Private Island: Shark protection?

[dongordon]

In light of the recent shark attacks in Florida, just curious if NCL has provided any netting or other type of protection for safety against sharks on their private island?

 

Don

[shoreguy]

In light of the recent shark attacks in Florida, just curious if NCL has provided any netting or other type of protection for safety against sharks on their private island?

 

Don

 

 

Nope and if you are lucky you will see the Barrricuda that is often seen while snorkeling :eek:

[dongordon]

Shoreguy:

 

I remember that fellow last time I was snorkeling ...and he seemed very content to let all of us look at him. He did not look hungry!!

 

Don

[crusingsquid]

Nope no netting. Was there in June. The stingray encounter on Nassau did have netting and you where in a protected area.

[smeyer418]

Even in Florida, shark attacks are extremely rare. More people are killed by lightening, falling off of ships etc. As far as I am aware there has never been a shark attack at GSC. If there had been it would have surely been reported. If you noticed most of the people attacked were on surf boards or in schools of bait fish. On a surfboard a person looks like a seal-the sharks favorite food. So don't use a surf board and don't swim in cloudy water with bait fish...

[mbisson]

It's best to swim in groups-AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT THE SLOWEST SWIMMER IN THE GROUP.

 

;)

-Monte

[NormanW]

Shark protection?

 

Honestly your best protection is to stay out of the water if you have that much concern.

 

As others have mentioned the chances of YOU experiencing an encounter with a shark that results in injury is extremely low. Don't let it worry you and if it does, see paragraph numero uno.

 

Cheers,

 

-Norman

[Surfgirl]

Swim in groups.. are you kidding? You can't avoid it! The private island is wall-to-wall people.

[davy jones]

I encountered a (very) few people on the beach at GSC that concerned me a lot more than the sharks. :)

 

Also, the netting at the stingray encounter is probably to keep the rays IN.

[dongordon]

Shark protection?

 

Honestly your best protection is to stay out of the water if you have that much concern.

 

As others have mentioned the chances of YOU experiencing an encounter with a shark that results in injury is extremely low. Don't let it worry you and if it does, see paragraph numero uno.

 

Cheers,

 

-Norman

 

 

Norman:

 

My family is concerned after hearing about the two shark attacks in Florida and do not want to venture into the water. I know the odds are miniscule about this happening, but there are beaches that use shark nets for protection. I don't think it would be a bad investment for NCL just for "ease of mind" for their clients. When you talk about long odds, the chance of a terrorist attack on a ship is unlikely, but they do take strict precautions.

Truthfully, the jelly fish to me are of more concern and I encountered those on my last trip to the carribbean. Anyone witness jelly fish stings recently?

 

Don

[Mommy2001]

:eek: I was on the dawn on 5/1 , my mom got stung between her legs by a jelly fish. I must have tried to swim thoght her legs and got scared or sumthin, she was in pain, and had a rash looking thing on both sides of her inner thighs

[NormanW]

Yes jellies are MUCH more of a threat than elasmos.

 

When you travel do you worry about a hijacking?

 

Cheers,

 

-Norman

[cliffd64]

Norman:

 

My family is concerned after hearing about the two shark attacks in Florida and do not want to venture into the water. I know the odds are miniscule about this happening, but there are beaches that use shark nets for protection. I don't think it would be a bad investment for NCL just for "ease of mind" for their clients. When you talk about long odds, the chance of a terrorist attack on a ship is unlikely, but they do take strict precautions.

Truthfully, the jelly fish to me are of more concern and I encountered those on my last trip to the carribbean. Anyone witness jelly fish stings recently?

 

Don

 

Shark nets destroy much more life than they supposedly protect, killing turtles, dolphins, and lots of other sea life. The impact to the surrounding area is devastating. They also are NOT foolproof and often have large gaps anyway, asnd are very expensive to maintain. I doubt highly that NCL will undertake the vast expense of shark nets for the extremely small chance of a shark incident at GSC. If there was a history of sharks at Great Stirrup cay, then NCL would not have made beaches there.

 

Sharks do not hunt humans. Most cases of shark attacks are (a) not fatal, and (b) a case of mistaken identity on the part of the shark. Typically this can occur when a surfer is laying across a board with arms and legs hanging off... they then resemble seals - a favorite food of sharks.

 

If news reports of incidents elsewhere in the world make your family uncomfortable with swimming in the ocean, then perhaps the best course of action (short of phobia treatment - and there is no offense intended in that - lots of people fear the water and sharks) is to remain on ship or shore where they are comfortable.

 

Having been a scuba diver for nearly 20 years, and having seen sharks up close, I can safely tell you that we humans are typically not on their menu unless provoked. Nothing scares sharks away faster than 2000 people thrashing about in a small area :)

[Surfgirl]

Great post, Cliff. I'm so glad you brought that to everyone's attention. I don't think a lot of people are aware how dangerous nets can be.

[NormanW]

Shark nets destroy much more life than they supposedly protect, killing turtles, dolphins, and lots of other sea life. The impact to the surrounding area is devastating. -snip-:)

 

Totally agree. I usually stay out of political discussions on public forums regarding people vs. nature however.

 

Cheers,

 

-Norman

[dongordon]

Thanks Cliff for the information.

 

I was not aware that the net would endanger the other wildlife you described, I would not like to see these creatures harmed.

That being the case, we will just have to take our chances.

 

Don

[Nliedel]

Swim in groups.. are you kidding? You can't avoid it! The private island is wall-to-wall people.

