Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Shark attack survivor

I watched the interview with Paige Winters, the young lady in NC who lost her leg in a shark attack a couple weeks back. Very refreshing to see someone who is so upbeat and positive when we see so many chronic snivelers who have much less reason to be a little down. Also refreshing, the actions of her father, who didn't hesitate but dove into the water to wrest her from the shark; giving no thought to his own safety. He didn't freeze; he didn't hesitate. A great, positive, story.
On a related subject, my daughter lives near New Bern NC and says it didn't take the recent shark attacts to make her want to stay out of the water. After the recent attacks, it is unlikely her kids will be spending much time in the ocean. GD

That would make anyone cautious.

you get in the ocean over your knees, you become part of the food chain.

At a Cape Cod beach last week. Beautiful sunny day. Moms and dads and kids all stretched out on the sand.

Four or five big full color signs around the parking lot with a picture of a Great White and the words "Great White Shark" "Danger".

Gray seals in the surf chasing fish.

Not one person in the water. Not even their feet. No surfers.

The Cape Cod vibe has really changed.

Shark attacks are going to steadily increase. Most large coastal sharks are now protected and the practice of gill netting literally tons of juvenile sharks along the beaches for crab trap bait has also mostly been stopped. You have increasing numbers of larger coastal sharks with ever more people in the water. It’s simply a numbers game.

I'm going to quit walking around the neighborhood because a dog might get me. And no more mountain hiking, lions, bears, yotes, and wolves all waiting for me. Just enjoy the ocean and don't give sharks much thought.

Wonder who got home first.

We have a family vacation house on Nantucket, off the coast of Cape Cod. I go there every Summer for a couple of weeks and sometimes in the fall if there are openings. I think it was in the 70's when they started protecting the Gray Seal. Up until about 25 years ago, I had never seen a seal. Now, the freaking seals have taken over. It's pretty simple, more seals in the water, the more shark attacks there will be on people. The water is filled with all kinds of sharks.

Last year one time, we were fishing the very tip of the island. There was a school of Bluefish hitting the surface about 50 yards out into the rip. Usually the seals will hug the beach and try to steal your fish as you reel it in. This particular day, the seals were hanging out about another 25 yards past were the fish were hitting. I thought it was odd until I noticed several 6' to 8' sharks patrolling the edge of the water. These sharks were close enough to me that I could have stuck out my 12' surf rod and touched them.

I got hit by a man-o-war 30+ years ago and still get shaky in the water. Doctor told my mom the scar would go away in 3-6 months. It’s still there. I tell people I got in a sword fight and almost got cut in half.

I might have to try this some time. Shark fishing looks like fun. Last summer, as we were fishing a certain beach, there was a guy parked next to us and he was shark fishing. When he got this one on, it took him about 1/2 hour to get it in. This dude had his schit together and knew exactly what he was doing. He said the hardest thing he ever pulled in was about a week earlier when he caught a stingray the size of the hood on his truck.

I'm 47 and have been swimming off the Carolina coast my whole life. There are days where we spend 6 to 8 hours, not just on the beach, but in the water. I have found thousands of sand dollars over the years. I know the sharks are there and I have seen a few. We will be at the beach in about a month and will swim every day that weather allows. We are quite aware of what is out there. I guess swimming in the ocean is just part of the Carolina culture. I did hear that some man-o-wars have been spotted this summer. Bummer on that!

I've wade fished there with Leighton and Brian for stripers. but i had my eyes peeled after seeing the sign.

Yeah, my wife and I swim when we are there too but my daughter has always had a bit of a phobia. When I would get out over waist deep, she would start getting anxious.
The real point of my post was the aftermath of this particular attack and the people involved. Watch the ABC interview. GD

At least the water is clear enough that you can see them before they take your leg off.

Yes it's unreal how some people can pick up the pieces after their lives just changed. Pretty strong will.

Sorry, I didn't mean to hy-jack the thread.

For that manowar, meat tenderizer or piss on it, seriously.

Last year I took an airplane tour around the Cape and somewhere off the National Seashore I saw a big shark from about 400-500 feet ASL. He was slowly cruising along at the surface and just off the sand - real close. No people nearby.

Can't say for sure it was a Great White but it was a husky brute and considerable bigger and longer than the gray seals I saw a mile or so down the beach. NOAA says an adult gray seal can go 7.5-10 feet and up to 880 lbs. So - bigger than one of those.

I used to swim off that stretch of beach when I was a kid.

lot of whites on the cape.

think i've only seen a couple blacks there in all times i've been there fishing....