So how real is the threat of sharks in Phuket beaches now ?

[Agusts]

Well, bad news about the poor kid who got bitten in Kamala, but how much more of this should we expect...?

 

Generally it has been a rare event in Phuket waters, but when all shark  species are protected in obsessive manner to no end, their numbers will obviously rise and when we also catch their food in their natural habitat the consequence will be they come closer to shore and , ehem, in triple quotes, "'accidentally"' take a bite - poor things are hungry right....! ? ????

 

And before you say I dive and swim with them all day long, it won't make one bit of difference to those who became a snack bite...  - like that kid.

 

I just hope they stay away or else that would be the last nail in the coffin for Phuket ... (or maybe the fishermen can help a bit here....! ????)...

 

(Disclaimer; you can say what you like and I expect a barrage of shark lover replies condemning this post, but I don't care..., I love dolphins ...lol).

 

[sanuk711]

When you visit Phuket---many people feel that you should be more worried about the Sharks on-shore,

 

rather than those in the ocean.

[richard_smith237]

I don’t know what kind of answers you hope to read or what bias you need confirming... 

 

But... sharks would be my last concern on any beach in Thailand. 

 

When actually swimming I am far more concerned or considerate of the the rip tides in Phuket (depending on beach), depending on season, jelly-fish...  and then of course soi dogs roaming in packs and have attacked many kids in the past. 

 

 

[Hummin]

The sharks have always been there (Alot less now than before), I would worry more about crossing the road, or in general be on the road in Thailand.

[worgeordie]

A few years ago when someone was allegedly bitten by

a shark , the authorities said it was a sharp rock,.....so

regards Worgeordie

[beechbum]

The OP clearly knows absolutely nothing re the fishing habits of Asian fishing fleet's.

Edited May 3, 2022 by beechbum

[Isaan sailor]

51 minutes ago, beechbum said:

The OP clearly knows absolutely nothing re the fishing habits of Asian fishing fleet's.

Absolutely.  Accidental catches happen quite often.

[Dionigi]

Statistically you are ten times more likely to be killed by a coconut  falling on your head.

[rickudon]

Most shark populations have been severely depleted by fishing boats, either as accidental bycatch or for shark fin soup. They are an important part of the marine ecology, help maintain healthy fish populations.

Typically there are under a hundred shark bites reported per year GLOBALLY. And average deaths is 5 per year. OP just paranoid.

 

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary/#:~:text=However%2C unprovoked case numbers were,five unprovoked fatalities per year.

Edited May 4, 2022 by rickudon
add link

[Iamfalang]

1 hour ago, Dionigi said:

Statistically you are ten times more likely to be killed by a coconut  falling on your head.

Odds of coconut death?   1000%

 

sharks will try to rent you a jet ski

 

might be a 10 m shark…….Possible 

 

I'm probably the only world-class marine biologist here.

 

 

 

 

[Tropposurfer]

I aint' no zoologist but as a surfer who's been in most of the waters of the globe for 50+ years ... maybe I have some experience of sharks, their proximity to humans, and their connection to human morbidity.

I've seen my fair share of sharks while in the water and some very large and know to be extremely dangerous ones, including some of the well-known high statistic man eater's e.g. Whites, Tigers.

We were driven out of the water in northern WA by a 15 -18' monster Tiger (they are truly huge there) ... that was scary as we were hundreds of metres from shore surfing a reef. Also white pointers in southern WA.

 

Surfed and swum with mass schools of hammer-heads in Galapagos as well as white tipped and black tipped sharks on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef in Oz and other Pacific Ocean sites.

These smaller species weren't at all threatening to us at the time. The black and white tipped sharks are akin to very excitable very curious large toothed dogs, and can and will bite out of frenzy and also to 'taste' whatever is in the water.

By far the most prevalent species of shark in the Andaman is the White tipped shark.

This species of shark is considered almost harmless to humans although if in a feeding frenzy have been know to bite humans e.g. during underwater feeding tourist activity.

If water is murky like the surf-line or around river mouths sharks can bite without knowing what they're biting as a means of 'testing/tasting' possible food sources.

Bull or Bronze Whaler sharks (Tigers are a member of this family of sharks) are a perfect example of murky water inshore dangerous sharks. Small by comparison yet very dangerous!

