22-ft Great White Shark in seaside lake

Yikes. They might need a bigger boat.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/australia_shark_dc;_ylt=ApEHF.3OI25CO2ffULXNoxMJr7sF

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CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - An east Australian seaside town popular with holidaymakers has been placed on alert after a 7-metre (22-foot) Great White Shark was sighted in a shallow lake, and the police are already calling it "Jaws."

The shark, which normally prefers deeper and colder offshore waters, was caught by a commercial fisherman casting nets on Tuggerah Lake, which opens in one area to the Pacific Ocean at The Entrance, some 100 km (60 miles) north of Sydney.

But it escaped because its huge size forced the fisherman to release his net, Entrance region police chief Tim Winmill said.

"The shark was bigger than the guy's 18-foot boat and he could clearly see its head and tail above the water," Winmill told Reuters.

"It's a big one, like Jaws," he added.

More than 50,000 people live in the lakeside area, which is popular with retirees and vacationers.

Tuggerah Lake is only about three meters (10 feet) deep and 12 km (7.5 miles) long.

Great Whites can weigh up to 2,250 kg (5,000 lb) and are common off southern Australia, South Africa, California and Mexico, where they prey normally on seals, dolphins and tuna.

In director Steven Spielberg's 1975 Oscar-winning popular thriller "Jaws," a Great White Shark terrorizes a summer resort, prompting the police chief to enlist the help of a marine biologist and professional shark hunter to end the attacks.

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Dont you love how everytime there is a big shark spotting, the movie Jaws is always referenced like it was a true story or something.

 

It could probably be easily spotted by helicopter since the lake is only 10 feet deep. I doubt the water is dark or anything since it's so shallow. 22 feet is a lot btw. Pretty sure I would **** my pants if I saw it.

 

Woud have loved to see pics of that behemoth.

 

Seems like if it was 22ft it would be easily seen at all times in a ten ft deep lake. I would imagine with the dorsal it is easily 5 feet high

 

Fear is fear, no matter the "why".

 

Frak that!
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Need the tank one too

 

I reckon it's a hoax. Well, that's what a lot of my 'shark mates' on the actual Shark Attacks forum are saying; amongst them is the admin'/mod' of the site who actually used to live near that particular body-of-water and frequented it often.

Also, a 7-metre Great White shark falls into the 99.999th percentile in terms of size. Large Great Whites (ie. 6-metre & larger) basically don't exist anymore, sadly...

 

Yah and the quote "The shark, which normally prefers deeper and colder offshore waters" is a joke also.

 

Maybe he taking steroids so he can play in the big leagues.

 

U mean it was not a true story??

 

Dang would of loved to see a pic of that.

PAP, go out there and catch it for us will ya!

 

If true then choppers would be all over that lake and would have spotted it by now. Hopefully they will

 

Not to mention that they always reference the movie, even though it was a best selling novel first.

 

The Loch Ness Monster made the swim and et him.

 

I'm always fascinated by big Whites. Amazing creatures just doing what nature intended.

Used to be that we could take runs out to the garbage dumping grounds off Montauk and see some big fish. Steadily, unfortunately, they've gotten smaller and fewer.

On a similar note (and I didn't see this posted up anywhere, yet), this past week, a fisherman claimed to have seen 2 large (20'+) great whites off of Martha's Vineyard. The officials believe it was a hoax.

CW

 

Well it has certainly kept me out of the ocean for 33 years

 

Just don't try to pet them. Apparently they have a bad attitude about that.
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Actually, I remember seeing a documentary about a free-diver who touches big sharks (Whites and Tigers, for instance) on their snout, and it has a very calming effect. Something to do with their electrical sensory receptors in their snout. It essentially puts the shark into a trance-like state. IIRC, it also paralyzes them. They flip over on their backs and sink to the bottom. So, it depends on where, exactly, you pet them. I wouldn't be trying to cop a feel, though.

CW

 

Actually touching them on the snout is not what put's them in a sorta trance it's flipping them over onto their back's.

 

LOL!!! Stereotypes!

 

I've seen this, too, and you're correct that turning a shark onto it's back will put it to "sleep", but the documentary focused on the fact that it was the touch on the snout. IIRC, it was on DiscoveryHD, HDNet or something of the sort. It was pretty interesting. When the diver touched the snout, the shark seemed to go into a spasm, flexed into a scrunched up position, and then just sank (as long as the diver held on). Once the diver released his touch, the shark just swam off as if nothing had occurred.

FYI, "A shark if inverted enters a natural state of paralysis. This state is called 'tonic' and the shark usually becomes dull and unresponsive for a while. Researchers use this condition for handling sharks safely. The condition is termed tonic immobility." I realize that this quote supports your statement, but I recall the diver's assertions that by touching the snout, he caused this state.

I'll see if I can find it. If anyone else can, please do.

Edit: Looks like the name of the show is Sharkman. Was on Discovery's Animal Planet. Am trying to find more details.

Edit 2: Here you go...http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/tv/2008/02/last_nights_tv_the_sharkman.html

"He likes to tickle the noses of great white sharks while he's swimming with them. And not in a cage - actually in the sea, with the sharks. Because Michael is The Sharkman. Apparently, tickling a great white's nose causes serotonin to rush around its brain. It's basically like shark Prozac."

CW

 

BTW,

Here's a link to the Great White sighting on MV...

http://great-white-shark.blogspot.com/2008/06/two-great-white-sharks-spotted-near.html

Edit my earlier post: both sightings were of sharks around 15 feet. My bad.

CW

 

I seen this, or a similar, documentary. It was on the Travel Channel about that aquarium in Valencia, Spain (the largest in Europe). Researchers from the aquarium were testing out this theory in the wild. Great White Sharks don't last in capacity long due to the problems of transporting them. So they we're testing a theory that when you grab their snouts, they have certain points (senses) that puts them into a sleeping trance (without pain or stress). They're hoping this will help lead to making them easier to catch and transport.

Expect they didn't "tickle". They grab the spots where the points were.