Anybody else vacationing in Florida?

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mojobuc

Guest
Stay out of the waters, stay near Disney, use the pools. At least stay out of the Gulf of Mexico for a while.
Jeez, another shark bite, 3 in a week.

And we were just at Cocoa Beach, but kept my kids in 1'-2' of water(with the waves and current of the Atlantic, it was plenty and the main reason), and my wife and I stayed in waist high, but in between other body boarders/surfers and the shore.

Saw a picture in the St.Pete paper today, 45 miles south of us, a shark near the Pier.
http://www.stpete-pier.com/
 
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dannyboy

Guest
Just how stupid are people allowed to be.

Fishing in an area where there are swimmers? Standing in chest deep water while fishing? In an area where there have been shark attacks allready?

Lemme see. You take one of the most feared creatures that are allways looking for a meal. Then you take fishermen throwing bait out and reeling in an injured fish. All giving off scents that attract the sharks. Enter the shark, into an area with multiple targets, each one looking like natural food sources to him.

I have many times gone to beaches where there were lots of swimmers. Then the guys with poles show up. It would seem that maybe they need to look at that a bit closer? Maybe limmit where you can soak your line, not at public beaches where there are hundreds of swimmers.

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ok2bclever

Guest
I was on Daytona Beach years ago where they fish to the waist like that and a guy pulled in a small two foot shark.

He carefully unhooked it and let it go and went on fishing like no big deal.

Now I know there are tons of shark types that don't bother humans, but knowing what a dog that size could do to your leg and a shark's mouth of teeth puts a Rottweiler's to shame I decided I'd had enough wading in the ocean that day.

They do this day in and day out "without incident", but it certainly ain't for me.

The movie "Jaws" when I was a kid left all the marks I figure I will ever let a shark make on me.
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traveler

Guest
I think the problem goes a bit deeper than fisherman. Commercial shark fishing has been banned for some years now. Therefore the population has grown. Commercial netting of mullet has also been stopped. Their population as shark food has also grown. Put the two together and you have more sharks chasing more bait fish (mostly in the surf). There are always unintended consequences to all changes made by man, even those that seem to be good ideas at the time. Here in Florida, the gator population was frighteningly reduced some years back. A ban on commercial bagging of these reptiles is still in place and their population has grown enourmously. There are now just too many gators in our lakes. Last summer had quite a few more gator/human attacks too.

By the way, the majority of shark attacks occur in knee deep to waist deep water!
 
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mojobuc

Guest
travler, from what I 've read about the 'Red Tide', it may have something to do with it as well. Killing off the fish, quite possibly forcing the sharks to look for a new food source, us.
There is a video link, but it won't work for me:http://www.sptimes.com/2005/06/30/shark-video/small.shtml

oh and you mentioned Gators:
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/01/Northpinellas/Alligator_s_morning_d.shtml


But I have to agree with dannyboy, I don't fish, but if I did, it would be from a boat, a big boat.

then to add to the danger and the 'stupid people' list, this: http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/01/Northpinellas/Flung_catfish_lands__.shtml
 
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speeddemon

Guest
We are going to Panama City Beach this Tuesday for a week. Well be on the sand or in the pool if you need us.
 
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rushfan

Guest
My father-in-law lives in Brooksville. Last time I was there, he took me to Ginnie springs (sorry probably wrong spelling). Anyway one of the best diving trips I've had.

I'll be diving again. No fears of sharks here.
 
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mojobuc

Guest
hey rush,
thats right up the road from us, brooksville.
Heard of ginnie springs but never been, but have visited weeki wachee springs/river.
They say bullsharks will travel in rivers to get food, and I have seen and swam with manatees in the weeki wachee.

Speed, they have a pretty cool boardwalk, with plenty of bars and stuff to do. Reverse bungy and see if you can see any sharks as your shot 100' plus into the air.
 
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dannyboy

Guest
There has allways been debate as to how far a shark will go into fresh water system to explore after food.

Not too long ago I read of a young man that was bitten in two by a great white that had gone some 50-60 miles inland and was in a canal of sorts where this young man had been swiming with friends.

Dont get me wrong. I am not paranoid about gettig into the water with large fish. ITs the ones with the really big teeth. And anything that is going on at the shore that might entice them to where I am is not for me.

Besides, ever see what a large fishing hook can do to a leg by a surf fisherman that is too chicken to stand waist deep in the water? And the more people there are, the more idiots there seems to be. And many do not seem to have to work to support themselves, so they are there day in and out.

One of my favorite beaches is Tybee Island. I have yet to ever see someone fishing from the shore, only off the pier. And the relaxed setting is one that I treasure instead of places where you get run over every time you move around. And during the winter, tiger tail in florida is great.

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mojobuc

Guest
Interesting info.

Danger to Humans
According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) bull sharks are historically responsible for at least 69 unprovoked attacks on humans around the world, 17 of which resulted in fatality. In reality this species is likely responsible for many more, and has been considered by many experts to be the most dangerous shark in the world. It's large size, occurrence in freshwater bodies, and greater abundance in close proximity to numerous human populations in the tropics makes it more of a potential threat than either the white shark or tiger shark.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/descript/bullshark/bullshark.htm
 
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rushfan

Guest
We didnt have time to visit weeki wachee last time. We want to visit there for that reason...to swim with the manatees.
 
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heweslt20

Guest
I'm a native Floridian, 5th generation. I've grown up on the water here so I know a little about the area waters.Red tide is a algae bloom that attacks the nervous systems of fish. We are currently having a bad outbreak of it now in the Tampa Bay area waters. As for sharks there are certain places and times you don't swim in the water. Mostly dusk and dawn. Bull sharks and Hammerheads often follow schools of Tarpon and other migratory fish along the beaches. In the spring they follow them north to the Panhandle and then follow them back south near the fall season. The recent attack in Boca Grande is known for having tons of sharks in the pass including a HUGE 20ft plus Hammerhead nicknamed Hitler! Also one other thing, its against the law to pet,touch or harass Manatees. If any of you are in the Tampa area on vacation and wish to find the good fishing spots or places to avoid let me know.
 
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