 

The Black tipped shark is however more likely to attack humans and were attributed as being the bulk of attacks when in WWII e.g. the horrific mass feeding frenzy in the North Pacific after the sinking of the cruiser (secret mission) that carried atomic bombs to the island of Tinian (Marianas Group) where many many hundreds of sailors were taken over the space of a few days and nights while floating in large groups post-sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945.

 

Large pelagic sharks e.g. Tiger, Mako, do preside in the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea but are far less likely to move close to shore in places like Phuket. This doesn't mean they won't come inshore and predate opportunistically on splashing swimmers.

Going into the ocean has always a danger element to it, so you take a risk with all sorts of creatures if you do. 

 

I would advise never to swim with dogs in the sea (anywhere!). Never swim off boats in deep ocean waters, never pee in the water (get out and pee then go back into the sea), if bleeding don't go into the water or get out asap if you get cut, never swim alone unless you are an excellent swimmer, always scan the beach and conditions before considering entering the sea. 

If the kid was bitten by a shark a zoologist would be able to identify the teeth marks easily the wounds are most distinctly identifiable. 

 

[superal]

27 minutes ago, Tropposurfer said:

I aint' no zoologist but as a surfer who's been in most of the waters of the globe for 50+ years ... maybe I have some experience of sharks, their proximity to humans, and their connection to human morbidity.

I've seen my fair share of sharks while in the water and some very large and know to be extremely dangerous ones, including some of the well-known high statistic man eater's e.g. Whites, Tigers.

We were driven out of the water in northern WA by a 15 -18' monster Tiger (they are truly huge there) ... that was scary as we were hundreds of metres from shore surfing a reef. Also white pointers in southern WA.

 

Surfed and swum with mass schools of hammer-heads in Galapagos as well as white tipped and black tipped sharks on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef in Oz and other Pacific Ocean sites.

These smaller species weren't at all threatening to us at the time. The black and white tipped sharks are akin to very excitable very curious large toothed dogs, and can and will bite out of frenzy and also to 'taste' whatever is in the water.

By far the most prevalent species of shark in the Andaman is the White tipped shark.

This species of shark is considered almost harmless to humans although if in a feeding frenzy have been know to bite humans e.g. during underwater feeding tourist activity.

If water is murky like the surf-line or around river mouths sharks can bite without knowing what they're biting as a means of 'testing/tasting' possible food sources.

Bull or Bronze Whaler sharks (Tigers are a member of this family of sharks) are a perfect example of murky water inshore dangerous sharks. Small by comparison yet very dangerous!

 

The Black tipped shark is however more likely to attack humans and were attributed as being the bulk of attacks when in WWII e.g. the horrific mass feeding frenzy in the North Pacific after the sinking of the cruiser (secret mission) that carried atomic bombs to the island of Tinian (Marianas Group) where many many hundreds of sailors were taken over the space of a few days and nights while floating in large groups post-sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945.

 

Large pelagic sharks e.g. Tiger, Mako, do preside in the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea but are far less likely to move close to shore in places like Phuket. This doesn't mean they won't come inshore and predate opportunistically on splashing swimmers.

Going into the ocean has always a danger element to it, so you take a risk with all sorts of creatures if you do. 

 

I would advise never to swim with dogs in the sea (anywhere!). Never swim off boats in deep ocean waters, never pee in the water (get out and pee then go back into the sea), if bleeding don't go into the water or get out asap if you get cut, never swim alone unless you are an excellent swimmer, always scan the beach and conditions before considering entering the sea. 

If the kid was bitten by a shark a zoologist would be able to identify the teeth marks easily the wounds are most distinctly identifiable. 

 

Never pee in the sea , why ?  Have you ever experienced rip tides ? I watched a programme recently where there had been several attacks on humans in fresh water and fishermen nets had been broken and so they used heavy nets and caught the culprit which was a bull nosed shark . Apparently it is the only species of shark that can live in both sea and fresh water .  

[Caldera]

The threat is definitely a lot more real on the beach than in the water. 

[beechbum]

23 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

I aint' no zoologist but as a surfer who's been in most of the waters of the globe for 50+ years ... maybe I have some experience of sharks, their proximity to humans, and their connection to human morbidity.

