Forces-of-Nature Forums - UK Windsurfing, Kitesurfing and Adventure Sports

SHARKS VS BODYBOARDERS VS SURFERS

batboard - 15-7-2005 at 17:47

here is an interesting one courtesy of Animal Planet...did you know that surfers make up 45% of shark attack victims whils't bodyboarders make up 2%. Hmm, answers on a postcard...

Airborne - 16-7-2005 at 11:45

That's weird.

Maybe these could be possible answers:

1) A surfboard looks more like another shark, invading their territory.

2) Surfers surf at places where there are more sharks.

3) The sharks are more scared of the bodyboarding tricks that they pull off.

4) Er...the bodyboarders swim fins scare them.

Thats all i could think of at this time. Hehe.

batboard - 16-7-2005 at 12:06

Couple of thoughts

a) a prone boarder can ride much deeper in the barrell, behind the wall of water, than a surfer who tends to be further towards the lip beyond which white pointers patrol trying to catch seals which they sometimes mistake surfers for, pointers are visual predators who need visual confirmation for their final run and they close their eyes for the last few seconds to they are flying blind as they strike

b) a prone boarder from below looks like some kind of large fish with the front end of the board appearing like the snout of a tiger shark and the swim fins looking like a tail

c) bodyboards and surfers can both ride the same breaks include Pipe so don't think thats really a factor

Airborne - 16-7-2005 at 16:28

Hmmm its a hard topic, those points sound to be pretty realistic.

2% to 45% is a lot of difference though. You could also think that the surfboard is a larger surface area to attack and is therefore a bit easier.

There's also the point that surfboards have fins on the bottom, maybe that makes it look more like a seal or prey.

"They also look for flickering shapes, like a fish's glinting scales. Attacks on people can sometimes be a case of mistaken identity. For example, a shark could confuse reflective jewelry for scales.

Sharks also detect their prey with sensory receptors that run along their sides. These receptors make up the "lateral line," an organ similar in function to the ear that can feel pulses or vibrations in the water. A shark might sense the flailing of an animal in distress and swim closer to investigate."

Maybe surfboards create more vibrations.

There's endless possibilities, even smell of the material used in the board? Another point mentioned:

"Lowe says other explanations are possible. Sharks could be acting defensively, or they might see humans as competition for food. Imagine a shark swimming near a surfer. "The shark is signaling like crazy, 'Hey, get out of here,' but the surfer ignores it," he says. "When the sharks can't take it anymore, then they attack." "

booger - 17-7-2005 at 09:56

mabey they hate the stand up 'i am the man' attitude shown from 90% of standups (most kooks i might add, you never see someone like fanning dissing boogers) if that is the reason then good on them!!

Airborne - 17-7-2005 at 19:56

lol, yes indeedy good on them, maybe it is true, but lets not get onto that subject about the war between standups and spongers...its been on this forum so many times

booger - 17-7-2005 at 23:01

i dont have a problem with stand ups, heaps of my mates are standups and its a great sport to watch at its prime

back to topic, mabey the high proportion of stand ups in the water at some spots to hardly any boogers

batboard - 18-7-2005 at 00:06

quote:
Originally posted by booger

back to topic, mabey the high proportion of stand ups in the water at some spots to hardly any boogers

Don't buy that one, there are more boogers in the world than stand ups and they are often ride the same breaks, must be something else, the gap is too big

booger - 18-7-2005 at 01:42

mate what u smoking, more boogers than standups not quite mate. dont get me wrong booging is growing and on some days u will see more boogers at dbah than stand ups but from what ive seen here there is more surfers than boogers cause it sounds cooler to tell the ladies u surf than boog

and they often ride the same breaks this comment is true to some extent but i dunno fully about that claim, eg. u go to snapper rocks here and u will see 100-200 stand ups mabey if lucky 1 booger and if you go to needles you will see 40+ boogers to like 20 stand ups
both stand ups n boogers surf the same waves in that example but really snapper is a stand up wave

[Edited on 18-7-2005 by booger]

[Edited on 18-7-2005 by booger]

Airborne - 18-7-2005 at 08:10

I've always thought you see more stand ups at big spots, Lacanau where im going has an even amount of surfers/boogers...perhaps a little more stand ups but they just seem to walk along the sea in a wettie and carrying a surfboard doing nothing. Signals "poser" to me.

However, in Britain and some less well known spots in France i've been to, (and i'm sure this should count for other countries as well) there are a load more boogers than stand ups in the water. BUT...these are usually just your average beach holiday people with polistyrene ¬£5 bodyboards, so you can't really count them. There are a few doing it properly though. Including me.

Perhaps Oz does have a lot more stand ups in the water, i don't really know.

booger - 18-7-2005 at 08:44

yeah airborne u hit the point on the head thats pretty much what i was trying to say
ur discription of the poser was pure gold

batboard - 18-7-2005 at 09:12

quote:
Originally posted by Airborne
Lacanau where im going has an even amount of surfers/boogers...perhaps a little more stand ups but they just seem to walk along the sea in a wettie and carrying a surfboard doing nothing. Signals "poser" to me.

Oh, thats also true of Ireland man, saw it recently, was in the water riding waves and these two appear, put on their wet suits and ponce around on the beach with their surfboards as the tide comes in, by the time they got in, tide was high and the waves were gone.

[Edited on 18-7-2005 by batboard]

Airborne - 18-7-2005 at 11:39

Thought that's what you were trying to say booger.
Pure gold, hehe its true though.

There has to be loads in Oz, am i right?

Laugh my ass off. "ponce around on the beach with their surfboards as the tide comes in, by the time they got in, tide was high and the waves were gone."

