[50 Freak]

Okay, so I'm learning to scuba dive and to get my certification I have to complete 4 ocean dives. Well, I'm going to Monterey, Ca to complete those dives early Nov. What I just found out today that from the months of Oct, Nov and Dec is when the Great White Sharks like to do the underwater nasty. So basically the coast will be filled with horny Great Whites. So I'm thinking of buying a bangstick. Found one oufit that makes a 50 bmg bang stick (I kinda think that may be a little too much of a overkill). So am thinking of the 44 mag or 223 or even 12 guage.

Anyone have experience?

[bogie]

Ask your dive instructor.

[Keith]

Stick your air tank in its mouth and then shoot it with a Garand.

Keith

[GM7RQK]

Keith - ROFL

Seriously ask your instructor how many of his students have been eaten, it's not a big risk.

Enjoy your diving.

Stephen (ScotSAC master diver)

[Rebel Gunman HK]

Saw Batman use his Bat Sharkspray on a shark hanging from his leg once. Worked like a charm. 2 maybe 3 seconds and no more shark. :evil:

[50 Freak]

my instructor told me that as long as I swam faster than the slowest swimmer I shouldn't worry. But being the boyscout I am, I'm thinking of every conceivable problem, Picking up a titanium knife soon. Now for the just the bang stick.

Do you think I need a camelback hydration unit incase I run out of water?

[Cosmoline]

I didn't think the big guys were much of a threat to scuba divers on the open seas. I thought they were more likely to go after surfers near the coast.

If I had to deal with a great white under water, I'd want a modified Mossberg firing a propane tank with an impact fuse, frankly.

[Bill Hook]

Find a dive partner who can't swim as fast.

I always though 12 ga. was preferred, but against a Great White, .50 BMG sounds better. I wonder how the concussion is going to affect your hearing?

[50 Freak]

what'd you say?

[cracked butt]

I'd worry more about the Bull sharks than the great whites. Vicious nasty.

[Travis McGee]

Just go dive, don't worry about it. But if you get a bangstick, .44 mag firing solids are the way to go.

[50 Freak]

It's not the bull sharks that will be in heat, its the Great Whites, and yes a few divers have been attacked over the years. My buddy who is a surfer says for those months he stays out of the oceans.

[Bill Hook]

what'd you say?

THE CONCUSSION WILL AFFECT YOUR HEARING. :neener:

[Penforhire]

50 freak, congrats on almost learning to dive. Heck of a fun pastime. Let me say this-about-that: as a beginning diver you should avoid loading yourself down with extraneous gear (bang stick, camera, ...) so you can focus on learning to dive and getting your bouyancy perfect.

Stick to the safety stuff: sausage, mirror, strobe (in case you float for a rescue at night), whistle, water canteen (useful awaiting rescue), and spare air (cool system) or pony bottle. And we all know dive knives are cool but please also consider a scissors-style cutter - cheap and better for many tangle situations.

But do tell us if you see any sharks! Hint - a Moray or Barracuda is more likely to scare the piss out of you.

[voilsb]

Well, believe it or not I was just reading a "worst case scenario survival book" and one of the scenarios was fending off a shark attack.

The advice was to punch, knife, shoot, or do whatever you can, but make sure you go for the eyes and/or gills, as they are the parts on the shark most sensitive to pain. The nose is a no-go, as it's surprisingly unsensitive.

That's all I can give you.

On the common sense side, I'd think a nice 4 or 5" .44mag revolver should do nicely, when pointed at shark eyeballs or gills. Dunno how well it shoots underwater. 10mm Glock, maybe?

[BenW]

Picking up a titanium knife soon.
Use it to stab your buddy, then swim away.

Seriously, sharks are not a big isssue for divers (unless you'rwe chumming for them or something). You have a better chance of being struck by lightning while diving with a pink, polka-dotted wetsuit and doing the Charleston underwater. I'm a NOAA diver and have been doing work related dives off Point Bennett at San Miguel Island for years. Pt. Bennett is on the Great White fine dining list with five varieties of sea lions for them to dine on, and I have yet to see Mr Whitey there.

And if you are going to be on the menu, you'll most likely be taken in the favored fashion, while you're floating on the surface. A bang stick won't do you much good since you won't see it coming. Sharks aren't big on attacking big, bubble-blowing mammals underwater.

[Pilgrim]

From what I have learned from watching the Discovery Channel programs on Great Whites, their primary feeding behavior is hugging the bottom and looking up for the silhouette of seals, sea lions, and elephant seals on or near the surface. When they see something that looks like a pinnaped, they swim up at full speed (close to 20 knots) to take a giant bite. Divers are vulnerable near the surface, but relatively safe down deep in the water.

