Sharksonline's Blog

Rodney Winston Fox was born in South Australia on 9 November 1940. And on December 1963 Rodney Fox was attacked by a great white shark and badly bitten around the chest and arm. His abdomen was fully exposed and all ribs broken on his left hand side. His diaphragm was punctured, lung ripped open, scapula was pierced, spleen uncovered, the main artery from his heart was exposed and he was minutes away from his veins collapsing due to the loss of large amounts of blood. Tendons, fingers and thumb in his right hand were all cut and to this day he still has part of a great white tooth embedded in his wrist. Rodney Fox had 462 stitches to sew him together after the attack.

LIFE AFTER THE ATTACK

Rodney Fox went on to design and build the first under water observation cage to dive with the great white shark and for over 40 years has led major expeditions to film and study his attacker. He arranged and hosted the very first white shark expedition to welcome sport divers and has run hundreds of expeditions in the thirty years since. He is regarded as a world authority on the great white shark and has a great reputation as an expedition leader and producer of shark documentaries. Rodney has been involved in some way with most great white shark films made in the 20th century. Rodney has hosted expeditions for over 100 major feature and documentary films with film makers and shark researchers from 16 different countries. Disney, Universal Studios, IMAX, Cousteau Society and National Geographic have enlisted his help and have filmed and studied the great whites from his cages.

Rodney’s life since the attack has involved consulting and coordinating film crews and arranging and guiding ecotourism adventure trips and expeditions specializing in great white sharks (white pointer shark) and other marine creatures. He also travels the world giving talks to people about his experiences with sharks and the need for conservation efforts to continue.

Rodney’s talks and films on the Great White Shark have educated swimmers and divers to the realistic potential of shark attack. He delivers a firm message that sharks are not all that bad, we have very few confrontations with them and we should look after all our fishes especially the Great white shark. He positions the Great White as an important “keystone predator” directly controlling the diversity and abundance of other species in the great web of life. Rodney has a large private collection of displays and items from 40 years film making on the ocean which are on tour around Australia and the world. The displays feature great white shark models, shark proof cages from the film Jaws, giant and ancient fossil shark teeth, plus photos and video highlights from many films that Rodney has been involved in.

All of this info is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Fox

In 1916 of the coast of New Jersey between July 1 and July 12. There were five attacks by a shark on people and only one of the attack victims that was attack lived to tell the story. But sadly many sharks were killed for one sharks mistake. At the time of the attacks there was a deadly summer heat wave and many took to the beach or to a creek to cool off and only one shark that we know of that can live in fresh water and salt water is the bull shark. But most said it was the great white shark but at the time they had no idea that Bull sharks can live in both different waters.

HERE IS THE STORY’S OF THE SHARK ATTACKS OF 1916

The first attack occurred on Charles Epting Vansant age 25 Saturday, July 1 of 1916 at Long Beach Island off the southern coast of New Jersey. He was on vacation with his family. Before dinner Charles Vansant decided to take a quick swim in the Atlantic with a Chesapeake Bay Retriever that was playing on the beach. Shortly after going in the water Charles Vansant started shouting. But people believed he was calling to the dog. But when a lifeguard rescued him he’s left thigh was stripped of its flesh. And he bled to death on the manager’s desk of the Engleside Hotel at 6:45 p.m.

Sightings of large sharks swarming off the coast of New Jersey were reported by sea captains entering the ports of Newark and New York City but were dismissed.

The second attack occurred 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Beach Haven at the resort town of Spring Lake, New Jersey. The victim was Charles Bruder age 27. Bruder was killed on Thursday, July 6, 1916 while swimming 130 yards (119 m) from shore. A shark bit him in the abdomen and severed his legs Bruder’s blood turned the water red. After hearing screams a woman notified a lifeguard that a canoe with a red hull had capsized and was floating just at the water’s surface. Lifeguards Chris Anderson and George White rowed to Bruder in a lifeboat and realized he had been bitten by a shark. They pulled him from the water but he bled to death on the way to route to shore.

When Thomas Cottrell a sea-captain and Matawan resident spotted an 8 ft (2.44m) long shark in the creek but the town dismissed him.

The next two attacks took place in Matawan Creek near the town of Matawan on Wednesday, July 12 Around 2:00 p.m. local boys including Lester Stillwell age 11 were playing in the creek at an area called the Wyckoff dock when they saw what appeared to be an “old black weather-beaten board or a weathered log. A dorsal fin appeared in the water and the boys realized it was a shark. Before Stillwell could climb from the creek the shark attacked him and pulled him underwater. The boys ran to town for help and several men including local businessman Watson Stanley Fisher age 24 came to investigate. Fisher and others dove into the creek to find Stillwell’s body and he too was attacked by the shark in front of the townspeople. Fisher was pulled from the creek without recovering Stillwell’s body. His right thigh was severely injured and he bled to death at Monmouth Memorial Hospital in Long Branch at 5:30 p.m. Stillwell’s body was recovered 150 feet (46 m) upstream from the Wyckoff dock on July 14.

