Great Whites ''identify effective hunting grounds''

[BigJim]

When I was eleven, 27 years ago, my father used to take us to a private beach out in Westport, Ma. There was a large rock that stood out the water about 250 feet from shore. My father and I would often swim out there and hang out on the rock which was about ten feet across and fully surrounded by deep water. One day he got the bright idea to bring drop lines and cut bait out their to fish. Bad idea. We started pulling in blues and soon the rock was surrounded by a school. I was scared. Then they suddenly vanished. My relief was short lived when realized why they left so quick. I saw a 16 foot great white shark circling the rock and appeared to be looking at us. Close enough I could have dove on top of him. Remember, this is around the time the original Jaws came out. i think I screamed like a woman. he circled only for about 3- 5 minutes and took off. Luckily some people saw me screaming with a large fin sticking out of the water. Habor police came out and got us. So if anyone ever wonders why I rarely go more than knee high when I swim. There you go. True story.

[Blitzseeker]

If someone doesn't get whacked by a white in the next five years on the Outer Cape I'll be stunned. They're out there already, have been for years, and there'll only be more of them with all the seals.

I fear that's what it will take to bring attention to the overpopulation of seals.

Seals are fine. Thousands and thousands of seals are not fine. We screwed up the balance of nature by killing all of them, and now we're going to the other guardrail by allowing them to proliferate like rats. Once humans screw things up, they have to stay involved in some sort of management program...can't just walk away and say everything's fine because we "protect them" now.

Every time I see a seal off the beach now, I think of how incredible it would be to see it get whacked right in front of me. A few people see it happen each year, which means it is probably happening 50X more when people aren't watching.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Blitzseeker

Every time I see a seal off the beach now, I think of how incredible it would be to see it get whacked right in front of me. A few people see it happen each year, which means it is probably happening 50X more when people aren't watching.

That's funny, sounds like a conversation we had just last week. Was out tuna fishing with a friend, seals bobbing around and he goes, "you know, nothing would be better than seeing a shark sky right out of the water with that seal in its mouth. After seeing that happen, I wouldn't care if we were out here all day without even seeing a fish."

[Backbeach Jake]

There's a Great White hanging in the Smithsonian in DC caught off P-town in 1911, I believe. Huge fish. Gives me high hopes for seal control.

[JoeBass]

Originally Posted by BigJim

When I was eleven, 27 years ago, my father used to take us to a private beach out in Westport, Ma. There was a large rock that stood out the water about 250 feet from shore. My father and I would often swim out there and hang out on the rock which was about ten feet across and fully surrounded by deep water. One day he got the bright idea to bring drop lines and cut bait out their to fish. Bad idea. We started pulling in blues and soon the rock was surrounded by a school. I was scared. Then they suddenly vanished. My relief was short lived when realized why they left so quick. I saw a 16 foot great white shark circling the rock and appeared to be looking at us. Close enough I could have dove on top of him. Remember, this is around the time the original Jaws came out. i think I screamed like a woman. he circled only for about 3- 5 minutes and took off. Luckily some people saw me screaming with a large fin sticking out of the water. Habor police came out and got us. So if anyone ever wonders why I rarely go more than knee high when I swim. There you go. True story.

That is one intense thing to go through. Especially at 11. I can just imagine how intense that was.

[Van]

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