Requiem
A dedication by blindboy.
Recent events focus our minds but anyone who has surfed for more than a few years has had an encounter. A fin gliding past in the distance, a streamlined shadow in a wave face or a dark gliding mass beneath the feet. They are there and we know it but it is only when attacks occur that we recalibrate our risk and reconsider the late afternoon sessions, the river mouths and the known breeding grounds.
But then the memory fades and we return to our usual habits, reassured by the odds quoted by media anxious to reassure the tourist trade. One in however many millions they confidently assert while we surfers try to work out some algorithm to factor in our particular locality and our so frequent presence in the water, all the time knowing that such figures are meaningless. Every shark you ever saw, and the hundreds you didn't, could have had a piece of you had they wanted it. Randomness makes mock of statistics. They will have who they will have in contempt of all careful calculation.
It is a rare thing in our age to run the daily risk, however small, of being attacked and eaten by a wild animal. And that is at the core of our fear. It is not the risk of dying as such, our odds of drowning are orders of magnitude higher, it is the nature of the death that appals us. Yet, on the scale of our evolutionary history, our rise to the top of the food chain is relatively recent. The fossil evidence of pierced skulls and damaged bones only confirms what our every instinct has always confirmed. We are potential prey for any large predator.
Look at a tiger or a lion next time you are at the zoo or consider the crocodile. A human without some sort of serious weapon and the knowledge to use it effectively, would have no chance. Then google megafauna and have a look at some of the creatures we shared the planet with until only tens of thousands of years ago. Our fear is built into our bones. Our bodies respond instantly to unexpected loud noises or sudden movements, adrenalin instantly prepares us for action. To flee or to fight.
Human history, and the ever expanding environmental destruction that has accompanied it, can be read as a flight from a wilderness that contained such monsters to an ever more constructed landscape. We cheerfully cleared the forests and shot the big cats for fun. We caught Great Whites for cat food and skinned crocodiles for fashion accessories. And so we ascended the food chain, almost to an apex of invincibility, but not quite. For we fled the wilderness with one eye over our shoulder so that the greater our distance from it, the greater our longing for our primeval home with its welcoming chaos of dancing greenery, or dancing waves, for the sea was always part of that wilderness.
Our eyes still seek the compound and complex, endlessly ramifying through space as our ears still prick up to birdsong, a rustling in the undergrowth or the irregular thud of waves on a beach. But now the things that soothe us have been forced to the edges of our world: the tangled green of old growth, the jagged expanse of savannah and woodland, the wetland, even the desert. Only the ocean remains central. Our great population centres cling to its edges.
We stand on its shores and view the only natural landscape we are likely to see in the course of a day. We immerse ourselves in it and satisfy something so deep, so essential to our humanity, we cannot even name it. So our vulnerability remains, we are drawn to the sea, that most available of wildernesses and in it still dwell those primeval monsters we have feared forever and they will attack us and many of those attacked will die, but it is a death of enormous dignity. What could be braver? What more emblematic of a life well lived than such a death? We celebrate the deaths of soldiers for their commitment to their country. We should celebrate the deaths of shark victims for their commitment to a rich and vital life, for the example they set in pursuing their passion, for remaining human in a world so ready to dehumanise us all. RIP. //blindboy
Comments
Great piece of writing Blindboy.
I'm not sure I agreed with the sentiment in the final paragraph: every-one surf nowadays, to imbue some kind of noble purpose into what is essentially random violence-the very essence of wild nature- seems oddly tacked on to the unflinching gaze of the rest of the piece.
Would a box jellyfish death have the same meaning? A croc attack?
It's tragic, yes, but holding it up as some kind of example just doesn't ring true.
'But now the things that soothe us have been forced to the edges of our world: the tangled green of old growth, the jagged expanse of savannah and woodland, the wetland, even the desert. Only the ocean remains central.'
Yeh great writing. But as Traditional Indigenous Australian's, the most successful and longest surviving Cultures demonstrated with a record not evenly remotely matched, the exact opposite approach works incredibly well. Being, understanding, not fearing the environment.
200 years isn't very long ago. Things can be so different.
RIP to the two young fellas recently taken.
