Any Shark Attack Thailand?

[English Noodles]

I know last June a 12 foot white shark containing human remains was caught off the Indonesian coast not far from Thai waters (http://www.sharkattackfile.com/GSAF2002.cfm) but does anybody know of any recorded shark attacks in Thai waters? What kind of shark, where, etc? When i was spearfishing Just south of Kho Lipe near the Malaysian boarder the guy who owned the boat we were in had one of his flippers bitten by a shark two years ago while he had a floundering fish tied off to his float line. Seems obviouse the shark was atracted by the fish in distress but i have never heard of any other incidents.

Ps. I only saw one shark in around 12 hours in the water and it was only around 2 feet long. (I free dive only when spearfishing by the way)

Cheers noodles.

Just noticed the shark from Indo was in 2002 not last year.

//Edit title to question that the post actually is (post 6) - lopburi3//

Edited March 15, 2006 by lopburi3

[khall64au]

Seems that the Florida coast is the most dangerous for shark attacks worldwide. Sharks, esp. great whites, can swim a very long way. Recent tracks have discovered that they migrate between Australia and S. Africa on a seasonal basis.

Not too many big 'uns in Thai waters though... I wonder why?

[English Noodles]

Not too many big 'uns in Thai waters though... I wonder why?

Soup?

Last year on boat http://www.sharkattackfile.com/GSAF2005.cfm

but i am looking for open water.

[seonai]

Noodles, what are you trying to establish? If there have been attacks on humans here? Certainly there are many sharks but I believe there are few if no human attacks. There was one recently near the cambodian border where some fishermen accidentally netted a shark and one or two men were killed by it on deck.

I can't swim in the sea - I feel like you just never know!!!!!!!!

Seonai

[phibunmike]

Seems that the Florida coast is the most dangerous for shark attacks worldwide. Sharks, esp. great whites, can swim a very long way. Recent tracks have discovered that they migrate between Australia and S. Africa on a seasonal basis.

Not too many big 'uns in Thai waters though... I wonder why?

I think they like cooler water and mammals to eat, but not an expert. I have seen many smaller sharks when scuba diving around Malaysia and Indonesia, some a couple of metres, but never great whites and never agressive. Of course, if you recognise the territorial swim displays it helps avoid problems with some of them - but not Whites. Somehow I have never encounutered Hammer heads, which is a pity, but I believe they can also be aggresive sometimes.

I have dived in South Africa, in seal colonies, which are known breeding and hunting grounds for Whites. Never in cages, I very strongly disapprove of that, as I think it makes sharks accustomed to scuba divers, and with the associated chumming, forms a correspondance in their minds between food and divers - not healthy ! Diving in murky water where Whites are known to be is an adrenaline inducing experience, I can tell you ! Hit the water with an empty BC and head like a rock for the bottom, then worry about where your buddy is...

The Whites I have seen are in False Bay, Cape Town, and are amazing. You see a raft of seals, grouped for security in numbers ("it won't be ME that gets eaten") - then an explosion in the water like a depth charge going off - then half a seal flying through the air - actually, you don't get to see the shark at all....

Sorry, I am babbling on, and quite off topic - no, never seen a White off Thailand....

Edited March 15, 2006 by phibunmike

[English Noodles]

Noodles, what are you trying to establish? If there have been attacks on humans here?

Exactly

[h90]

maybe it was a loan shark?

[Johpa]

Considering the depletion of fish from over fishing in the Gulf of Siam and noticing the significant decline in not only the gross carch but also the decline in size of the average fish found in the marketplace, I doubt it would be profitable for larger sharks to bother with Thailand's coastline.

As for you casual snorklers, be more concerned with those pesky jellyfish. I once got stung off the shore of Phuket, was literally in tears of pain for hours, and had a red welt on my side that stayed around for 6 months.

[skippybangkok]

Loan Sharks should be the biggest concern. Been diving in Burma and Andaman part of thailand, and the shark level have reduced I think in the last 10 years. Used to see a few in the past, not many now. With El-Nino coming with possible warmer waters, the are bound to retreat to deeper waters.

Have seen many kinds, reefs, nurse, leopards, and some large one ( 3+ meters - big boy.... during night dive - can assure you, it unsettles you for the rest of the dive ).

Have heard of some rare sitings Bull sharks and hammerheads.

In general the sharks here are quite benign compared to places like Australia, S.Africa and parts of the US.

Your biggest scare will be things like Stone fish...and my favourite.....trigger fish !!!!

[phibunmike]

As for you casual snorklers, be more concerned with those pesky jellyfish. I once got stung off the shore of Phuket, was literally in tears of pain for hours, and had a red welt on my side that stayed around for 6 months.

Next time get some vinegar on it fast ! I usually carry a small bottle just for that.

SkippyBKK >> I agree with you - Trigger fish are buggers, I stay WELL away from them... Luckily I have never met put any of anatomy on a stone fish - but I have seen a couple (not easy, I'm sure you will agree).

[cdnvic]

This map shows only one recorded attack in Thai waters, in 2000.

Seems they prefer to eat Indians, Philipinos, and Japanese.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/stati...ack/MapAsia.htm

cv

[h90]

I should dive in pattaya area, but mostly ripp off and destroy everything.....

Loan Sharks should be the biggest concern. Been diving in Burma and Andaman part of thailand, and the shark level have reduced I think in the last 10 years. Used to see a few in the past, not many now. With El-Nino coming with possible warmer waters, the are bound to retreat to deeper waters.

Have seen many kinds, reefs, nurse, leopards, and some large one ( 3+ meters - big boy.... during night dive - can assure you, it unsettles you for the rest of the dive ).