Sounds funny. I'd love to see them in a situation where one of them scores with a surfer chick, and then she says "show us what you can do on your board...lets go for a session now". Hilarious outcomes possible there.

batboard - 18-7-2005 at 15:58

I'd love to see them in a situation where one of them scores with a surfer chick, and then she says "show us what you can do on your board...lets go for a session now". Hilarious outcomes possible there.

Dude, those guys were in love with themselves, they don't have time for sufer chicks.

Airborne - 18-7-2005 at 16:31

lol

well that just defeats the point of posing, unless they want to impress themselves or friends..whats the point in buying the wettie and board if your not gonna do anything with them, not even try and score a girl or even impress...those guys really do sound stupid if they were in love with themselves

booger - 19-7-2005 at 06:59

yeah we have the poser situation to chronic proportions over here, like most guys surf once a year but the first thing they tell the ladies when they meet them is they are full surfy guys but chiks do dig surfy guys which is a bonus to doing the sport you love. but if your surf soley to get chiks not for the fun of being out there getting shacked with mates then you have the wrong ideas about the sport

Airborne - 20-7-2005 at 11:16

hmm yeh i agree...chronic proportions oh dear, silly posers.

batboard - 20-7-2005 at 15:24

quote:
Originally posted by booger
yeah we have the poser situation to chronic proportions over here, like most guys surf once a year but the first thing they tell the ladies

Just to say, in case anyone thinks I am just being neg on stand ups, that I have just come back from an amazing session in kerry on sick waves and there was only me and three surfers there and everything was cool.

Airborne - 20-7-2005 at 20:34

so you were bodyboarding and they were surfing right?

Sounds good, its nice when you can share the water without any localism and "who owns the waves" stuff. I should be surfing with some stand ups in France this year...hopefully they wont smash into me

booger - 23-7-2005 at 10:19

does england have localism problems like some parts of aus have? like some nsw,vicco,south aus parts if u even park in the locals car park they will smash your windows and write fuk off blow ins in wax all over it, atleast here on the goldy we dont have any of that crap

batboard - 23-7-2005 at 11:33

quote:
Originally posted by booger
does england have localism problems like some parts of aus have? like some nsw,vicco,south aus parts if u even park in the locals car park they will smash your windows and write fuk off blow ins in wax all over it, atleast here on the goldy we dont have any of that crap

Didn't find it in Kerry where all the surfers are from elsewhere. Don't understand it. A mate of mine who is a pro snowboard instructor views it as mediocre people who, after years of practice, are still not much good and who then hate people showing up on the beach, having a go and surpass them in ability.

In my opinion, the only locals are seals and fish and a zero tolerance policy should be taken by the wave riding community to the localism attitude. In some places, it has resulted in the local authorities banning all surfers from certain areas because of the hassle 'localism' thugs have caused other people - bathers, boogers, other surfers etc and thats the ultimate self defeat of this attitude. How can you be a 'local' when you are banned from the beach through your nasty, vicious actions. Sorry, I hate 'localism'.

[Edited on 23-7-2005 by batboard]

[Edited on 23-7-2005 by batboard]

Airborne - 23-7-2005 at 12:12

Yeh i agree with you on that one, the ocean should be for everyone...its especially hard on the people like me who dont live near the coast. But wehey i haven't experienced localism yet.

Going back to booger's question about localism in the UK, i reckon it's pretty low...the locals usually have their secret spots for when it gets busy. But localism in the UK is very low, most the people have learnt to accept it and nothing like what you described earlier booger happens. Well, from what i've heard.

booger - 26-7-2005 at 08:02

yeah over here localism is so stupid like i dont care if someone travels to surf my home break aslong as they dont carry on like a dickhead and drop in, especially if its grom boogers seeing how stoked they are gets u amped.
we have this joke of a crew on the goldy at the moment which go around spray painting there post code at some breaks and some even have it tattooed on them. funny thing is they arent even a local to any break they live around 30 mins from 'straddie' which they claim to be theres

Airborne - 26-7-2005 at 17:18

lol thats just stupid localism does suck

jacobias - 24-4-2007 at 17:04

Luckily no sharks where I live (shame theres no waves either lol)

mNeil - 25-4-2007 at 07:34

could it be that surfers tend to eat more pies than the bodyboarders,hence more surface area for the shark to see and eat..............................................."oooooh yummy a nice juicey surfer"
heeeheeeheee just fishing!

Airborne - 25-4-2007 at 13:53

Hehe, well that's once possibility

quote:
Originally posted by jacobias
Luckily no sharks where I live (shame theres no waves either lol)

Where do you live Jacob?

At least you live near the coast, I live inland - Nottingham, England which is a pain because I really like bodyboarding and I only get to go a couple of times a year because I'm too lazy to learn how to drive, I could get a train to Skegness...wow ¬¨_¬¨

jacobias - 25-4-2007 at 16:42

I live in St Austell, Cornwall so I can go to the beach every weekend. Unfortunatly Im only 13 so I cant drive myself and have to get the train/bus. Oh well

Airborne - 2-6-2007 at 17:18

That's a lot better than living in Nottingham though. You have to travel mileage to get anywhere near waves. I'm 18 but I'm too lazy and busy to start driving right now.

Critch - 30-8-2007 at 13:10

New here but

is it cos there are more surfers than body boarders ?

kapayazi - 14-7-2008 at 10:34

i've just started bodyboarding in hawaii and i went to a fishing area where unbeknownst to me, there were sharks. i saw a black tip reef shark, which aren't supposed to be aggressive or dangerous, but that was enough to scare me into riding the next wave as far as i could and paddling back to shore like a madman