Nice piece BB.
nicely written bb'
RIP to the victims and condolences to their family's
Yeah totally agree with all of the above,nice work BB .As for the guys mates who were brave enough to try and save their mate faced with what they had to deal with was increadibly brave,you boys can hold your heads high.........RIP
I agree BB. I have always thought that being taken by an apex predator would be the most noble way to die. You become a part of a true hunting machine. Much better than worm food.
Speaking of worm food...
http://thoughtcatalog.com/jim-goad/2013/08/death-yours-and-mine/
Of all the things written in the last fortnight this I found the most comforting. The art of language triumphs over the reason of science. Very nice work BB.
Great article Blindboy, unlike Freeride I think your final paragraph is the real power in the piece. I always appreciate a new way of seeing things, and you have provided that today.
Im a survivor and it aint fun, bitten is one thing being attacked is another. I looked behind at my 20ft blood trail and the sucker was after me,,only human intervention swayed the odds in my favour and I didnt die..fk me, it was off the scary scale let me tell ya..lucky I shite in the AM, cracking jokes all the way in the ambo I was. 20 months in now and im still in state of shock..im trying to put that 3 minutes of terror on paper, I have 32000 words, anyone here help with compiling editing whatever book people do??
I got lotsa good gore from pre and post op, surfing in Indo, tattoo shots, my old job..BB from a survivors point of view,,meh...the victims families first need a support network, then us survivors could use some help also, some more than others, im extremely lucky, only 2kgs of me is sharkshite so all good..fishing law changes around 10 years ago are the problem people,,sorry it hurts I know, our waterways are pristine again but no one has said when fish repopulate an area bigger fish will follow. Google Reunion Is shark problem.
RIP Zac and Chris, both great guys by the sounds of it. Now its the Sharklife as my friend with one arm in Florida calls it.
Glen Folkard.
All the best with the recuperation, Lenny. Onwards and upwards, then hopefully back out to the sea again.
I could possibly help with the edit Glen.
Interesting way to view things. As blindboy said, although statistics are pretty concrete, they are forever changing due to stochastic or outlier events. Anyone of us can be this random event at any time. Odds are in favour that you won't get taken alive by a shark, however, you may happen to be that 1 person on that 1 given day. They aren't a sure thing.
What's interesting, as Blindboy said, is that we often take for granted the dangers of the ocean. We really do place our life in the hands of "God" so to speak as we paddle out at our breaks. I for one don't rely on statistics as a safeguard. They give me no comfort. Instead, I take action and surf with friends, surf during the day or mid-morning, and never surf near a river mouth when there has been torrential rain. However, even with these precautions taken, the risk of being eaten alive still remains. Thus, we all have to accept that when we enter the ocean, we all are at the mercy of it and the creatures that reside within it.
best wishes with your recovery.
EDIT; fuck glenn I just googled you ...horrific bite.
I live on the mid nth coast and have surfed and still do around coff's and below . Too many times I hear from people of shark stories either surfing , fishing from boats or just walking within view of the water . All say the same thing from eye witness reports ; there are some really big fish out there swimming around our beaches !!! They look for for food in all depths of water and travel basically 24/7 to find it . I never understood why we are hell bent on putting them on the protected list ? Really why are most fish species on a bag limit , but the ones' threatening human life are left to bread . I bet the parents and friends of the lost wonder why !!! Do you think in future time when we have over populated the land or need it for food and have to live in the ocean will we let it be full of predictors other than resources for survival . Yes I've heard sharks clean up the sea floor . So do crustaceans ( crabs , lobbies and more ) . Something should be figured out to stop human life being lost , no diff to car safety , alcohol , drugs or anything killing us .
Longtime watcher, first time poster......
This is fantastic commentary, and a great article written by BB. An interesting read that, for once in shark attack circles, actually does a very good job of trying to articulate exactly what it is about sharks, surfing and the risks we all take that makes it so scary, yet so tolerable to the point that we cant live without immersing ourselves in the ocean.
