BigBird Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 We were up in Maine last week paddling in Casco Bay and our friends encountered a shark. My wife and I were not with them on this particular paddle. They said they were about 30 yards from shore and it was about 10 yards further out from them. Seas were fairly calm so the fin could not be mistaken for a buoy or something else. Both of my friends got a good look at it. It swam parallel to them for a bit and each time the fin went below the surface and then returned. Suddenly, it turned toward them. It came close enough that my friend Mark said it was about 6' in length and he said the body was grey but the fin was jet black. They were terrified as their 9 year old daughter was with them in her own boat (and struggling against the tide). They have no idea what kind of shark it was as they put their heads down and paddled as fast as they could back to shore.The next day, my wife and I were out paddling in the same area and a sea lion popped up about 30 yards from us. We decided to stay closer to shore for the rest of our paddle.So just wondering if anyone has encountered a shark while paddling? If so, what is the recommended course of action? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfolster Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 They may have been smaller basking sharks (click the link for article and video) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I doubt you saw a sea lion. Perhaps a Gray Seal? They are bigger and can be more aggressive than the harbor seals which love to follow and play along.Sharks are around on the Maine coast (friend watched a reputed Great White trail a fellow paddler once), but not sure there is anything to do about it. Just enjoy the experience if you manage to see one. A couple of weeks ago I was with a group that had a shark swim by a paddler. Same size, around 4-6' they said. I unfortunately missed it.Ed Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBird Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Thanks for the link Rob - I saw that video with our friends last weekend while we were searching for any evidence of shark sitings along the Maine Coast. Our friend Gayle who was one who saw the shark also thought it might be a Basking Shark.Ed, I don't think I could pick out a seal vs a sea lion so you are likely correct. Interesting to learn that sharks are in and around the Maine coast - they were in a relatively calm bay so I was surprised that they could encounter a shark in those waters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick stoehrer Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Not to freak you out but they were tracking a great white offa portland last weekend....and we don't have sea lions here on the east coast unless they are terribly, terribly lost. Sea lions have vestigial ears and their limbs are splayed out differently.. they can 'walk' on shore where our local seals more or less hump and lumber around....rear flippers pointing backwards and are useless on land.The gw's offa monomoy summer there for the pupping seals...sharks follow the food.So there's a good incentive to not look like food, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Hmm, I hope the sharks haven’t followed me back north to New England. I paddle and sail off the coast of Palm Beach/Singer Island Florida for six months each year. Unlike here in New England, hypothermia is not a significant problem (Singer Island/Palm Beach is about four miles from the warm Gulf Stream). However, sharks are another story.From February through March bull sharks, black tip sharks, lemon sharks and spinner sharks hang around close to shore chasing baitfish before swimming north for the summer. I haven’t seen any great whites but they occasionally do come down to Florida. Except for the spinner sharks, I have no problem paddling while sharks are down deep below me. Obviously I wouldn’t want to be in the water so, should I capsize, I plan to do my fastest roll.Here’s an overdone video of dozens of bull sharks swimming off the beaches of Singer Island (practically across the street from where I live). And here’s another video of spinner sharks demonstrating their jumping prowess. The first time a spinner jumped near me I sprinted back to the safety of the bay (Singer Island is a barrier island with a bay to its west). I'm not as brave as those surfers so I stayed away from ocean paddling for two weeks.-Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick stoehrer Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 That...IS AWESOME!FLA has awesome ocean/seascapes to explore (tar-poooooons!) and it's filled with cutting edge, self medicating crazy people that have access to drive through liquor stores.Sunsets with the fair and lovely Janis in KW; cocktail firmly in hand after a day kayaking, snorkeling, diving, sailing....maybe some plantain madura at le maison de pepe's right there at Mallory....must be quiet down there now, it's a million degree's....hmmn....I feel a trip coming on.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Leon... Yikes! ... yet another reason never to go to Florida!... Snakes, alligators...and now twisty sharks leaping out of the water?! NO THANK YOU!!!pru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieC Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 (edited) Maine is known for Basking sharks. Here is a link to an article about that. It has a link in it that shows the comparison of a basking fin vs a great white. http://www.pressherald.com/2015/06/22/scientists-say-maine-sightings-are-likely-basking-sharks-not-great-whites/I have yet to see one... I do see seals all the time. OOPs, did not realize this is what Rob posted... Sorry for the double post! Edited July 14, 2015 by JulieC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLConaway Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 So cool--thanks for posting! What a beauty. I admit to having watched some of the Shark Week programs. I appreciated the change in tone, but also sort of miss the B-movie feel.So, er, sharks won't go for a yellow boat, right? Extra Sharkey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 ....must be quiet down there now, it's a million