I've seen my fair share of sharks while in the water and some very large and know to be extremely dangerous ones, including some of the well-known high statistic man eater's e.g. Whites, Tigers.

We were driven out of the water in northern WA by a 15 -18' monster Tiger (they are truly huge there) ... that was scary as we were hundreds of metres from shore surfing a reef. Also white pointers in southern WA.

 

Surfed and swum with mass schools of hammer-heads in Galapagos as well as white tipped and black tipped sharks on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef in Oz and other Pacific Ocean sites.

These smaller species weren't at all threatening to us at the time. The black and white tipped sharks are akin to very excitable very curious large toothed dogs, and can and will bite out of frenzy and also to 'taste' whatever is in the water.

By far the most prevalent species of shark in the Andaman is the White tipped shark.

This species of shark is considered almost harmless to humans although if in a feeding frenzy have been know to bite humans e.g. during underwater feeding tourist activity.

If water is murky like the surf-line or around river mouths sharks can bite without knowing what they're biting as a means of 'testing/tasting' possible food sources.

Bull or Bronze Whaler sharks (Tigers are a member of this family of sharks) are a perfect example of murky water inshore dangerous sharks. Small by comparison yet very dangerous!

 

The Black tipped shark is however more likely to attack humans and were attributed as being the bulk of attacks when in WWII e.g. the horrific mass feeding frenzy in the North Pacific after the sinking of the cruiser (secret mission) that carried atomic bombs to the island of Tinian (Marianas Group) where many many hundreds of sailors were taken over the space of a few days and nights while floating in large groups post-sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945.

 

Large pelagic sharks e.g. Tiger, Mako, do preside in the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea but are far less likely to move close to shore in places like Phuket. This doesn't mean they won't come inshore and predate opportunistically on splashing swimmers.

Going into the ocean has always a danger element to it, so you take a risk with all sorts of creatures if you do. 

 

I would advise never to swim with dogs in the sea (anywhere!). Never swim off boats in deep ocean waters, never pee in the water (get out and pee then go back into the sea), if bleeding don't go into the water or get out asap if you get cut, never swim alone unless you are an excellent swimmer, always scan the beach and conditions before considering entering the sea. 

If the kid was bitten by a shark a zoologist would be able to identify the teeth marks easily the wounds are most distinctly identifiable. 

 

Agree with most of it, but not peeing in my wetty on a cold winters morning at my local break in SW WA as a kid is unthinkable, one of the truely great pleasures in life!

[superal]

1 hour ago, beechbum said:

Agree with most of it, but not peeing in my wetty on a cold winters morning at my local break in SW WA as a kid is unthinkable, one of the truely great pleasures in life!

Me too but on a recent visit to a large swimming pool up here in Issan , I was using a table and chairs close to the toilets . In my 4 hours at the poolside there were no users of the toilets , accept me , honestly 

[Hummin]

While some claim blood, urine and dogs attract sharks and shark attacks, there is also scientists working to debunk those myths, as well many surfers and divers repeatedly also claim the same from their experiences it is a myth. As a diver, Im positive every diver <deleted> in their suit every dive and also more than one time. It is a natural reaction as well for surfers. Google “sharks attracted by <deleted> and blood”

 

and see whats comes up. If was true, we would have seen a very different statistics than what is the fact today.

 

Edited May 5, 2022 by Hummin

[Pattaya Spotter]

Sharks in waters off Phuket's beaches are the last thing one needs to worry about (it was most likely a barracuda bite anyway); as an avid Phuket scuba diver (both from shore and boats) I can report only seeing a harmless Bamboo shark the past year (> 200 dives) but plenty of barracudas. 

 

If one is an avid beach goer who frolics in the water, you'd should be much more concerned with the poisonous Lionfish and Demon Stingers (one of the most venomous of marine species) I've seen in the sand close to shore. In fact, there's a pair of resident Demon Stingers living in the sand at 2-3m depth off Kata Beach. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inimicus_didactylus

Edited May 5, 2022 by Pattaya Spotter

[stevenl]

On 5/4/2022 at 11:43 AM, Tropposurfer said:

I aint' no zoologist but as a surfer who's been in most of the waters of the globe for 50+ years ... maybe I have some experience of sharks, their proximity to humans, and their connection to human morbidity.

