How to fight off a shark?

• Cucurbita wrote on 2010-11-19 01:50
  Many of you seem to be implying that a shark skin is not tough.
  
  Sharks have VERY tough skin. Unless you were stabbing things through with a knife on a regular basis, even adrenaline wont help you if you have a knife. I'm assuming you're all thinking of stabbing it through the brain, but that really wont work out too well.
  
  Ideally, you need to go for the eyes and snout. This will deliver a sharp pain that will force the shark to back off.
  
  I don't think sharks "bite on" like mammals do though. Their teeth grow sharp in every direction, and works more like a saw. They just open their mouth, and let their speed deal the damage as the teeth literally cut your limbs.
  
  If they do bite on, I suppose thats the luckier scenario. Because then you can hit it. Otherwise it'll just swim by, take a chunk, and repeat.
• paladin wrote on 2010-11-19 01:50
  Go for the eyes or gills
  Or a punch to the nose
  If you have a knife id say try to get the eyes since their soft
• Phunkie wrote on 2010-11-19 01:57

  Quote from Cucurbita;220792:

  Many of you seem to be implying that a shark skin is not tough.
  
  Sharks have VERY tough skin. Unless you were stabbing things through with a knife on a regular basis, even adrenaline wont help you if you have a knife. I'm assuming you're all thinking of stabbing it through the brain, but that really wont work out too well.
  
  Ideally, you need to go for the eyes and snout. This will deliver a sharp pain that will force the shark to back off.
  
  I don't think sharks "bite on" like mammals do though. Their teeth grow sharp in every direction, and works more like a saw. They just open their mouth, and let their speed deal the damage as the teeth literally cut your limbs.
  
  If they do bite on, I suppose thats the luckier scenario. Because then you can hit it. Otherwise it'll just swim by, take a chunk, and repeat.

  
  
  How do people do it though?
  
  Like the shark who killed the guy (18 yr old) in the show first bit onto his leg. And the guy was screaming in pain, but was fighting back at the same time. And I was like, mannnn.... doesn't that hurt?
  
  By the way, this was a Great White in Australia.
  
  :( Sad story.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2010-11-19 02:06

  Quote from Phunkie;220814:

  How do people do it though?
  
  Like the shark who killed the guy (18 yr old) in the show first bit onto his leg. And the guy was screaming in pain, but was fighting back at the same time. And I was like, mannnn.... doesn't that hurt?
  
  By the way, this was a Great White in Australia.
  
  :( Sad story.

  
  
  A mix of chance, strength, adrenaline, and quick thinking.
  
  Also, to bring up what I mentioned earlier about the batteries.
  
  Ampullae of Lorenzini - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  
  Basically, sharks have a 6th sense in electricity. All living beings give off a very small amount of electricity, and the more energy the being uses, the more electricity it produces.
  
  This is their way of sensing their targets. Essentially, if the target they're sensing gives off more volts than usual, they avoid it like the plague.
  
  A battery doesn't last long in water, but it lasts long enough to get a person out. If you ever see a person being attacked by a shark, the FIRST response is to throw any working battery at them and tell them to hold on to it. The shark backs off immediately.
  
  This was tested and proven.
  
  They even sell magnetic bangles for people to wear when swimming to avoid sharks.
  
  The very idea of man fighting off a shark is ridiculous. We're not water creatures and they're far more powerful in the first place. Its not impossible to win, but why take the chance?
  
  Prevention is key.
• Phunkie wrote on 2010-11-19 02:09

  Quote from Cucurbita;220836:

  They even sell magnetic bangles for people to wear when swimming to avoid sharks.
  
  The very idea of man fighting off a shark is ridiculous. We're not water creatures and they're far more powerful in the first place. Its not impossible to win, but why take the chance?
  
  Prevention is key.

  
  
  The magnetic bangles is an amazing idea! I'm glad they thought of that.
  
  I feel like Googling more on it now.
• Tatsu wrote on 2010-11-19 02:11

  Quote from Phunkie;220814:

  How do people do it though?
  
