Bluey, did you know that lightning never strikes twice in the same place? Although usually once is sufficient.
Small confined spaces. I'm not talking about being on a crowded tube train, but something like the idea of Potholing sends shudders down my spine. The thought of getting trapped without being able to move your arms to push yourself free is terrifying. One easy remedy to this though, I'll never ever go potholing
I've surfed in a few Sharky waters. To be honest, it's a calculated risk. You don't go in the water at dawn or dusk, or when it's been raining and the water is murky and you avoid rivermouths etc. That said, it's always in the back of your mind. Sitting on top of a surfboard gives you a bit of perspective on the water and you feel a bit safer having something between you and whatever lurks beneath. California has Great Whites and I remember surfing at this spot called San Onofre and my leash snapped after falling off a big wave. It was about a 200m swim back to the shore and without my board I felt extremely vulnerable. I just remember trying not to think of that scene from Jaws when the guy is trying to swim back to that broken wooden jetty and his mate is shouting 'Just keep swimming, don't look back !' lol
Scientists have found evidence that one of the world's rarest sharks is alive and well, living off the Welsh coast. Sightings from fishing boats suggest the mysterious angel shark is present in Welsh waters, although no-one knows exactly where.25 Jan 2019
They say that officially, but I remember reading about one caught in Brighton a while back, and there have been lots of unconfirmed sightings. Tiger sharks are pretty distinct and hard to misidentify imo. There has been lots of false great white sightings in the UK, when it is most likely Porbeagle sharks, which resemble the Great white quite a lot. Though they are slightly smaller, and despite their appearance, nowhere near as aggressive as Great Whites. please log in to view this image
I think that Brighton Tiger shark story is from 1785 though, so it's quite likely it was a miss identification. Probably a Porbeagle like you say, which get mistaken for White sharks. Possibly a Mako, which also look like White sharks. But I doubt that there are any Tiger sharks in the UK. One shark that I see quite regularly and have swam with up close is a Basking Shark. They are ****ing massive, but totally harmless as they are plankton feeders. You can't help your natural instincts kicking in though when you are 5ft away from a 25ft shark !
While travelling the world I spent a lot of time snorkelling trying to find sharks. I think they are fascinating! And really graceful the way they move. I’ve swam out from the beach 300-400m or more snorkelling and also off of boats, always hoping I’d see a shark. Have been in countries where sharks are very common and not managed to see any while out in the water! But I did swim with about 15 leopard sharks and a wobigong in Australia. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t want to bump into a Tiger shark while I was in the water but the vast majority of sharks aren’t going to be an issue if you’re in the water with them. I’d love to go cage diving with great whites...
My Mother in Law did that last year in South Africa. She's 71 ! I have to say though that I don't really agree with it. Chumming the water and bringing in Great Whites close to tourist beaches is a bit ****ing stupid. It also makes the sharks more aggressive when food is present and teaches them to associate human interaction with food. I suppose the counter argument is the conservation side of it all. The more awareness that's raised about sharks, the better the conservation efforts, or that's the theory.
There’s also an operator in Australia who use vibrations to attract the sharks rather than chumming the water. Unfortunately I was over there at the wrong time of year!