Judging from the speed of their attack and from near invisibility, a diver would not have much time to employ a bang stick.

Pilgrim

[50 Freak]

10mm Glock??? HUMMMM

That can be done, just put the water cap thingies in the firing pin chamber and then Glock should shoot fine under water. Think I'll stick out if I were slinging a Glock on the side and my BFG-50 next to my oxygen tank?

[willyjixx]

just dont get between to of the big lovers an youll be allright!

[Camel]

What kind of knife are you looking at buying? I have a blunt tipped stainless dive knife somewhere. I like the blunt tipped kind because they are a bit more usefull for prying than the regular tips. Try to find one with a metal pommel, banging that pommel on your tank is a great way to get the attention of other divers.

As for sharks the ones Ive seen dont really like divers and tend to leave the area when you show up. But Ive never seen one big enough to eat me whole so I dont know :neener:

[50 Freak]

I like Mission knives. My everyday carry is the MPF (all titanium folder) and was thinking of picking up the MPK (titanium half serrated bowie) for diving and for my tactical missions to the local Walmart.

[Brian Dale]

Think I'll stick out if I were slinging a Glock on the side and my BFG-50 next to my oxygen tank? Yeah - remember what Pilgrim said about white sharks ambushing pinnipeds from below. If you look like a SEAL, don't spend too much time on the surface.

:uhoh: {Travis - please laugh...}

[Kobun]

Get a Glock or a revolver.
Wear a thigh holster and observe the expression on the other divers faces. :uhoh:


:D

[cpileri]

There's a link at this thread that may help you.

http://pub92.ezboard.com/fparallaxsmodernfirearmsandhuntingforumsfrm27.showMessage?topicID=54.topic

I also received an email from a guy about it. I'll talk with him then get back to this thread.
C-

[Cacique500]

Dont take a camera yet. Dont get a bang stick. Chances are you'll shoot your eye out. Bang sticks are for the guys in the cages chumming for sharks, not open water divers on a checkout dive.

At this point in your diving career you're much better off learning how to stay off coral (or how to get out of kelp) and coming up with 500 psi in your tank.

I've been diving regularly for 20 years and have only seen 1 'real' shark (nurse sharks don't count unless you pull their tail :evil: ) Once the divers hit the water I saw the shark briefly on the edge of my vision (enough to see it was a shark - white tip) and he was outta there.

As far as great whites, just don't float on the surface and make wounded seal flapping noises, you'll be fine.

Good luck and hope you enjoy your new hobby!

- Dave
PADI DiveMaster / Master Scuba Diver

P.S. If your instructor is wearing a dry suit and [this is important] HE'S not carrying a bang stick, sneak up behind him under water and unzip his suit. Amazing how fast one of those dry suiters will sink when cold water bursts in on them :neener:

[voilsb]

BenW said:
... and doing the Charleston ...
You know, I actually know how to do the Charleston. Funny how it comes up in a place like this, especially with a topic such as this.

Oh well. I change my recommendation. Go with Birdman's Nuke50. I'm willing to bet it'll stop sharks.
http://www.birdman.org/images/nukead2big.jpg

[Preacherman]

Y'know, if it's shark mating season, the last thing I'd be worrying about is an attack designed to eat me...

:what: :neener: :p :D

[280PLUS]

i'd be more worried about the guy out there who was "doin' it" with the dolphins,,,

:eek:

of course, if you're suddenly hearing sinister cello music, start acting like anything but a seal,,,

:what:

reminds me,,,what movie do you think they showed us 8th week of navy boot camp???

the humor was lost to me at the time, but now i think it was pretty darn funny,,,

;)

[Brian Dale]

280PLUS, Maybe they planned to assign a lot of your class to carriers, and they wanted guys to be enthusiastic about it ("we need a bigger boat...").

{Edited to add, to 50 Freak: On bangsticks, though: how many divers (as opposed to short-board surfers) have been nailed by sharks around Monterey Bay at that time of year? I'm not saying not to carry; it's your life to protect. A bangstick is one more piece of gear, though.}

[280PLUS]

you know, now that you mention it,,,

:D

[jhisaac1]

I kinda think that may be a little too much of a overkill
I don't think there is any such thing as "Overkill" when you are about to be eaten. I would try to find one in 155mm if possible.

Jason (land-lubbin' and proud of it.)

[Sunray]

"...Picking up a titanium knife soon..." A knife won't help. The hide on a shark is tough as hell and you can't fight the dominate predator in his element. You'll be partially eaten by the time your knife gets through his hide. Knew a guy who had caught a shark off his RCN destroyer. Took a hatchet to cut the hide open.

