View Full Version : shark swims!
Hi!
does anyone know if there is anywhere near Orlando where its possible to swim with sharks? or go on a boat ride to see some?
i heard that seaworld do something along these lines but their website doesn't say anything about it...:S
Thanks very much!
Alex:)
Nostromo
05-12-2004, 02:09
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Rodney
Hi!
does anyone know if there is anywhere near Orlando where its possible to swim with sharks? [/quote]
Don't know about swimming with sharks, but if you try near the Keys you may have a fair chance of being eaten by some. Might be altogether a different experience though.:D:D
Nostromo! Have you forgotten to take the pills again![}:)]
Kaz
chrizzy100
05-12-2004, 02:59
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Rodney
Hi!
does anyone know if there is anywhere near Orlando where its possible to swim with sharks? or go on a boat ride to see some?
i heard that seaworld do something along these lines but their website doesn't say anything about it...:S
Thanks very much!
Alex:)
[/quote]
I think you still can in seaworld.......but you need to be able to dive.....
$150 per person for scuba divers and $125 for snorkelers. These prices include tax as well as a souvenir t-shirt and an informative booklet about sharks. Participants must be at least 10 years of age.
Reservations are required -- the ride only accommodates two people at a time -- and can be made by calling (800) 406-2244 or (407) 363-2380. Reservations can also be made at the Tour desk near the front entrance to the park..I think its about 30 minutes.....
Try here http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/topic_1664.asp
Calamity Jane
05-12-2004, 12:38
This is so weird, its only a couple of nights ago that I was watching a program about swimming with sharks. I came in halfway through the program so I'm not sure where it was but it was really interesting, there was even a guy who went in the water with Great Whites ( I personally think he was a complete nutter)
I dont know that I would do it myself but it was a superb program and showed sharks in a completely different light. ( I think someone said the shark was misunderstood...yeah right !!):D
Magical Dreams
05-12-2004, 12:49
I have a friend from Work who has just come back from a Diving Holiday.
He has some fantastic Photo's of Tropical Fish and SHARKS
I'm not ready to die just yet.
They are fantastic creatures and I agree with what Karen said, they are misunderstood!
After all they are Hunters!!
Still it must be a fantastic experience to have the guts to be able to do it!
[chatter][chatter][chatter][chatter][chatter][chatter][chatter]
DarrenShort
05-12-2004, 13:26
The Florida Aqaurium in Tampa also runs 'swim with sharks' programs, but again you need to be a certified diver to take part.
If your lucky enough to see a shark whilst diving, it's a great buzz. Yes you actually go diving with the hope of seeing them!!
They are usually not interested in you at all and cruise by with sickening ease whilst you are struggling against the current sucking air with eyes the size of saucers.
I was lucky enough to dive with a school of 70+ Hammerheads off Jackson reef last June whilst diving in the blue at 30m at Sharm in Egypt...and have the video to prove it...[msnsmile2]
Amazing creatures....big respect!!...
I hope you get the chance Alex.
Now - just to put the record striaght!
It is my son Alex who has been using my name to ask this question.
You would not get me in any water that had sharks. [msnscared] The fact that they are "not usually interested in us when they swim past" is not convincing me[msneek]. "not usually" means they might be interested and might be hungry and might just decide to have a nibble![xx(]
They may be misunderstood but I'm still not going to trust them, as to quote Pontelad "After all they are Hunters"!!
The nearest I'll get is on the Jaws ride.[msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2]
Peter
I read somewhere, National Geographic I think, that when a shark bites you the first bite is called something like an investigative bite. That is the shark will just have a bit of a nibble to see if you taste good. Tasting good in shark terms is tasting like a raw seal. Most divers and surfers apparently don't taste too good at all so will just end up with a nasty bite rather than being eaten.
Adds a new meaning to the phrase, chewy on the outside but with a crispy center!
Which is the exact opposite to polar bears eating igloos, which are crunchy on the outside with a chewy center.
Sorry - lost the plot there a bit!
Nostromo
05-12-2004, 19:51
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steveharrison
I read somewhere, National Geographic I think, that when a shark bites you the first bite is called something like an investigative bite. That is the shark will just have a bit of a nibble to see if you taste good.
[/quote]
Well, who knows, maybe sharks have preferences like us. I mean, I could meet up with a shark that likes Indian food and so prefer me over others! [msnscared][msnscared][xx(][xx(]. Saw a movie a while ago called "Eat & Run" about an Alien that likes to eat Italian...the people, not the food.....
There used to be the shark smim at Disneys Typhon Lagoon.
Yep see what I mean little nibble = investigative bite means = wheres my leg gone = Oh its over there! Thats good news he doesnt like the taste of me......phew that was close!
You will not get me anywhere near water which contains sharks[msneek][msneek][msneek][msneek][msneek][msneek]
Peter
There still is the shark swim at Typhoon Lagoon but it also has other species of fish in it as well.
