" Shark sightings up as Salmon start to run.."

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06/04/10.

Shark sightings up as Salmon start to run.

Be weary of the close encounter of the 4th kind. The last few days have seen quite a few sightings of sharks chasing Salmon schools thru the line up with crew in the water in the South West region. With the Salmon running it's inevitable that you are going to have the grey torpedo (sharks) squad in a frenzy while they are trying to get a feed.

One surfer who wants to remain unknown said "We were sitting waiting for a set and the next thing the water started to boil and chop up. There were Salmon fins every where and then three great big fins, one sticking nearly two foot out of the water went whizzing past. They weren't dolphins as the back of the fins had no curve in them. That bull#%*t of staying calm totally went out the window as all eight of us paddled like hell to the beach."

A few trips to try and avoid them is;
1. Always surf with a few crew, never alone.
2. Just because there are Dolphins around, doesn't mean there isn't any sharks. Dolphins can not swallow large fish, so when the bite them the remains of the fish float around in the water attracting scavengers and they all eat the same food, fish.
3. Try not too surf at dawn and dusk (renown feeding periods.
4. Don't surf if Salmon or fish schools are around.
5. If the water has a fishy smell to it chances are there has been some munching action recently on a fish school, keep out of the water.
6. Avoid surfing near beach or boat fisher man, the bait attracts fish and then bigger fish.
7. Don't enter the water if sharks are present .
8. Don't splash around too much.
9. Most sharks like to hang around deep drop offs or beach breaks and sandbars.
10. If it's been crowded everywhere else and you rock up at a break and it's pumping with no one out. Sit and look at it for at least 20 mins. Chances are no one is out because there was a shark out ther earlier on before you rocked up. (True story as it happened to me and a couple of mates).

This article is not mean't to scare you, but merely inform you