The fifth and final victim Joseph Dunn age 14 of New York City was attacked a half mile from the Wyckoff dock nearly 30 minutes after the attacks on Stillwell and Fisher. The shark bit his left leg but Dunn was rescued by his brother and friend after a vicious tug-of-war battle with the shark. Joseph Dunn was taken to Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick where the Ringling brothers visited him on numerous occasions he recovered from the attack and was released September 15, 1916.

All of this info is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1916_Jersey_shore_attacks

When we enter the water the first thing we think of is a killer shark that is close to shore or a shark will attack me. But we must remember that we are in the sharks world and in their world there is a balance of life and death and a fight for survival. And you must eat to survive. But like us we have to try a food to see if we like it and like them if they hate a food they will let go of it. And find a food they like. But when attacks to do happen we start to think we must kill the shark that hurt this person. But do we get kill every time we try a new food. You have to ask yourself should we kill them because that had a bite of something new.
And I know you are all thinking sharks are all cold blood killers but there are not. There is always something bigger out there. And more people get hurt every year by their pet dog but do we kill the dog for one mistake. Shark attacks are on the rise because there are more people in the water and because most of the food that sharks eat are close to shore and most fish that are in deep water are getting taking out of the water by fisher man. So that is why shark attacks are on the rise.

SO HERE ARE SO TIPS TO STAY SAFE IN THE WATER:

1. Never swim with your dog.
Because it is most likely that the shark will hear the splashing of your dog and attack your dog or you.

2. Never swim if you have cut yourself and you are bleeding.
because shark can smell it and come see if there is food around.

3. Never swim with sea turtles or seals and fish
because most sharks like to eat sea turtles and seals and fish and they will attack you by mistake.

4. Never swim in the morning or at sunset or night.
Because shark eat that this time and they will mistake you for food.

5. Never excessive splashing or play die if you do see a shark.
Because the shark will think that you are a bit of food and will bit to see it is taste nice.

6. Never swim if there is someone fishing or spear fishing or anything like that.
because the blood from the die fish will make a shark come.

7. Never ever swim in Avoid murky waters, harbor entrances, channels, and steep drop-offs.
These areas where sharks are common.

8. Don’t think that swimming in fresh water is safe.
because the bull shark can live in fresh water and salt water. And i think the bull shark is the most dangerous shark.

9. If you cut or injure yourself in the water get out.
Do not stay in the water with blood around you. Because sharks will come.

10. Do not wear high-contrast clothing.
Like orange and yellow are said to be risky colors or shiny jewelry which may appear to be like fish scales. Sharks see contrast very well.

11. Leave the water quickly and calmly if a shark is seen.
Do not provoke, harass or entice a shark even a small one.

12. If fish or turtles start to behave erratically leave the water.
They may be behaving like that because there is a shark in the area.

13. If you feel something brush up against you get out of the water to make sure that you have not been bitten.
There have been reports that shark-bite victims often do not feel any pain.

14. Always swim, surf or dive with other people.
Sharks most often attack individuals.

15. Don’t wander too far from shore.
Doing so isolates you and places you away from assistance.

16. If you are diving and are approached by a shark stay as still as possible.
If you are carrying fish or other catches release the catch and quietly leave the area

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE ATTACKED:

If attack is imminent, defend yourself with whatever weapons you can. Avoid using your[bare hands or feet if you can avoid it. If not concentrate your blows against the shark’s delicate eyes or gills. A shark’s snout is also said to be sensitive.

If a shark actually gets you in its mouth it is advised to be as aggressively defensive as you are able. Playing dead does not work. Pound the shark in any way possible. Try to claw at the eyes and gill openings, two very sensitive areas of the shark.

If bitten try to stop the bleeding. Leave the water as efficiently, calmly, and swiftly as possible. While many sharks will not bite again, you cannot rule out a second attack.

Get immediate medical attention, no matter how small the injury.

HOW TO HELP A VICTIM:

Remove the victim from the water as soon as possible.

Even before you leave the water begin controlling bleeding by pressing on pressure points or by applying tourniquets.

Protect the victim from cold by wrapping him or her in a blanket to minimize heat loss.

Once out of the water try not to move the victim unnecessarily. Call for medical help.

Most of this info is from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/08/0804_040804_shark_attack_2.html