I've seen my fair share of sharks while in the water and some very large and know to be extremely dangerous ones, including some of the well-known high statistic man eater's e.g. Whites, Tigers.

We were driven out of the water in northern WA by a 15 -18' monster Tiger (they are truly huge there) ... that was scary as we were hundreds of metres from shore surfing a reef. Also white pointers in southern WA.

 

Surfed and swum with mass schools of hammer-heads in Galapagos as well as white tipped and black tipped sharks on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef in Oz and other Pacific Ocean sites.

These smaller species weren't at all threatening to us at the time. The black and white tipped sharks are akin to very excitable very curious large toothed dogs, and can and will bite out of frenzy and also to 'taste' whatever is in the water.

By far the most prevalent species of shark in the Andaman is the White tipped shark.

This species of shark is considered almost harmless to humans although if in a feeding frenzy have been know to bite humans e.g. during underwater feeding tourist activity.

If water is murky like the surf-line or around river mouths sharks can bite without knowing what they're biting as a means of 'testing/tasting' possible food sources.

Bull or Bronze Whaler sharks (Tigers are a member of this family of sharks) are a perfect example of murky water inshore dangerous sharks. Small by comparison yet very dangerous!

 

The Black tipped shark is however more likely to attack humans and were attributed as being the bulk of attacks when in WWII e.g. the horrific mass feeding frenzy in the North Pacific after the sinking of the cruiser (secret mission) that carried atomic bombs to the island of Tinian (Marianas Group) where many many hundreds of sailors were taken over the space of a few days and nights while floating in large groups post-sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945.

 

Large pelagic sharks e.g. Tiger, Mako, do preside in the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea but are far less likely to move close to shore in places like Phuket. This doesn't mean they won't come inshore and predate opportunistically on splashing swimmers.

Going into the ocean has always a danger element to it, so you take a risk with all sorts of creatures if you do. 

 

I would advise never to swim with dogs in the sea (anywhere!). Never swim off boats in deep ocean waters, never pee in the water (get out and pee then go back into the sea), if bleeding don't go into the water or get out asap if you get cut, never swim alone unless you are an excellent swimmer, always scan the beach and conditions before considering entering the sea. 

If the kid was bitten by a shark a zoologist would be able to identify the teeth marks easily the wounds are most distinctly identifiable. 

 

Most prevalent in the Andaman Sea the white tipped? No.
More likely to attack humans the black tip? No.
Tiger and Mako come in shore? No.
 

[fdsa]

I'd love to have some zebras or blacktips near Phuket beaches...

[Agusts]

I hope the shark bite incident was a one off, I read in a few places where attack reports caused serious tourists concerns and stopped them going to those beaches...., I think one was in Egypt some years ago.

 

Of course the chances of a shark attack is one in million million zillion blah blah, but for that boy on Kata beach was 100%...! I can't imagine the pain and trauma for him and his family....,  It's a bit like lottery, low chance, but someone always wins...

 

I only believe shark population is depleted when there is no report of their attacks, that's a good number right there and then ...!

 

And I'm amazed as millions and billions and , well loads of, good dollars, going into saving these species - and yes they do eat the fish that we are short of, and before you say of seals population is controlled by them, we can do that ourselves, thanks but no thanks...

 

Anyway, I hear they are very clever and lived 300 million years, so why so much effort to protect them .. ! Maybe they learn to stay away from us in ocean deep and survive...555 ???? ????

 

It's just an obsession with some conservationist who are paid to say sharks are in danger and their numbers going down - out of the job if say otherwise....! ? A bit like say well low chance of being killed by a mass murderer, so let's protect them and increase their numbers...., because some people are fascinated by them....???  (No , we hunt them down, catch them and inject them...!)

 

I just hope we don't have some of these start a campaign to protect the jellyfish and other nasties next..., and it's great some enjoy surfing or diving with sharks, many adrelinin junkies out there, some people jump off the planes or cliffs too, it doesn't mean we all have to do it and be okay with it...., and protect the sharks for them to do it ...!  ? 

 

Disclaimer: It's not that I have anything against sharks, just hate them... lol , I probably would feel the same about the lions and tigers if they were let loose on the streets... 555 ????