Great white Sharks

[Ravi]

Blimey. We’re cancelling next years Ionian Charter then!

The Ionian is so overfished that there won't be many great whites. Interestingly, great whites have been observed traversing the Corinth canal! My friend met a local fisherman in the gulf of Corinth who had photographs of one that he had caught - in a little Greek fishing caique!

Great whites (and other large sharks) often follow large merchant sea vessels. The bigger the ship, the bigger the sharks , they say. My merchantmen friend swears that he has seen sharks far larger than anything recorded, while traversing the globe in a supertanker.

 

[xyachtdave]

The Ionian is so overfished that there won't be many great whites. Interestingly, great whites have been observed traversing the Corinth canal! My friend met a local fisherman in the gulf of Corinth who had photographs of one that he had caught - in a little Greek fishing caique!

Great whites (and other large sharks) often follow large merchant sea vessels. The bigger the ship, the bigger the sharks , they say. My merchantmen friend swears that he has seen sharks far larger than anything recorded, while traversing the globe in a supertanker.

I have been through the Corinth Canal once, saw hundreds of dolphins there. So plenty of ssshhhhark! food about!

Sharks following ships…not very comforting if you’re unlucky enough to sink.

The incident on 1st January 1956, ‘swimming off yacht’ is of concern!

Shark Attack Data: Greece

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Sea temperatures overall have risen by a fraction of a degree, it may be true that summer surface water temperatures are showing a little higher and for longer when we have extended summers but that has always been the case.
I read a report of Orcas attacking and killing a great white off South Africa only a week or so ago so perhaps the Iberian Orcas will do the same.
Once the Gulf Stream reverses sea temperatures will drop and the great whites will bugger off back where they came from.

 

[QBhoy]

The Ionian is so overfished that there won't be many great whites. Interestingly, great whites have been observed traversing the Corinth canal! My friend met a local fisherman in the gulf of Corinth who had photographs of one that he had caught - in a little Greek fishing caique!

Great whites (and other large sharks) often follow large merchant sea vessels. The bigger the ship, the bigger the sharks , they say. My merchantmen friend swears that he has seen sharks far larger than anything recorded, while traversing the globe in a supertanker.

First I’ve heard of them following ships. Used to work on ships in the merchant for 10 years…but I will definitely agree that when we were at anchor in the Red Sea and in the Caribbean…with the big spot lights shining into the water…there were often enormous sharks visible !

 

[st599]

Sea temperatures overall have risen by a fraction of a degree, it may be true that summer surface water temperatures are showing a little higher and for longer when we have extended summers but that has always been the case.
I read a report of Orcas attacking and killing a great white off South Africa only a week or so ago so perhaps the Iberian Orcas will do the same.
Once the Gulf Stream reverses sea temperatures will drop and the great whites will bugger off back where they came from.

Sharks have been in the Med for a few million years. Their numbers are dwindling due to man made pressure. Quite alarming as scientists don't know what will happen if the apex predator leaves.

 

[johnalison]

Sharks have been in the Med for a few million years. Their numbers are dwindling due to man made pressure. Quite alarming as scientists don't know what will happen if the apex predator leaves.

It will follow the Serengeti Rules qv. , following the work of Bob Paine. Species diversity will plummet.

 

[Beneteau381]

I saw a documentary recently regarding seals on the Angolan( or Namibian?) coast, and Orcas were catching the pups by swimming right onto the shore, then re-launching themselves. Also makes you think!

Was on an oil field supply boat making a visit to one of our platforms off N Angola. There was a little penguin being chased by sharks, he hopped on board over the stern roller. Concensus was he had been swept north by the Benguela current, it stayed for a few days, the locals wanted to eat it. They are everything else! One day one of them was munching on a hunk of charred meat, I asked what it was porca da mer, sea pig was his reply. It was years later when I went to sea world in Florida that I realised it was a piece of manatee!

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Way back in '96, halfway through a circumnavigation of Sicily, we were en-route from the island of Vulcano to Cefalu on the north coast of Sicily. The weather was baking hot without a breath of wind. Halfway across the kids were getting a bit fractious, so I stopped the engines and piped (metaphorically) 'hands to bathe'.
With the wife and I taking it in turns to remain on board we all went swimming for an hour or so. (Just checked my CM93 charts and it must have been 1,300 ~ 1,500 metres deep.)
With the kids tuckered out we motored on to Cefalu to find every cafe and newsagent selling postcards of a great white shark hauled up by a dockyard crane. They claimed it was the largest great white ever caught. Seems we were swimming in a breeding area for great whites. Gulp!

(I think I may have posted this tale before. Apologies if so)

 

[Obi]

Back to the insects. A few years ago I saw a interview with a Canadian park ranger who was talking about a manhunt for two teens. He said the insects would bleed them dry in a matter of days. So I just checked and found this: Bugs will 'eat' teen fugitives in Canada, survival expert says

 

[arcot]

While cir umnavigating Vancouver Island off the west coast of Canada summer 2020 my wife saw two seals on a raft of floating kelp.
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Sadly I was asleep at the time.
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A great white shark attacked the seals and one seal was seen held in the sharks mouth.
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This took place just north of the Brooks Penninsula August 2020.