Byron Bay Shark - video

Craig Brokensha picture
Craig Brokensha (Craig)
Swellnet Dispatch

A very close encounter between a shark and surfer at The Pass yesterday. Footage by Broshar's Adventures.

Comments

kaiser's picture
kaiser's picture
kaiser Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 5:52pm

Well inside the surf zone as per comments in the other thread. No bait balls to be seen. Makes you wonder what they're looking for? Dart? Tailor? surely there's better targets a bit further out...

Unless they're thinking about taking one of those slow moving surface dwellers lounging on some flotsam...

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 6:51pm

I think this is a small great white (only has big fin and tail fin), but when i lived at Fraser island i often saw bronze whalers a bit smaller than this acaully right in the shore break even in the white water often in knee deep water i think they were after crabs.

The area just behind where a wave breaks is actually where many smaller fish feed, whiting and dart etc as the wave action can stir up/uncover food like pipes or beach worms.

dandandan's picture
dandandan's picture
dandandan Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 8:35am

All the sharks I've encountered on a surfboard have been in real close, and just milling about like this shark. I once got out of the water after seeing a shark about this size that was just kind of staring at me about 50m from shore in conditions and depth as you see here. It was just swimming about, clearly looking at me, but kind of cautiously in a way a dog does when it's not sure whether it wants to be your mate.

I got out and spoke to a bloke on the beach, and have since spoken to a bunch of other people in the know (though not a shark expert), and was told that just where the waves are breaking and around that area has lots of water moving, and is therefore a happy place for a shark to chill as it doesn't have to exert as much energy to get water going over its gills to breathe.

It could be bullshit, but it's definitely made me relax a bit whenever I see something in the wave zone: "She's just tired! He's taking a break! Relax!".

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 6:28pm

I've surfed over a hammerhead right in the surf zone about halfway down the pass. He skirted off real quick.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 6:31pm

A little pointer?

Halfscousehalfcockneyfullaussie's picture
Halfscousehalfcockneyfullaussie's picture
Halfscousehalfc... Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 7:58pm

He could might just be having a cruise about, just like us when we go for a walk

Distracted's picture
Distracted's picture
Distracted Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 8:01pm

The pointers also eat sting rays which are common in the surf zone

carvethatturkey's picture
carvethatturkey's picture
carvethatturkey Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 8:15pm

That guy scared him off with his epic straighthander

sharkman's picture
sharkman's picture
sharkman Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 8:19pm

FFS smallest shark ever, having a surf , probably wondering WTF is dropping in!!

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 8:31pm

Hey agent Sharkman, as per our conversation awhile back, I've never seen sharks in our area. At the beginning of summer a whale was buried locally (against my protests- I put the pic up on another forum) and about two weeks ago a couple of bigguns buzzed the crew out of the water about 15 k's north or where the whale is buried. First time ever anyone can recall.

Lot to be said about the folly of burying whales.

I hope the little fella in the clip doesn't get too used to humans, because one day he will be a big fella.

Wharfjunkie's picture
Wharfjunkie's picture
Wharfjunkie Wednesday, 2 Nov 2016 at 8:47pm

Looks like a tiddler surely these size sharks aren't doing the attacking.

maka2000's picture
maka2000's picture
maka2000 Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 8:58am

what's the fuss around this vid? OMG the shark is in the water OMG near the surfers. by the way the shark never aver tried to bite anyone there if it was going for a surfer it would make it 110%.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 9:08am

I can't see any fuss here.

But if that is a juvenile white shark it does raise some interesting questions about it's provence. Is it a visitor from the Juvenile Port Stephens population?

The shark smart listening station data shows almost all (or all) of the tagged sharks back in the Forster/Hawks nest area.
Why is this one here?

Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 3:58pm

Freeride,
Are all sharks tagged in the Byron le ba area, back in the Port Stephens area/??

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 9:11am

btw, not entirely sure that was a white .....maybe a blacktip?

fitzroy-21's picture
fitzroy-21's picture
fitzroy-21 Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 11:10am

Pretty big pecs and tail for a blacktip......could also be the wave making them look bigger, I'd call white personally.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 11:53am

yeah, think your right Fitz. that caudal fin and pecs are pretty distinctive.

I'd just like to believe that all the whites have fucked off here for a while.

yocal's picture
yocal's picture
yocal Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 10:24am

I'd be interested to hear Kent Stannard's opinion on the sharks behaviour. I can see it passing by the surfer slowly (ie: showing interest) while the surfer slowly moves away from the shark (ie: acting like prey keeping its distance with caution). At the precise moment that the surfer stops in his tracks, the shark then turns directly toward the surfer and approaches the surfer with intent on meeting him at a point in front of the surfer as he begins to paddle away from the shark (ie: responding to behaviour similar to a startled prey being stalked). But then interestingly as soon as the surfer begins to change course and approach the shark when he aggressively paddles for the wave, the shark changes course. From my rose coloured glasses i see that the shark is confused by the surfers approach toward it and it appears to turn away.

It also may have recognised the prey as being more undesirable than first thought on the initial swim past.

Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 4:16pm

Shark caused a paddling interference against the surfer who had priority.
Red triangle against sharks highest scoring ride.

dandandan's picture
dandandan's picture
dandandan Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 4:30pm

10 points to Lanky Dean.

tonybarber's picture
tonybarber's picture
tonybarber Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 6:33pm

Just like a trailer to an adventure movie - music and all. Needed a bit more footage.

chickenlips's picture
chickenlips's picture
chickenlips Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 8:24pm

Byron what a fun place too go! Lost $700 bucks up there a few years back. Oops! Went to the cop shop to see if anyone had found it? They laughed at me. Be a good spot for the next Jaws movie!

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 8:47pm

Thing is Chickenlips, there is someone out there raving about Byron .

Apparently they were there a few years ago and found seven hundred bucks.

chickenlips's picture
chickenlips's picture
chickenlips Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 9:55pm

Yes true! I often think about. Stop! I hope they bought drugs, alcohol and had sex with various Internationals! Like we all should! When we go to Byron! What a beautiful innocent place it is! Easy come Easy Go! Get Loose!

chickenlips's picture
chickenlips's picture
chickenlips Thursday, 3 Nov 2016 at 10:56pm

Time for a Cull! Your Hippy interests are Killing your Towns! Not too many surfing Lennox Beach? The only reason you weren't chomped earlier is because of the ways of the earlier days! Your idiots! Ask the trawlers! There's heaps of them! Protected Species! Ha ha! It's our Ocean!