# Kinda Sharky Dive Report



## MoonJelly (Apr 23, 2013)

Since I first started diving last year, I have always been expecting this dive to come. The dive that I envision in my head the night before every trip. Sure I have had the pleasure of coming across sharks on dives before, both while spearing and before I started spearing, but this is the one I have been waiting for. 

Trip out of Perdido Pass on Sunday, we left about 10:30 AM. On the way to diveshop, my girlfriend and I were speculating on how awesome the viz would be since the weather has been pretty good the past few weeks. We were slightly disappointed when we got to the dive shop and find out that viz has been pretty crappy lately. Not to be discouraged, we grabbed our tanks and hit the water. 

First dive, Blue water for about 30 feet and then hit the thermocline and viz on the bottom was 25-30 feet which was much, much better than we were expecting. Shot a snapper and sheepshead and saw a very small goliath. I sent my fish up before ascending and about 20' from the bottom and see a 10' bull move in below us to look for scraps. He didn't even glance at us and I felt very comfortable on my ascent and was just thinking about how great of a dive it was and how we beat the odds with the viz. I couldn't wait to go back down.

Second dive, next two divers go in. Surface current has really picked up and they use a lot of energy getting to the anchor buoy. Trouble with a regulator about halfway down and they both come back to the surface and signal for me to come pick them up. They get back in the boat, sort out the problems and decide to go somewhere else. The anchor is stuck as the current drug the anchor into the structure. My buddy decides to go down and free the anchor. Comes back up with stories of the bull harassing him the whole time. Screw this lets go somewhere else for sure!

Third dive, My sit time is done and I'm anxious to go down. My buddy and I hop in and surface current is still pretty tough. we drop as soon as we hit the water down into the thermocline. As we pass through into the darkness, visibility is about 10 feet at best and it is DARK. i look up to the boat and see the silhouette of a fairly large shark cruising around maybe 20 feet above us. I don't even signal to my buddy about the shark, because I figure maybe it will stay at the surface. Keep dropping, and suddenly we are in a school of 20-40 huge amberjacks and snapper. In between the darting fish, I see one shark....two sharks. both 8-10'. Now I signal my buddy shark! and give him the signal for two of them as he points behind me and I see shark number three. Finally we hit bottom and I don't even see any structure around. We agree to go back up and start following the line where the anchor drug through the sand. Without finding it, we say screw it and start just heading up without the anchor line. When we hit the thermocline layer again, we are at least out of the darkness. I am still making my way up, and see dive buddy screwing around with his gun about 15' below me and I know he is thinking he is going to try to shoot something. I look up to the surface, and the shark is still up above us circling and I know my buddy doesn't even know about this shark yet. I swim back down and tap him a couple of times on the head and kinda give him a "don't even think about it" look. After what seemed like a super long safety stop, we finally surface and luckily I don't see any sharks around and we flag the boat down since we have now drifted about 100 yards from the buoy. 

Overall, it was a very good experience that will either increase my confidence or increase my phobia of sharks..LOL. This was the only dive that I have ever felt mildly panicked, but I think everything went well and I'm not sure I would have done anything differently. The sharks were not being aggressive, but they were definitely getting more and more ballsy by the second. I know I would not have wanted to have just shot a fish with them circling us like that, and the low viz just topped it off. Anyways, thanks for reading and I am looking forward to getting back out!


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## Turtlebait (Dec 3, 2008)

I feel your anxiety brother, but I didn't have enough sense to NOT shoot some ARS with 3 then to total 5 Bull Sharks! Lost my speargun to a 10 footer! Small price to pay while I made my getaway! - Ric


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

If you would have shot a fish it would have upped the ante. They tend to get very aggressive when they think someone is honing in on their food source.


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## WhackUmStackUm (Jan 31, 2010)

You might want to check out this classified ad: http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f53/shark-shield-sale-385881/#post3191521


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## Berry (Mar 8, 2011)

Whackum
This was the first time I was unnerved as well. You know anybody that actually uses a shark shield (I was the idiot buddy trying to figure out how quick I could pop a fish and inflate my lift bag if I rigged it up as a float line.)


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## Ozeanjager (Feb 2, 2008)

*Shark shield*



Berry said:


> Whackum
> This was the first time I was unnerved as well. You know anybody that actually uses a shark shield (I was the idiot buddy trying to figure out how quick I could pop a fish and inflate my lift bag if I rigged it up as a float line.)


I have a shark shield , been useing it for over 2 years. I have had sharks zero in when I have had fish . Never getting inside the 15 ft bubble. But it's hard to say how well it works as the natural reaction of us all is to go brave hart and fend them away. I am ok with that , not going to restrain my reaction just to see if it works. But to date , no incidents that I know of. I didn't buy it for the sharks I see, I got it for the ones that swim up in the blind spot while your in a cage match prison shanking your fish. So I don't know how many sharks it fended away that I never knew were there. One thing is for sure . It works good on dive buddy's. Also if you get one, remember to turn it off before you climb up a conductive dive ladder. ..... Ask me how I know.


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## coolbluestreak (Jun 27, 2011)

Ozeanjager said:


> One thing is for sure . It works good on dive buddy's.


 Yes it does, my wife used to have one. 





http://youtu.be/mwYilLUsMkg


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## jspooney (Oct 2, 2007)

Jeremy, I'm sorry but I'm laughing hard now. I know it must have hurt though.


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## coolbluestreak (Jun 27, 2011)

jspooney said:


> Jeremy, I'm sorry but I'm laughing hard now. I know it must have hurt though.


Alyssa hates the video because she knows that she caused the pain.
anywhere else on the body and it'll get your attention, but to the head..I couldn't even think straight.


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## tank banger (Oct 2, 2012)

Have to say that video ranks above the one where the trigger fish bit you!!!


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## coolbluestreak (Jun 27, 2011)

I hate trigger fish, at least it didn't bite my head.


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