Panama City Sharks

[Hampton]

Yesterday was fairly windy, so I went kitesurfing in the sound between the base and Shell Island. The wind inside was sketchy, so I hiked across Shell Island and took to the Gulf. Within 5 minutes, I surfed over the top of 2 sharks. One was a fairly large sand shark, laying on the bottom. We scared eachother. The other was a medium size black tip reef shark on the surface. He scared me.

As the day progressed, I saw one 6' manta ray, a couple of schools of king mackerel, and several other, more common fish types.

Today, I flew down the beach outside of Shell Island twice to see over a DOZEN sharks. I saw the (or another) Manta Ray again also. 3 sharks were feeding on something just a few feet off shore. There were some dolphins in the area, but mostly sharks. Most of them are just a few feet inside of the weed line, just outside of the second sand bar, or inbetween the two sand bars. Not going kiting today - no wind.

 

[jpk33]

John,
probabally NOT a good day to go kiting (even if there was WIND!) Was there anybody else out kiting (like someone who is now shark food?).
Return to the dock, pop a cold one and count your fingers and toes!
- Jeff

 

[mmcguire2002]

Had to scare you but I doubt a kite surfer looks like a turtle or seal to them. I've been diving with all types of sharks, including White Sharks on several occasions, and have seen that if you don't look like food, they don't do more than check you out and move on.

 

[Hampton]

How would I do looking like a scared tuna skipping across the top of the water?

Interesting side story. I had been out for a couple of hours and was starting to get tired and thirsty. I was on a lime green board with a lime green kite. What do you think I happened to find in the water? A lime green can of cool 7up. There was a small amount of growth on the bottom, but the top was clean, and the drink was cool, and the timing was great. I downed the 7up and fastened the can to my rig. I brought it home, told my kids the story, and put the can on top of my desk where it belongs.

I thought that was pretty neat. About 1/2 hour later, some folks at the beach gave me a beer too.

 

[Pog Mo Thoin]

You guys have wind out there? Damn dude we haven't had anything more than low teens in over a month! Thats pretty wild seeing that many at once, I'll see one every once in a while kiting, but never that amount.

 

[STIHLBOLTS]

There are a whole lot of sharks out there, you just don't always get to see them. For the most part they have no interest in us, most bites are mistakes or simply taste tests. We (Humans) don't meet the requirements of fine dinning but will do in a pinch if a shark is really hungry. Rumor has it we taste like week old left overs. Early morning and the dusk of the evening you just don't want to be traipsing around in the water for a swim and if the water is murky. :thumbsup:

 

[DavidS]

Whoaa Hampton...

I'm a Realtor here and had much rather you call them "Interesting Marine Life" if you don't mind. You can't see that kind of thing inland! Appreciate the marine life and don't worry so much about throwing out labels with such negative stereotypes attached!!

In late Aug. I have counted as many as 19 at once from a high rise 22 floors up. I've also seen large ones swim right up to swimmers and just look the other way. I kayak fish in the bay and in the gulf. I have to say that when you are reeling yourself towards a big fish that keeps diving and running (like interesting marine life acts when it's hooked) there are moments of second thought.

 

[STIHLBOLTS]

I'm a Realtor here and had much rather you call them "Interesting Marine Life"

:smt043:smt043:smt043

There is always that great sales pitch! "We're gonna need a bigger boat" :grin:

 

[Hampton]

I just hope I'm never part of any interesting marine life attacks!

 

[chuck1]

DavidS, Being a realtor in the N. GA Mountains, I like the way you think. Up here in the mountains when you drive by some of the interesting place in the county I just call it "Rural flair" (Grin)

 

[DavidS]

Exactly... Just like the sharks, when people realize they aren't bothering anyone they enjoy watching them.

 

[Hampton]

You guys have wind out there? Damn dude we haven't had anything more than low teens in over a month! Thats pretty wild seeing that many at once, I'll see one every once in a while kiting, but never that amount.

I've kited in Key West with Paul Menta a few times in the last 7 years. One day, we were out on the flats and his partner took off in the boat over the horizon to find a newbie that got drug out of site over a 2 - 3 hour period. The boat didn't come back for over an hour. We kited in towards Trumble Point, but there were a bunch of bonnet heads in the shallows. After a couple of decent bites across his body (2 different occassions), Paul doesn't take kindly to interesting marine life, so we kited back out to the flats and just kept going until the boat finally came back.

Even with all of that, he tried to get me to go night kiting under a full moon (manly sport - no gay jokes) a few years ago - the winds were low during the day and picked up every night. Being a visitor, I had to go down town every night (North End) with the rest of my squadron mates. If I was going to get bitten, it was going to be by a co-ed, not a hammer head.

This has been a very windy season for us. I'm at work now, of course, but the local report says W @ 14. If I'm at the island, I'll kite all the way down to about 10, if there aren't too many holes (17m kite and big (128) board. I don't usually smile very much unless I'm on my 12 and my regular board (115). Put me on my 9, and I usually start singing after a half hour or so. It's a natural high (above 25 feet or so).

It was sooo windy this Spring, we had a lot of trouble sleeping on the hook for 3 or 4 months of the season.