I am reliably informed by my son (3rd year tropical marine biology student doing his dissertation on something to do with sharks) that we do not taste very nice and if human blood is spilt in the water it will not cause a feeding frenzy.
He was working and researching with lemon sharks earlier in the year at RASMAS and also researching in the waters of Cutler Road, Miami. He had to have spotters as there were both lemon and bull sharks in the water.
I heard him one day on his return say that one of his professors was on TV talking about lemon sharks. I then found out that he had lied and these are not semi docile sharks but sharks with a memory and a bad attitude to anyone that annoys them. They soon learnt that he cleaned their tank on a Friday and they had to be moved they would become quite agressive. He also said that if you annoy both a great white and a lemon shark the great white will swim off as they are not vindictive but the lemon shark will turn round and bite you.
Thanks to Jill I've been reminded that I have swam with sharks then as i did the snorkel swim at Typhoon lagoon two years ago. I can't remeber sharks though must have been little ones:D.
Its the ones with big teeth and large mouths that can bite your leg off that i'm talking about.
Peter
Nostromo
05-12-2004, 21:56
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Rodney
Its the ones with big teeth and large mouths that can bite your leg off that i'm talking about.
Peter
[/quote]
Someone told me that the best Shark Repellant is marmite. Smear yourself all over with the stuff and no self-respecting shark will ever come near you! :D:D
Nor anyone else for that matter! :D:D
chrizzy100
05-12-2004, 22:15
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Jill
There still is the shark swim at Typhoon Lagoon but it also has other species of fish in it as well.
I am reliably informed by my son (3rd year tropical marine biology student doing his dissertation on something to do with sharks) that we do not taste very nice and if human blood is spilt in the water it will not cause a feeding frenzy.
He was working and researching with lemon sharks earlier in the year at RASMAS and also researching in the waters of Cutler Road, Miami. He had to have spotters as there were both lemon and bull sharks in the water.
I heard him one day on his return say that one of his professors was on TV talking about lemon sharks. I then found out that he had lied and these are not semi docile sharks but sharks with a memory and a bad attitude to anyone that annoys them. They soon learnt that he cleaned their tank on a Friday and they had to be moved they would become quite agressive. He also said that if you annoy both a great white and a lemon shark the great white will swim off as they are not vindictive but the lemon shark will turn round and bite you.
[/quote]
People used to think that sharks liked human blood....but the study is that they like it no more than they like fish blood.....I was also doing marine biology.. sharks being my objects of study.....I still keep up with the times here and there.....sharks can take a life time of study and you still don't know half there is to know about them.....[msnsmile2]
So lets just recap:-
"They are usually not interested in you"
"the first bite is called something like an investigative bite"
"the shark will just have a bit of a nibble to see if you taste good"
"Most divers and surfers apparently don't taste too good at all so will just end up with a nasty bite rather than being eaten"
"I then found out that he had lied and these are not semi docile sharks but sharks with a memory and a bad attitude to anyone that annoys them."
"the great white will swim off as they are not vindictive but the lemon shark will turn round and bite you"
"People used to think that sharks liked human blood....but the study is that they like it no more than they like fish blood....." (But they eat fish...don't they?)
So clearly
"you need to be a certified diver to take part"
I would say you need to be certified full stop to swim with sharks.
[laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh]
Rodney I certainly think my son needs to be certified especially when I found out some of things he had been doing with sharks. Standing in the water with a dead baracuda conducting experiments with bulls and lemons swimming nearby is positively mad. They are fascinating creatures which we really know very little about. At the moment he is conducting experiments with electricity and their feeding patterns.
The first investigative bite, depending on the shark involved, is often on the large side as a lot of these creatures have rather large mouths and more than one row of teeth.
Chrizzy how far did you get with your marine degree what did you specialise in and do you still use it?
I know this is getting slightly off topic from the initial question, but it seems there are a lot of people out there with a lot of misconceptions regarding sharks.
If you go diving,(Like i do) you really hope to see sharks in there natural habitat, but in reality they are more scared than you and keep their distance, swimming at the edge of your vision in the great blue yonder.
The only times i have been up close is during organised shark feeding dives (3 times in the Bahamas), this was a great buzz, they come close because they are after the food, not you.
I never felt worried about been bitten, infact was more concerned about getting them close enough for photos.
Too many people seem to spread this vision of sharks seeing you in the water and just swimming straight over and biting you, it doesn't happen. There are some great ariel photo's i have seen of people on the beach (fort lauderdale) in the shallows having a great time un beknown that there where probable 20 sharks swimming in the same vicinity, without anybody getting bitten.
Yes they do bite, occassionally, but so do dogs, and it doesn't stop people walking down the street does it?