degree's....hmmn....I feel a trip coming on....Everyone,Rick – if you’re looking for very hot weather then skip Florida. The record hottest temperature ever recorded in Miami, Florida is 98 degrees and Singer Island is usually 5 degrees cooler than Miami on the hot summer days. Even in the middle of the summer Florida is far from the hottest region. It’s extremely rare for the temperature to get above 97 °F anywhere in Florida.Table below is from here Large US cities where the temperature most often climbs to 100 °F (37.8 °C) or higher. City Days a Year Above 99 °FPhoenix, Arizona 107Las Vegas, Nevada 70Riverside, California 24Dallas, Texas 17Austin, Texas 16Sacramento, California 11Oklahoma City 11San Antonio, Texas 8Salt Lake City, Utah 5Houston, Texas 4Kansas City, Missouri 3The videos that I posted show the worst shark days in late winter. Most days the baitfish are miles from shore and so are the sharks that follow them. If you’re afraid of sharks then Florida, California, Hawaii and the Carolinas have the most. But during shark season in Florida most serious paddlers stay in the numerous bays there.Pru - Other than when I paddled far up the Loxahatchee River and other game reserves I’ve never seen a snake or alligator in Florida.Freediving aside, I much prefer New England in the summer.-Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBird Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Thanks for all the great posts and video links! General consensus is to stay calm and enjoy the view? Guess I better learn how to roll... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 You are far more likely to see something like this than a shark looking to do you harm.http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/a/a/c/5/600_439783717.jpegIts a basking sunfish BTW.Ed Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLConaway Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Beach-goers rescue shark off Cape Cod:http://www.wfsb.com/story/29542815/watch-beachgoers-help-rescue-stranded-great-white-shark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Beach-goers rescue shark off Cape Cod:http://www.wfsb.com/story/29542815/watch-beachgoers-help-rescue-stranded-great-white-sharkIt was the right thing to do but let’s hope it won’t eventually be a case of “no good deed goes unpunished”.-Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 My rules to avoid sharks 1. Most important: Don’t paddle when you hear this background music!2. Don’s paddle or swim near bait balls like the fools in this video. Especially don’t hold your paddle upside down. Also, stay away from surf casters that are purposely targeting sharks.PSPru, while you were shoveling out your car last winter I was free diving here (walking distance from my place). Ninety-nine percent of the time there are no sharks around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Another shark rescue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 We often read in the news about humans rescuing stranded sharks. Did you know that sharks do their fair share to repay us too? For example:A shark saved this man’s life.I found a shark willing to donate some of her skin to reduce the hydrodynamic drag of my kayak by 12.3%. In return all she asked for was some Snickers Peanut Butter Squared.Unfortunately, sharks get a bad rap in the movies.Please support our sharks.-Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Everyone,Rick – if you’re looking for very hot weather then skip Florida. The record hottest temperature ever recorded in Miami, Florida is 98 degrees and Singer Island is usually 5 degrees cooler than Miami on the hot summer days. Even in the middle of the summer Florida is far from the hottest region. It’s extremely rare for the temperature to get above 97 °F anywhere in Florida.Table below is from here Large US cities where the temperature most often climbs to 100 °F (37.8 °C) or higher. City Days a Year Above 99 °FPhoenix, Arizona 107Las Vegas, Nevada 70Riverside, California 24Dallas, Texas 17Austin, Texas 16Sacramento, California 11Oklahoma City 11San Antonio, Texas 8Salt Lake City, Utah 5Houston, Texas 4Kansas City, Missouri 3The videos that I posted show the worst shark days in late winter. Most days the baitfish are miles from shore and so are the sharks that follow them. If you’re afraid of sharks then Florida, California, Hawaii and the Carolinas have the most. But during shark season in Florida most serious paddlers stay in the numerous bays there.Pru - Other than when I paddled far up the Loxahatchee River and other game reserves I’ve never seen a snake or alligator in Florida.Freediving aside, I much prefer New England in the summer.-LeonTrue, but what's the average humidity in those places? I'll take 105 and bone dry in Phoenix over 95 and 90% humidity in FL any day! I find Florida heat/humidity to be miserably oppressive, which is why I will never live there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leong Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 True, but what's the average humidity in those places? I'll take 105 and bone dry in Phoenix over 95 and 90% humidity in FL any day! I find Florida heat/humidity to be miserably oppressive, which is why I will never live there.And that's why I'm in New England half of each year. Nevertheless, I don't think the humidity at my FLA location (Singer Island) has ever been greater than 80% in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josko Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 (edited) Is it possible that this 'shark' was an atlantic sturgeon: http://www.vcu.edu/rice/images/photos/main/Sturgeon1.jpg ?It would be 6'-7', gray, with a dark fin, and rather common in coastal Maine. I saw two of them the week of 4th of July near the mouth of Kennebec river. I think that would be by far the most likely sighting of a fish that size, color and shape.A much less likely possibility is a sandbar shark: http://www.aqua.org/~/media/Images/Animals/sandbar-shark/animals-sandbarshark-slide4-web.jpgbut it is a coastal shark encountered as far as Maine in summertime.Both animals are harmless to humans. Edited July 17, 2015 by josko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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