Hey guys, Im new to the forum and new to spearing. In fact, a friend and I drove over to Ft Pierce today to go out from shore for my first time ever spearing. I just bought a sea stinger pole spear. My friend is an experianced scuba spearo but this was his first time free dive spearing from shore. Anyway we got about 3 to 4 hundred yards off shore to a reef area in about 20ft depth. Pretty good vis. Steve, (my friend) went down to check it out and saw tons of small fish and a couple of lobsters. I was very excited to be at a good spot for my first time. I went down for a test dive to see what we had in store and saw an 8 to 10ft shark swim under me huging the bottom, i followed it for a few feet not really thinking much of it. I came up to see if Steve had seen it. He did, and I could see the fear on his face when he said he didnt like the size of that and its the biggest he'd ever seen in his 20 plus years experiance. I brushed it off thinking it was just passing by and I again went down to see the lobsters he had seen. When i turned around and started heading back up I saw the shark between myself and steve who was at our float only about 20ft away. It was now circleing him and close to the surface. I continued toward steve as the shark disapeared for a short time. I asked him if we should stay? still not fully knowing the situation we seemed to be in. Steve said we need to get the ******************** out of here now! as he said that the shark returned and circled again just out of reach of my 7ft pole spear. I pulled up our weight and we started heading back to shore, me facinig backward and him forward. I saw the shark behind us only 2 more times and he didnt seem to be making full circles around us anymore, if so it was large circles outsided our visability. Once we were about 3/8ths of the way back we did not see him anymore and we made our now paranoid swim the rest of the way to shore without a problem. Once back to shore Steve said he had never had that happen to him before and was confident we were on the sharks menu. He even said he thought it could have been a great white and didn think it was a bull. Although on the ride home while looking at pics of bulls and whites he admited he may be wrong about it being a white but was unsure. I am also unsure although im leaning towards a bull. Anyway, this happened within the first 15 minutes of getting out there and we had not yet speared any fish.
Im still a little iffy on whether we were in serious danger or if this is common with spearing? Steve was pretty worked up over it the whole ride home which does make me feel like it was pretty serious. If anyone has any info they can give me about our situation that would be helpfull. Should I try this spot out again? This was my first time out and Im very upset I didnt even get a chance to attempt to spear anything. I only got a story...and i'd rather have fish.
Oh yeah, we did find an article about spear fishermen recently spoting a great white in the area and getting it on camera. Not that that means anything.

I'm sure it was a bull. And I'm sure you were not on it's menu. If you, or even your friend with 20 years of diving, can't identify it it must not have been that close. I'm sure if you go back to that spot you won't see it, and if you do just show it who's boss. Good luck

It was def close and even split us at one point. But it wasn't within reach. Im so new to this im still learning how to identify most fish. I must not have a good eye because I cant recall anything specific about it except it was fat and close to10ft. Steve was in panic mode right away, in his defense when it split us and circled him it was much closer to him. Anyway thanks for the reply, i kinda thought that it was more normal of an occurrence than he thought. I may not go back to that spot right away but I won't let this detour me from getting back in the water. Steve on the other hand is a little weery about going from shore again. He likes getting in a boat when sharks are in the area. The size of the shark is not exaggerated on my part, Im trying to be as accurate possible. I say it was at most 10ft where Steve is saying its at least 10ft lol. Anyway if anyone wants to do any shore dives in that area or anywhere else let me know. I'd love to go again.

If Steve likes getting in the boat when sharks are in the area then Steve won't be getting much diving in.

Sounds like you should head back out there and get those lobster that you left behind.

Welcome to SFP

sharks are scary because they are perfect...i rarely worry about any shark I can see...I am way more concerned about the ones I cant see

So I've been looking at pictures of bull sharks and im convinced it was one. Do these size sharks hang out in one area or do they travel? I know you guys have said it shouldn't still be there and you'd go back for the bugs, but would you honestly go back to the same spot soon after having a shark of that size circle you? I just want to be clear and make sure this isn't just wanna be macho statements before I make the trip back over. If anyone who lives in the area wants to go out with me that would be great also, thanks.

I wouldn't not go back to a spot if there was a shark there the last time I went.

Also when you say the shark was circling you. That really isn't threatening in of itself. What were his pec fins doing? Were they curved? Was he swimming fast and darting around? You are something different in the water, he was prolly just curious plus you didn't have any fish. I prolly would have stood my ground and went after him til he left the area. There were two of you, you guys combined could have easily scared him off. Maybe the shark could sense the fear by your increased heart rates.

Next time, keep calm, stand your ground and show him who's boss.

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http://vimeo.com/somdspearo/videos

Not sure what its fins were doing, I wish I'd have taken more mental notes but I'm so green to all of this that I didn't know what to look for. It wasnt moving very fast but not as slow as some of these sharks in the videos I've been watching, and it was doing a good job of disappearing then showing up seconds later in a different location and moving a different direction. In fact when I saw it go between us it had Steve fooled and was on his blind side. In any event, I'm trying to do some studying up on this so next time I can be more aware of what's going on.

is this your story thats in the news?

Haha ...yeah Steve sent me the link earlier today. He called the paper and told them. He's boastful about anything he's done and told me he called them so I wasn't shocked. Its pretty funny but obviously not entirely accurate. He said he told them he hadn't seen a bull shark that big before and it could have been a small great white. They went ahead and made it more interesting to read I guess. He admits now it was a bull. Its embarrassing, but what can I do.lol.

He even said he doesn't think he's going to put the link to the article on facebook. He puts everything on facebook....so I know even he's embarrassed by it. And its hard to embarrass him.

I just read the news article again lol. The shark was no longer with us once we were halfway back and when it split us it was at the beginning before we started swimming back.

Tell me where the bugs are and I'll go get them. Hahahahaha

Bulls are just aggressive jocks. Show them you are a predator and they will almost always leave. If they are acting aggressive , fins down, erratic turns, arched back, bumping you, time to boogie and leave.

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check out a tiger for 10' would be in their league.

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Just point and click
when a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.

Tiger shark looks similar to a white shark.

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Brent K. St. Petersburg Underwater Club www.stpeteopen.com
TBSC http://www.tampabayspearfishingclub.org/
Aqautic Obsessions Dive shop http://www.AOdive.com/

not to me, but compare their face to a bull sharks, seems more of a match

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Just point and click
when a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.

Good advice

Chris

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Chris Grauer- "To protect, promote, and grow the sport of spearfishing" www.spearfishingplanet.com

Anyone ever use a Shark Shield, Freedom 7 series? I dove off Pompano for Lobster mini season and a person on the boat had one and said it worked great. I'm curious to what others peoples experiences are.