I was attacked by a 10ft white at Winki in Vicco in Dec 2006. Like lenny67, I am extremely lucky to be alive, and even more fortunate to still be surfing at a similar level to what I was before the attack. As with lenny, the 'human intervention element' of my mate Maj helping me out was the main thing that kept me alive.
I have often been really disheartened by a lot of what I read in the media and various other forums - it is so focused on peoples 'right' to feel safe however they spend their time in the ocean, and that somehow through 'management' we can solve dilemmas that are at the heart of the deep seeded, almost primal instincts that BB described. In that sense, this one of the most refreshing articles I've read on shark attacks, and its encouraging to know a lot of other surfers feel the same way. It is the appeal of the unknown in the ocean that is so original, authentic and timeless. You never know what you're really in for.
Reeflingo summed it up perfectly "we all have to accept that when we enter the ocean, we all are at the mercy of it and the creatures that reside within it." So true. The ocean's mercy may deliver the barrel of your life one day. The ocean's mercy might deliver some of the creatures that reside in it the next day. To some extent its out of our control - but they are the risks we are prepared to take for the love of the ride and the appeal of the unknown. That in itself is fascinating in my opinion.
Uplift there is certainly something to think about for all of us in your first comment.
And Stickit_2.... I'm not so sure you comprehended the themes in BB's article. 'Trying to stop things killing us' is the reason why the oceans are one of the very few truly wild things left on this planet.
Thanks for the good reading all!
Pete Galvin
There is no more "dignity" in being eaten by a fish than dying too early by any other means be it car accident, cancer or drowning.
The loss of a young life, or any life before one's time is a tragedy no matter the method.
Very well written blindboy...love the sentiment, the respect. Yes indeed RIP shark attack victims.
Shark attacks are increasing, no doubt. The fishing laws, i agree lenny. In the old days, ten years ago, a shark would be hunted and removed from the area. This is no longer 'legal'. The are no longer consequences for sharks that attack humans. I am sure the sharks tell their shark buddies that they can bite someone and get away with it. Conversely in the old days they would tell their shark buddies 'dont go in there, the two legged people will shoot ya, stab ya, kill ya and eat ya.'
We can expect a continued increase in shark attacks until common sense prevails.
One of your best BB and hopefully an insight for those who don't surf into why we continue to do what we do, even after a spate of attacks.
Thanks Lenny and Pete for sharing your stories, it's always great to see commentary from those who have been attacked going down the no cull route.
Some great words regarding the ocean being one of the last wildernesses, and when we surf we have to always take this into account, but not interfere with it for our own selfish purposes.
Good clean banter there guys, thanks the human side of shark attack and recovery is not covered too often, Pete Galvin I would like to get in touch mate. If you would like you can join the Bite Club Facebook page setup by us survivors, then I find you and compare horror, maybe catchup we do the scar bit just like in the galley scene in jaws...maybe some red wine etc.
Dying by shark attack is just as tragic as a car accident yes AM. Its the being eaten alive or taken apart easily,,all right there in front of you, mostly no pain for most of us, that comes later...opinion taken but theres a difference mate. The ripple affect that goes through the family is hard, 3 kids I have, family all over Oz and around the world that felt those first few days in the trauma ward.
All good stoked to be alive everyday, more than I ever was...waves are good today too I hear so I might get a sneaky few later on me wobbly right leg, surfing with my front foot has been lotsa fun eh, still terrified but get a little turn here and there, 1 hour I come in stoked...been outa ocean for 12 months now from 3 ear ops so im back on today boys! Wish me luck! Lenny. Faceplant here I come!
All the best lenny. Get back out there and rip!
Yeah, good on you lenny, glad to have you with us.
However, I hope I never join the 'Bite Club'.
Good onya lads, Ive been trolled lots online in the last 20 months, so its nice to see that community surfing spirit is still around, just like I remember the surfing friendliness of 30 years ago. Funny too, cause now I know how short life can be im trying to be friendly in the surf more, just throwing smile out and a "hey how is it?" We are very lucky people to just be able to surf. So each of us can change the stink eye and attitude that goes around some line ups in our own way. Even the crankiest lookin bloke in the lineup will change his tune I have found!
Hey lenny, I couldn't find the bite club facebook page - drop me an email at [email protected]