Have heard of some rare sitings Bull sharks and hammerheads.

In general the sharks here are quite benign compared to places like Australia, S.Africa and parts of the US.

Your biggest scare will be things like Stone fish...and my favourite.....trigger fish !!!!

[steve w]

too much chilli in thai?

most thai shaks are pretty benign,most dangerous sharks i.e. bull,great white and tiger only occasionally found in thai waters

[Phil Conners]

"I think they like cooler water and mammals to eat, but not an expert."

Plenty of mammals for a hungry shark to eat at Pattaya beach

I think the water is just too hot for them.

[penzman]

How about being swallowed by a whale.

True or not?

Various attempts have been made over the years to come up with real-life Jonahs, but the most famous, and undoubtedly the one your girl heard about, is James Bartley. As claimed in numerous religious tracts, whaling books, and the like, Bartley was a seaman aboard the whaling ship Star of the East. In February 1891, while the ship was near the Falkland Islands, a lookout spotted a sperm whale several miles off. Two boats were launched; one succeeded in harpooning the whale, but the second was upended by the whale's tail and its crew tossed into the water. One man drowned and another, Bartley, could not be found.

The whale was killed and hauled to the side of the ship, where the crew set to work carving up the carcass. The next morning they hoisted the stomach on deck and were surprised to see signs of life. Inside they found the unconscious Bartley, who they doused with seawater and soon revived. For two weeks he was a raving lunatic, but by the end of the third week he'd fully recovered. Bartley recalled being swallowed by a great darkness, then slipping along a smooth passage until he came to a larger space. He felt slimy stuff around him and realized he'd been swallowed by the whale. He could breathe, but the heat sucked the energy out of him and eventually he passed out. The only lasting effect of the incident was that the skin of his face, neck, and hands was bleached to the color of parchment by the whale's gastric juices.

[Mighty Mouse]

Swimming at Jomptien Beach is a worry.

The water is so dirty that you wouldn't be able to see the shark attacking you.

It is wise to count your legs before you leave the water.

[johnh101]

There was a fatal attack in the movie "The Beach"

[chanchao]

maybe it was a loan shark?

Pool shark?

They seem a bit off from making the WWF endangered list.

[skippybangkok]

mmm... Most sharks like colder water, and especially the great white. Never heard of them in this region, but have heard of tigers and bulls....but very rearely.

Stone fish...... very rare ( or so hard to see, that they are "rare"). I know alot or people think scorpions are Stone fish. In 10 years of diving, I cant ssay I have seen alot of Stone fish mainly cause they are so hard to make out. ( Did see a real stone fish next to a car tire off Ko Larn ( Pattya ), and in Mattaking ( Borneo ) and a few more...... not alot.

..... Either which way, stay clear.

[h90]

pattaya north is not better.

Anyway the shark would be dead before he can bite you, wather to dirty...

Swimming at Jomptien Beach is a worry.

The water is so dirty that you wouldn't be able to see the shark attacking you.

It is wise to count your legs before you leave the water.

[Thaiboxer]

I believe there was a fatal shark attack off Koh Phangan in 1999; that's the only attack I've ever heard of in Thailand. Sharks are not only attracted to bait fish and blood, but also to polluted water. Areas that are polluted with garbage or sewage (like Pattaya for instance) can attract sharks. Swiming or diving in murky waters, particularly after dark, can be risky. A shark shorter than the average man can still kill a swimmer. I'm not sure if there are barracudas in Thailand like there are in the States but that's another fish you have to watch out for; unlike sharks you'll probably never see a baracuda attack as they are so quick. Shiny objects like jewelry and watches can attract both sharks and cudas.

Edited March 16, 2006 by Thaiboxer

[English Noodles]

I believe there was a fatal shark attack off Koh Phangan in 1999; that's the only attack I've ever heard of in Thailand. Sharks are not only attracted to bait fish and blood, but also to polluted water. Areas that are polluted with garbage or sewage (like Pattaya for instance) can attract sharks. Swiming or diving in murky waters, particularly after dark, can be risky. A shark shorter than the average man can still kill a swimmer. I'm not sure if there are barracudas in Thailand like there are in the States but that's another fish you have to watch out for; unlike sharks you'll probably never see a baracuda attack as they are so quick. Shiny objects like jewelry and watches can attract both sharks and cudas.

Yes they have Barracuda here in Thailand, My friend speared one last week off the coast of Satun.

[skippybangkok]

Yes, plenty of Barracuda's. Scare the hel_l out of me during night dives, cause they lurk around you and show up 2 inches from your mask..........

.... shine your torch on some poor fishy 4 meters away, and I guarantee you its in his mouth before you could blink your eye. If a barracuda wants bite your arm from 3 or 4 meters away, I am sure he could sink his teeth into it before you could even provide an initial reaction......

Amazing to watch.........

Edited March 16, 2006 by skippybangkok

[visarunner]

Yes Thaiboxer is correct , I also remember this attack as it was in all newspaper , the guy bleed to dead after been attacked around Koh Phangan or Koh Tao.That's the only fatal attack I heard or read about.

If you are a diver you can see around the Similians a lot of harmless Leopardsharks and around PhiPhi , specially in March ,Whalesharks, a beautifull sight.

[skippybangkok]

Was thata shark.... or a Trigger fish or something. I think the jury was out on that ?( dont know ). I thought his inner artery in his leg got ruptured by an un-known fish, and he bled to death.

Triggers are aggressive and can bit through anything.

(dont really know though for sure )