 

I normally don't post here but I am thinking when a shark sees a group he is thinking "hmmm buffet, should I eat the lean one up front or the well marbled one in the back?, go for the lean, gotta watch the ole cholesteral"

 

Remember that the two attacks in Florida both were near someone fishing with live bait. They are not common. Please do not let the fear of sharks ruin your good time.

[mbisson]

I normally don't post here but I am thinking when a shark sees a group he is thinking "hmmm buffet, should I eat the lean one up front or the well marbled one in the back?, go for the lean, gotta watch the ole cholesteral"

.

 

We have a few "sharks" (sorry lawyers) on the boards and I think they'll all go for the slow, easy one. ;)

 

-Monte

[pattie63]

Shark precautions -

 

1. Stay out of the water in the early mornings as this is when sharks are most likely feeding. Statistically normalized (to account for the # of people in the water during the day), most attacks occur at dawn and dusk.

 

2. Watch for bait fish schools.

 

3. Remove shiny objects such as silver ankle bracelets, etc. as these can be perceived by aquatic species as prey.

 

4. Avoid bathing suits with metallic fabrics as these can be perceived by aquatic species as prey.

 

5. Nearshore sandbars are often the location of "attacks". Keep alert.

 

With this said, keep in mind that the chance of a shark "attack" is very, very slim and you should enjoy the ocean without fear. You encounter greater risks in your every day living. Most of the time, the shark is not "attacking" but may come into contact with a human and is simply responding to a sensory input. Most shark attacks are not fatal -- we just hear about the ones that are.

[alolewis]

More people are killed by lightning than shark attacks.

[snipss]

Was told on one of my cruises by an officer on the ship that the cruise line has sonar around the island to keep sharks out. Not sure if that was true or not but made me feel safer.

[pattie63]

Was told on one of my cruises by an officer on the ship that the cruise line has sonar around the island to keep sharks out. Not sure if that was true or not but made me feel safer.

I think you were getting your leg pulled but maybe the officer really believed what he was saying. In any case, it made you feel safer in a situation where little risk probably existed and you likely had a great time. I think most of us do this rather often.

 

Sharks do not have echolocation capabilities therefore, to the best of my knowledge, would not be effected by sonar. Sharks have multiple compound sensory abilities so here's a brief rundown for anyone interested (the rest of you move on to the next post -- LOL!!)

 

The most important aspect of a sharks sensory capability is that of sound. They are able to detect vibrations and low frequency pulses from distances of over a kilometer by detecting the movement of water particles, which carry vibrations, rather than from changes in sound pressure. They can really hear the low frequency vibrations made by fish (and humans) swimming erratically.

 

Sharks have a nose for low concentrations of chemicals such as blood and excreta from hundreds of meters away. As they swim through the water, the head moves side to side to aid in reception of chemical stimuli.

 

Next up for sharks is mechanoreception -- the lateral line. Sharks use the faintest movements and vibrations in the water to detect the presence and location of moving objects in their range. This sense of "distant touch" comes from a system of mechanoreceptors distributed over the shark's body. The lateral line, which extends down each side of the body from head to tail, empowers the shark with acute sensitivity to pressure. The lateral line is made up of fluid-filled sensory canals and tiny hair cell receptors, which are sensitive to vibration, movement, sound and change in pressure. Stimulation from any of these sources on the largest hairlike receptors provides an electrical charge within the cell. That electrical charge stimulates an attached nerve fibre, which passes the ‘information’ to the shark’s central nervous system. It may be that the sonar affects this but I've yet to hear about that (fish -- and sharks are NOT fish -- have laterial lines).

 

Vision - yes, sharks have eyes and they can see.

 

Electroreception - once a shark is nearfield of its prey, it relies heavily on its electroreception for the attack. They can detect the minute weak electric field that is emitted by the muscles of other marine animals. If the shark has decided to attack, it may use this electrical sense rather than its eyes for the last phase of the attack. Electrical impulses come from any living creature, so as a fish swims, it is sending out signals that the shark can detect within a few meters, even if all its other senses were deactivated.

Fortunately, the strength of a bioelectrical field falls off very steeply, and even in the case of a human body, the field is undetectable by a shark beyond a distance of one or two meters.

 

Finally, there are touch and taste. I've you're at the touch stage with a shark (where they bump you) demonstrate that you are strong and will resist (like hit them in the snout). The shark may be testing his prey at this point. If you move on to taste, lets just hope the shark doesn't find you all that palatable!

 

Okay, I hope you are all sufficiently bored by now!

[crusingsquid]

I encountered a (very) few people on the beach at GSC that concerned me a lot more than the sharks. :)

 

Also, the netting at the stingray encounter is probably to keep the rays IN.

 

 

Yes, netting is also to keep the rays in as well but if they are looking to feel safer and are uneasy and want to experience snorkeling...The Stingray Encounter could be an option for them. There is not many pretty fish there...but there are a few and plenty of stingrays... I believe I saw a life guard at GSC. Not sure, because we were on the other side of the island... So, maybe he would have a good view if he did notice any shark in the area begining the water is very clear.

[Stillfloatin']

Surfgirl, I haven't been to the private island in18 years. I'd appreciate your description of what to expect on our 2006 trip. Thanks

[pieshops]

Just a little meaningless information for everyone:

 

More people are killed each year by falling vending machines then are killed by sharks.

 

I still stinks if you are one of those people but it shows the odds