In a message dated 1/7/2005 5:10:45 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, rebyl_kayak_at_iprimus.com.au writes: (Richard has just described the event I was referring to. But I wonder why the difference in ratio of attacks to deaths between California and Australia is so large. Perhaps there is a difference in the way attacks are defined and reported. I think over here an attack would be regarded as a shark taking a bite, but when they bump into something they are just checking if its edible and I don't think a bump would be regarded as an attack even though it can leave a nasty abrasion.) There are 36-38 million Californians, not counting tourists and illegal aliens. Therefore, the population densities are similar in scope. Most shark attack victims usually come very close to dying from shock and blood loss. This suggests to me at least that California's developed infrastructure may have something to do with it. I'm making no suggestions of Australia, by the way, I simply have no idea what it's like. On the west coast of the US, an attack is an actual bite. A bump is regarded as an incident. I heard that straight from a CA park ranger who tried to persuade our group from entering the water with our kayaks when a surfer was bumped an hour before. The Bull Shark event was interesting in that the shark seemed to focus more on the kayak than the paddler who was knocked out of his boat. I've heard the same thing happen in western Australia seven years ago - again the shark spent a fair bit of time beating up the kayak while the paddler was rescued by his mates. Over here we tend to regard Bull Sharks as the most dangerous, not because of size or agression but because they are fairly indiscriminate about what they eat - Bit like humans I guess:~). I think they are regarded as the most dangerous species by most authori-tah's. They cruise the estuarine waters regularly, putting their potential for interaction with us far greater than most other species. They are good surfers, too. When I was in Costa Rica, I watched them surf the outgoing river current as it merged with ocean waves. That was very interesting. Be careful, Rob G *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Jan 10 2005 - 04:17:51 PST
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