  Like the shark who killed the guy (18 yr old) in the show first bit onto his leg. And the guy was screaming in pain, but was fighting back at the same time. And I was like, mannnn.... doesn't that hurt?
  
  By the way, this was a Great White in Australia.
  
  :( Sad story.

  
  
  Adrenaline helps dull pain. Also with some training, you can ignore pain to a certain extent. Not exactly Shark Bite extent though.
  
  Iirc, sharks do have to 'bite' onto something then stark flinging around at 20mph to saw off whatever it bit.
  
  Stabbing a shark would be very hard, I imagine. A shark is slightly flinging you around so it's pretty hard to make sense of things, you're underwater so movement is horrible, and shark skin is tough. You're not going to be able to pierce shark skin underwater. Probably.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2010-11-19 02:18

  Quote from Phunkie;220840:

  The magnetic bangles is an amazing idea! I'm glad they thought of that.
  
  I feel like Googling more on it now.

  
  
  I used to watch an old Korean TV show in which they showed a ton of "possible death scenarios" and how to deal with it.
  
  "Shark Attacks" was one of the topics. In their experiment they took a AA battery and dropped it in the shark tank. The sharks inside literally avoided the area with the AA tank. Then they attached it to a large chunk of bloody meat during their feeding time. They refused to go near it.
  
  Really nifty waste of time, this show. I learned a lot of ways to not die.
• Skye wrote on 2010-11-19 02:18

  Quote from Tatsu;220846:

  Iirc, sharks do have to 'bite' onto something then stark flinging around at 20mph to saw off whatever it bit.

  
  
  This is true. Sharks bite and then quickly thrash their head around to tear off a chunk of meat. Kind of like alligators and crocodiles biting and spinning around to tear off meat.
• Navy wrote on 2010-11-19 02:26
  Hm, I don't know if it's true or not but I watched some show on discovery channel and they said in a shark attack the best thing to do is poke its eyes because when a shark bites down it rolls its eyes in the back of its head exposing sensitive spots or something, idk I don't remember. You could always go for the ol'fashion punch in the nose technique.
  But honestly if I were attacked by a shark I would die, I'd panic and either drown or bleed to death trying to get back to shore. Assuming I survived the attack itself.
• Phunkie wrote on 2010-11-19 02:27
  If the shark caught me on a bad day, I would think, "UR NOT GONNA KILL ME TODAY MOTHAF-"
  
  And I would fight for my life.
  
  Either that or, really?
  
  But I'd most likely die.
• silentselene wrote on 2010-11-19 02:30
  But wouldn't a battery just shock you underwater? Maybe it's just my brain hardwired to the fact that Electric is Super Effective versus Water.
  
  

  Quote from Cucurbita;220864:

  
  Really nifty waste of time, this show. I learned a lot of ways to not die.

  
  
  Do tell.
• Phunkie wrote on 2010-11-19 02:31

  Quote from silentselene;220896:

  But wouldn't a battery just shock you underwater? Maybe it's just my brain hardwired to the fact that Electric is Super Effective versus Water.
  
  
  
  Do tell.

  
  
  lmao nah
  
  Though licking a battery does. Don't ask.
• Cannibal wrote on 2010-11-19 02:33

  Quote from Phunkie;220771:

  I dunno. There was also a crocodile attack and the people had guns and knives, but I assume that trying to stab a crocodile is pretty futile, right?
  
  I wonder if it's the same for a shark.
  
  But yes, eyes work.
  
  
  Also,
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  We're not in Bean Rua, folks.
  
  Try not to spam in discussions like these.

  
  I was being serious.
• Navy wrote on 2010-11-19 02:42
  *salute* permission to ask, sir!
• silentselene wrote on 2010-11-19 02:49

  Quote from Phunkie;220898:

  lmao nah
  
  Though licking a battery does. Don't ask.

  
  
  I got a CR2035 watch battery on my tongue once. It felt funny. Like tasting metal with added sharpness. Don't ask.