taste bad, and they camoflauge your board and wetsuit to look like those fish. Another company is also experimenting with radio waves to warn off sharks. But to me, thats all rediculous. To be a surfer, you need to be at home in the ocean. And if you get bit by a shark, well, thats a part of the ocean. I'd never advocate for the killing of all sharks, even if I got bit, because really its their home and not ours; we're the intruders. Also, you could search for information on what to do in case of a shark attack, so you'd be prepared if it happens (which it won't). I've been surfing for nearly half my life, in Florida too, and I've never been attacked by a shark. I've seen them, not too close up, but they've never acted holstile toward me. If, and this is a big if, you do get attacked by a shark, punch it in the eyes or the gills.

Also, surf with a buddy, or more than one. In that case, you just need to outrun one of them, and not the shark!

Edit*

Maserati...do you really think that a 150 pound human wearing bright colors (I say bright colors because Florida, or more correctly New Smyrna is the capital of shark attacks, and such a climate does not require a wetsuit) bears any resemblance to a 1000 pound grey sea mammal? I think not. I also think you are retarted.

Edit*

Haha prosurf, touché. I was just trying to illustrate a point, because as far as I know, humans and seals don't look too much alike. Maybe Maserati's face looks like a seal, and that's where he is drawing the comparison. Granted, sharks do have bad eyesight.

Edit*

Anne E

Seriously? A longboard is bigger than a shark? You must be riding one huge longboard. A great white, which can be found in all major oceans, can grow more than 20ft and up to 5000 pounds. Is your board bigger than that?