[gun-fucious]

as my buddy David Doubilet says:
"Thank God, Hippos don't have pointy sharks teeth
and that sharks don't have little hippo feet"

better get the 50BMG bang stick:
http://www.beco-products.com/images/product/MVC-230X.JPG

[Chuck Dye]

In seventy plus dives from Point lobos to the breakwater at the Coast Guard Station, I have seen only horned sharks, so docile you can pick them up and pose them for your photos, and a four foot leopard shark resident at Monastery Beach. Only if you are spearfishing would I take any real precautions, and then all you need is a stringer long enough that your catch stays several feet from you body. A friend has had half a halibut bitten off his stringer by an eight foot bull shark that probably would have taken his leg had the halibut been in a belt hung goody bag. In the greater Monterey area you are more at risk from horny sea lions than sharks. For that matter, if you paid attention in training, the most dangerous part of diving the Monterey Peninsula is the inattentive tourist behind the wheel on your way to and from the dive.

[CWL]

If you want to load up on toys, buy what you can afford, but I think we all know that there is very little danger of shark attacks on divers here in NorCal. Usually it's surfers at Stinson Beach. Sharks usually spit you back out after a test 'nibble' anyways.

Just try not to look like a seal.

[Triad]

You want shark fighting advice? Take this guy with you. (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20031023/od_uk_nm/oukoe_odd_iceland_shark)

[50 Freak]

That guy isn't so tough, I would have done the same thing. The only difference between me and that Iceman guy is that I would have peed in my pants first. :rolleyes:

[Sheldon]

Great white sharks are a protected species so you'll only be able to use harsh language to get the shark to let go of you. :neener:

[Ryder]

I kicked a shark with my bare foot early one morning while treading in deep water. I never saw it but it felt massive. It budged about as much as you might expect from kicking a buick. Avoidance makes a lot of sense to me these days. I just stay out of the water during feeding time. That's mainly the dark but early AM after sunrise they are still pretty active too.

[45King]

50 Freak wrote:The only difference between me and that Iceman guy is that I would have pied in my pants first.

A man who "pies" his pants.....now THAT'S tactical!

[Smoke]

Shark fighting advice:

Don't.



Smoke

[Sergeant Bob]

I suggest if you are concerned about sharks, do a bit of research on them. Don't just take the word of a bunch of internet ichthyologists (yes I know we do have some who ARE knowledgeable) on the subject. There are alot of misconceptions about sharks.
There are alot of sharks along the California coast. I did quite a bit of shark fishing in SoCal (usually off shore of some of the more popular beaches) and it wasn't unusual to catch 5 or 10 in a day (mostly Makos and Blues). One guy caught a 12 foot, 670 lb Mako off San Juan Capistrano (unfortunately I wasn't the guy, biggest I caught was 7 feet). Makos are real good eating by the way.:D Easy to dress out too. Just gut them out, them start slicing them like summer sausage, cut out the blood vein (one on each side) and peal the skin. They slice real easy and from a 100 lb shark, you probably get 70 lbs of good meat. Very little is wasted.
A couple sport fishermen got a video of two Great Whites feeding on a whale carcass (off Ventura IIRC), which were estimated at 12 and 16 feet in length.
Saw a Mako biting a Miller High Life bottle one time (they will bite things just to check them out). No, he didn't eat it (showing that Makos not only taste good, but also have good taste), just "squeezing the Charmin ", so to speak. Yes, I caught him and picked up the bottle.
One Mako we caught, after being shot through the head with a 12 ga slug, slit open and gutted, hanging alongside my boat for over an hour, started flopping and thrashing after I brought him into the boat.
Once cut a piece of meat out of a Mako (to use as bait) which had been "dead" for over an hour, and the piece of meat was throbbing and pulsing in my hand! Hard to appreciate unless you've actually done it.

Sorry about getting off topic there. Here's a chart on shark attacks showing victim activity, in Cal form 1900 to 1999.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/Statistics/caactivity.jpg
You'll see that attacks on humans by sharks are really pretty rare (you're more likely to get attacked by humans on the beach).

Her's a real good resource for info on sharks.
Florida Museum of Natural History (http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/Statistics/CAactivity.htm)

They are truly fascinating animals!

[MarkDido]

ALWAYS swim with a buddy.

I used to teach Safety and Survival to aircrewman when I was in the Navy. They all carried a survival kit in their vests. While explaing the purpose of the contents, I would tell them that the small, plastic handle razor knife was an "anti-shark" tool. In the event the aircraft had to ditch, the razor knife should be deployed and used to cut the junior aircrewman several times...then swim away very, very fast!

This technique should work for you too. :D

[motorep]

A friend of mine had a dive shop on the Jersey shore, sold a 12 ga bangstick to a new diver - "only use this underwater". Guy took it right home and destroyed his toilet. Wait until you've got the rest of diving dialed in before you complicate things.