From: paulc@col.hp.com (Paul Carroll)
Subject: Re: shark stories
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 15:33:37 GMT
Organization: Emo! Emo! Emo!

	I agree with the others that you can see sharks, provided you
	go to where the sharks are.

	My first encounter with a shark, if you can call it that,
	was with Horned sharks in the Channel Islands.  These sharks are
	fairly small (about 2 feet) and bottom feeders, so they tend
	to just sit on the bottom.  But, and here is where the fun came
	in, the other divers are aware that these are sharks.  So,
	we would grab the Horned shark by the tail, which would get 
	the shark swimming, and then aim it at other divers.  This
	would unnerve the diver, even though the Horned shark
	is harmless.  Okay, maybe not completely innocent fun, but
	it was '83 and I was a young diver just starting out.

	Some of my more interesting encounters with sharks were 
	in the Galapagos Islands, off the main island.  There is a
	ledge there where Hammerheads tend to feed.  Four
	of us went on the dive and we all lined up behind the top 
	of the ledge so only our heads were visible.  The
	Hammerheads would approach to within 10' or less before they
	could see us.  They would then turn away after noticing us.  
	The visibility in the water was low enough that the sharks 
	would come in close.  Apparently this subterfuge is necessary
	since the sharks seem to be unnerved by divers.  When the dive was
	over, we just followed the ridge back up into shallower water.
	I do not remember being particularly worried during the ascent
	about the sharks, but we did tend to keep an eye out to see
	if they followed.  They did not.

	My latest encounter was on the Blue Corner in Palau this
	summer.  This location is on the Southern part of the island 
	chain and faces South into the ocean.  Pelagics tend to come in
	close by the wall there.  We made two dives at that location and 
	easily saw 15 to 20 sharks each time.  The sharks tended to stay 
	around 80' or deeper.  This was a drift dive of sorts, so we tended 
	to hang out in the water and watch the sharks swim by.  These were
	mainly Grey Reef and Black-tipped sharks.  Many of the sharks
	had 1 or 2 remoras hanging from them or swimming nearby.  
	We also observed some sharks resting on the ocean floor at
	about 40', but we were not able to tell if it was a cleaning
	station (most likely) or the sharks were sleeping.  The currents 
	around the Blue Corner are pretty bad and the resting sharks were in 
	areas where the currents prevented us from moving too close to them.

	I've noticed that some divers really get scared of sharks while 
	others will tend to accept them, albeit with one eye watching.
	Sharks are neat to see, but should be handled as if they are
	potentially dangerous.  Just like stray dogs in the neighborhood.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+	Paul Carroll			"Denial ain't just a river in        +
+	Independent Contractor 	     		Egypt."                      +
+	(Read: Unemployed at the moment)				     +
+	paulc@col.hp.com						     +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-- 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+	Paul Carroll			"Denial ain't just a river in        +
+	HP Colorado Springs Division	     Egypt."                         +
+	paulc@col.hp.com						     +
Newsgroups: rec.scuba