Frosty I have no misconceptions about sharks and what they can and can't do. As I have already said my son is studying tropical marine biology with shark feeding patterns for his dissertation. The main reason he had to have spotters was because he was in the water with bulls and lemons and conducting feeding experiments using dead baracuda, which I am reliably informed, they are rather partial to, so in this instance yes they were swimming towards him.
chunkichik
06-12-2004, 04:21
On our first trip to Clearwater my hubby went in the water for a paddle, I sat on the beach with the kids as it wasn't very warm (chicken I know!!!!) he was in the water for about ten minutes and then came back out looking rather white.
He told me he had just been pottering around in the water and saw a big fish out of the corner of his eye, he did a double take and then realised it was a SHARK!!! it was about four feet long and suffice to say he made a hasty but very controlled exit!!
Thats enough for me thanks[msnwink]
chunkichik
06-12-2004, 04:22
Although on second thoughts, if you could conjure up the same scenario, it wouldn't cost you 150 bucks would it [msnsmile]
diverdrew
06-12-2004, 21:10
I agree with Frosty. The only time I have ever come close to a bad experience is with a Bull shark off Tenaco Towers (dive site off Ft. Lauderdale) and that was only because my buddy was spearfishing Hog Fish (tasty). We let the shark have the catch. Bull sharks (also known as Zambezi Sharks) can be insistent, especially when there is a distressed (in our case, speared) fish in the water. Have also dived with Basking (Lundy UK), Black Tip Reef, White Tip Reef, Sand Tigers (or Raggy' Sharks, S. Africa), Great Whites ( In a Cage, S. Africa), Nurse Sharks as well as the myriad of Starry Hounds etc in the UK. I'm still alive (obviously) and have NO bits missing ! 400 million years of evolution and yet we still know so little about them.
Incidently, you can dive with Raggy's (I think there are some in the tank) at Divequest (EPCOT), but you must be a certified SCUBA diver. ($140, I think). See the link below for $10.00 discount:
http://www.naui.org/pdffiles/dive%20quest%20c.pdf
And this link for info on DIVEQUEST:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/tourDetail?id=EpcotDiveQuestTourPage
Cheers
Drew
One of my favourite shots.
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/Frosty/2004127232445_Shark3.jpg
Taken off Bahamas, hope you like.
diverdrew
08-12-2004, 12:16
GREAT Photo Frosty ! What were you using (Camera & Strobe set-up etc).
Getting 'fired-up' now as we fly out of Heathrow on the 13th for sunny Florida. One of the first things on my list is to puchase the Oly & Housing and shoot both still & video. CAN'T WAIT !
Thanks Drew,
Its a Sea & Sea Motor Marine II EX with a YS-60TTL strobe.
Must admit i haven't used it that much (Dont get the chance [msnsad]) but its turned out some great shots.
Whats a Oly ?
chrizzy100
08-12-2004, 18:20
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Jill
Rodney I certainly think my son needs to be certified especially when I found out some of things he had been doing with sharks. Standing in the water with a dead baracuda conducting experiments with bulls and lemons swimming nearby is positively mad. They are fascinating creatures which we really know very little about. At the moment he is conducting experiments with electricity and their feeding patterns.
The first investigative bite, depending on the shark involved, is often on the large side as a lot of these creatures have rather large mouths and more than one row of teeth.
Chrizzy how far did you get with your marine degree what did you specialise in and do you still use it?
[/quote]
I had to drop it.....I knew I could not carry on because of the damage to my lungs......but I had a chance to do marine studies in the class room and took it till I had to pick my subjects ......[msnsad]
I'd spent my summers from aged 6 with the shark fisherman and the rest of the time with my friends dad who was a marine vet at the zoo....I wanted to be a fisherman even after being bite by a dead shark at aged 7.....long story....[msnsmile2]
I ended up a dog trainer....my time at the zoo give me a love of wolves so I got sled dogs a long way from wanting to work in and around the sea ..but you take what life throws at you...and you make the most of it....the next thing on my list is a camel......but I can't see the HOA in FL letting me park one in the street......[msnsmile2]
diverdrew
08-12-2004, 18:35
Hi Frosty
Sorry for the abbreviation. An 'Oly' is just short for 'Olympus'.[8D]
LiesaAnna
26-12-2004, 01:45
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steveharrison
I read somewhere, National Geographic I think, that when a shark bites you the first bite is called something like an investigative bite. That is the shark will just have a bit of a nibble to see if you taste good.
[/quote]
Well, who knows, maybe sharks have preferences like us. I mean, I could meet up with a shark that likes Indian food and so prefer me over others! [msnscared][msnscared][xx(][xx(]. Saw a movie a while ago called "Eat & Run" about an Alien that likes to eat Italian...the people, not the food.....
[/quote]
just gave me a chuckle!!!!![msnembarrased]