Tacking out from the ABC centre to the south, out about 200 odd metres..I saw a fin pop out of the water...it was heading out in a northerly direction...
I knew I was on a collision coarse with it so i pulled my kite up to 12 and tryed to go downwind a bit...the wind wassn't that strong so i started to fade fairly quickly...decided to dive the kite and head straight towards the fin.
It all happened so quick...the shark turned my way, popped it's head out of the water and bang...i smashed straight into it's head.
I went straight over the hangers...like a bullet.
I pulled my kite back up to 12 and got lofted up and i could see my board about 12 feet away and then some..."screw the board" i thought....i was Facating in my wetsuit covered boardshorts by then and just dragged myself back to the shore, all the while looking back thinking "@#$$%&@@".
I often see sharks at Stoko...it's not like its anything new,I have even hit one before....but never been scared spitless like that day.
Footnote: I don't think that the shark was trying to get me, I think it just popped its head out at the wrong time~!
happened too quick ...most blokes need at least a minute to respond to dramatic situations... i need two!
hindsight!
haha.. i remember in NZ some time last year we wer kiting near the city.. a few orcas came cruising by and one of the guys went out to hve a look tacking in and out close to the pod.. one decided to turn around and start charging! i dont think ive ever seen him kite his ass to the beach so fast!!!!
i have never swam as fast as the time i did when i snorkelled around a reef to come nose to nose with a grey nurse [gimme a break i didnt know it was harmless at the time]
Yikes!!
i didn't think i was being attacked at any stage!
I was just sp!t scared at the time.
those things are just so fluent through the water... and so big....
Spoke to my uncle yesterday about his sharky encounters as a surfboat rower coz he did it for years... he reckons that Stockton is by far the most shark 'infested' beach in NSW...
Has anyone heard of these guys using meathooks up there to catch GWs and other sharks? ... Like they paddle out with a big chunk of meat, stick it on a hook, drop it out beyond the break and then paddle back in and ... wait for something big to come along and take it.
All the shark stories over here r getting me all revved up.. I wana c one hehe... well Im sure I wont be saying that if I ever actually do :|
have had some sleepless nights after the incident...i can tell ya.
one of me mates got me board back.....no worries.
So how big do you think it was AB?
I know how I felt when a seal popped up next to me unexpectedly. But then it did the same thing a few times during the day and I quite enjoyed it's company.
Azza i very much like your theory on sharks being fed by bodyboarders. If only we could get into manufacturing them, and add some attractant mix to the board. If only....
