[bmw335xi]

I forgot to add... MOST shark attacks happen from night time to early morning. This is when sharks are most active and looking for food.

[Hawaii4evr]

Yes, I heard about the Great Whites! Shocking! The dangerous things about the Great Whites is that because of their size the bite can do deadly damage, but they usually don't eat people. The Bulls and Tigers are more dangerous. I saw a program about it a few years ago on Animal Planet or Discovery. The Great White's bite only tore flesh from a lamb leg, the Bull Shark's tore flesh and caused some marks on bone, the Tiger Shark bit clean through both. The Bull Shark favors the same waters as humans-warm and shallow. The Great Whites are too big to be shallow, as are the Tigers, and for the most part, GW prefer cooler waters (although they do go down to the tropics and subtropics every now and then). Bull Sharks also have the ability to go into freshwater, which makes the probability of them attacking people even higher. And they have more testosterone than any other animal on Earth-so they're ultra aggressive. They also tend to bite in areas where lots of blood would gush out of us. Tiger Sharks prefer warm ocean, so the chances of them attacking us is bigger. But the most dangerous thing-they will eat ANYTHING! They are known as the garbage cans of the sea. They WILL eat you, if given the opportunity, and so they will go back for another bite if they've already attacked you, whereas we are unappetizing to Bulls, Great Whites, and other species for the most part.

[Hawaii4evr]

Originally Posted by Sweetbottoms

Bull sharks in the inlets where the brackish water are common also, I've personally witnessed sharks in knee deep water on several occasions in Naples chasing schools of fish. We also have Tigertail beach, where you guessed it Tigertailsharks are common, I do believe we had a shark attack there last year on a young boy. With the release of Lake O's fresh water into the gulf the water has turned muddy looking and now the gators have been spotted several times in ft. Myers and Naples surfing the waves and sun bathing on the sand. Even after 30 years here I do not swim "carefree" in the water. We are in their territory, even in a foot of water you are fair game. Always be aware if your surrounds and IMO don't go swimming out to the sandbars.

Gators? You're kidding! I'm also worried about pythons swimming out there! I've heard of rattlesnakes swimming in the ocean to the Keys, and even rumors of the introduced Pythons being spotted in the Keys too-how else would they have gotten there if not by swimming in the ocean?

[bmw335xi]

Are you all New Yorkaas?? I've never seen such scaredy pants... once again driving your car is a lot more likely to end up in death than swimming in the early morning in Daytona beach with a silver and gold chain around your neck attached with squid lol.

[stan4]

More of an issue in the water, I'd guess.

[1insider]

Lots of misinformation in this thread. Most of the attacks (more accurately described as bites) in Florida are by spinner or blacktip sharks, not bulls, and most bites are to the feet of surfers, which are rarely embellished by shiny jewelry and almost all are during daylight hours. Subtract all the bites to surfers and Florida has a very low incidence of shark bites. Source: I'm a lifelong surfer and diver and have been in the water with sharks my whole life. I've brushed them while surfing and I've shared the water with them while spearfishing. Florida beach swimmers have more to fear from parking enforcement than sharks.

[D-R-B]

Originally Posted by 1insider

Lots of misinformation in this thread. Most of the attacks (more accurately described as bites) in Florida are by spinner or blacktip sharks, not bulls, and most bites are to the feet of surfers, which are rarely embellished by shiny jewelry and almost all are during daylight hours. Subtract all the bites to surfers and Florida has a very low incidence of shark bites. Source: I'm a lifelong surfer and diver and have been in the water with sharks my whole life. I've brushed them while surfing and I've shared the water with them while spearfishing. Florida beach swimmers have more to fear from parking enforcement than sharks.

Misinformation?........

I think what most of us were saying is that Bull Sharks are the most dangerous and aggressive.....

Not the most frequent biters of people in the water/surf.

Also, I agree, beach goers have nothing to fear if a few common sense precautions are taken.

[1insider]

Originally Posted by D-R-B

Misinformation?........

I think what most of us were saying is that Bull Sharks are the most dangerous and aggressive.....

Not the most frequent biters of people in the water/surf.

Also, I agree, beach goers have nothing to fear if a few common sense precautions are taken.

I was responding in part to the post that said "The VAST majority of shark attacks in Florida are from Bull Sharks, ... and ... Don't wear flashy jewelry that looks like a lure."

I have been in the water with big bull sharks on multiple occasions while spearfishing. I understand the danger. My point was that they are not responsible for the "VAST majority" of attacks nor are swimmers with jewelry being targeted by sharks. There is no evidence to suggest that a swimmer is more likely to be bitten at dawn or dusk either. In fact the stats suggest a different story but that is related to human behavior not sharks'. From the Florida Museum of Natural History shark attack data, "Nearly all shark attacks occur between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM and during the weekend, NOT because of the shark's daily activity cycles, but because these are the times of the day when people are in the water."

Surfers in Volusia and Brevard counties still stand a far greater chance of a bite than a heavily bejeweled diver spearing cobia off a bull shark's back at sundown.

[jambo101]

Nice thing about a pool is i can look to see there are no sharks in it before i jump in,
Fresh or saltwater aint for me,too many things with fangs,sharp teeth, poison spikes,stingers and other forms of death to humans.

http://images.oyster.com/florida-key...17-67-1600.jpg

[lofel]

You cant avoid jellyfish but avoiding a shark is very important.Are there shark free beaches like swimming pools?So lets not get the idea that its all fine and dandy.