kayaker killed in Hawaii today

[TekkaYaker]

Bad day in Hawaii today..

http://m.hawaiinewsnow.com/#!/newsDetail/24114775

[Fishwhisperer619]

Wow thats awful. Even though we dont have tigers here, i am still skeptical about hanging my legs over the sides. I don't believe it stated in the article, but did the kayaker bleed out from the initial bite out of his leg or was there a second bite? Prayers to the family

[wiredantz]

thanks for posting this up... i am going to be careful of where i put my legs

[PAL]

A few more details. There were warnings that the shark risk was elevated. Yet a shark had never killed or even seriously injured a kayak angler up to now.

How big could the chances have been? Not huge I think, but Hawaii was a likely location if it had to happen. Very sad.

http://www.kayakfishmag.com/news/an-...rick-a-briney/

[wiredantz]

ITS A BLUE KAYAK!

O wait!! its one of those hobie pedal kayak, that have moving part underwater

"a granite colored 9-foot long Hobie Mirage Sport"

[maui jim]

Good thing mine's dolphin colored ......Sharks fear my Cobra....

[PAL]

Originally Posted by wiredantz

ITS A BLUE KAYAK!

O wait!! its one of those hobie pedal kayak, that have moving part underwater

"a granite colored 9-foot long Hobie Mirage Sport"

The victim's appears to have been the granite one. No one can say whether he had used the pedal drive immediately prior to the strike. I mentioned it primarily because the short 'yaks and lack of rigging are data points that suggest experience level when so much other information is unavailable, maybe forever.

I don't see Hawaii's on the water environment and hazards the same as ours locally. For the most part, Hawaii's sharks are more aggressive, curious test biters. Kayak anglers encounter them on a regular basis.

[619-SWIM-DOG]

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=20239

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by PAL

The victim's appears to have been the granite one. No one can say whether he had used the pedal drive immediately prior to the strike. I don't see Hawaii's on the water environment and hazards the same as ours locally.

I completely agree.

Tigers are much more opportunistic feeders then whites and they will pretty much eat anything. That's pretty much common knowledge but what most people do not know is that they adapt rapidly are territorial and set up often pretty unique behavior patterns.

For instance there was a shark around the Mansfield Jetties at Padre in Texas that had a habit of coming up into shallow water and ripping specs and rat reds off wade fisherman's stringers. It never happen to me, but I saw it happen to a friend right in front of me and the shark was a relatively small one about eight feet long. It went on for several years and it happened dozens of times to a number of different fisherman, and they all described the similar sized Tiger.

If I had to guess Id say the Hobie Drive and Yak color, or other issues that might of mattered here probably made no difference there. I doubt that shark was looking for monk seals. I'd bet that shark was used to stealing fish from kayak fisherman. Either fish hanging on stringers or fish that were still on the line. It probably saw the kayak and came up to see if anything was hanging in the water, then grabbed the guys leg just like it would of a hanging fish. Think of it like a stupider, deadlier, more aggressive seal.

What scares me most about tigers is when they grab something they usually don't let go. They grab on, shake their heads and try to cut it in half of with their hooked shape teeth. They evolved for feeding on sea turtles and rays, they could cut a leg off like it was butter. The other thing that scares me is if they bite something and it's remotely edible they eat it. I'm thinking that somehow the guy must have stayed in the yak, or that it was a small shark because if it was a big tiger over say ten feet and it had got him under water I don't think they would of ever found him.

Hate to hear these things. Bottom line keep your feet in the kayak. Also it wouldn't hurt to learn a little first aid especially about tourniquets, because about half the time when our local sharks attack someone they spit them back out.

Jim

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by PAL

A few more details.... http://www.kayakfishmag.com/news/an-...rick-a-briney/

"...Tabon believes the tiger sharks have come to associate kayak anglers with easy meals, presumably fish struggling on the line. Such ‘taxation’ is common in water’s tropical oceanic waters. He’s seen big tiger sharks up close many times. He thinks dangling feet in the water is a bad idea, although he does it himself from time to time....."

There you go

[Old Man in the Sea]

Post from my facebook Friend Bluewater Jon...

http://www.sharkshield.com/blog/i-ow...y-kid-s-mom/42

http://www.sharkshield.com/view/blogs

[lowprofile]

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

What scares me most about tigers is when they grab something they usually don't let go. They grab on, shake their heads and try to cut it in half of with their hooked shape teeth. They evolved for feeding on sea turtles and rays, they could cut a leg off like it was butter. The other thing that scares me is if they bite something and it's remotely edible they eat it. I'm thinking that somehow the guy must have stayed in the yak, or that it was a small shark because if it was a big tiger over say ten feet and it had got him under water I don't think they would of ever found him.



Jim

it wouldn't take a very big tiger at all. check out the mouths on these guys that we've caught this year.