NC beaches

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I think its a combo, more people means more chances its simple statistics....that and the waters off NC coast are lousy with sharks.....

Personally I doubt the sharks attacks keep many people away, or even out of the water, folks tend to have the mindset that they spent 1-3k for the week to be on the beach and they are damn well getting into the ocean. They dont think that they will be the "ones" to get pulled out in a rip or bitten by a shark and well they are probably right.

Still at the end of the day as a kid and younger adult I dont remember nearly as many people drowning at the beach as we see now every year, it seems like 12-20 people drown every year now and it sure doesnt seem like it was that many back in the 80-90's. Then again maybe I was just not paying attention....
I don't ever remember shark attacks being an issue like we see now ; but that's my bias.
certainly more people so as you say the math ,makes it more likely.
I was just telling someone yesterday how I thought caswell (where we like to stay) was immune. then minutes later a bald head attack.
 

shaggy

Old Mossy Horns
I wonder if the rough sea conditions that add to the RIP current risks also muddies the water a bit making sharks more likely to take an exploratory bite?

I think oldest schools 3 reasons are all correct to some degree.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I wonder if the rough sea conditions that add to the RIP current risks also muddies the water a bit making sharks more likely to take an exploratory bite?

I think oldest schools 3 reasons are all correct to some degree.
I swear I heard this tossed out yeaterday>
swimmers are wearing bling (jewelry) confusing the sharks?
 

shaggy

Old Mossy Horns
I swear I heard this tossed out yeaterday>
swimmers are wearing bling (jewelry) confusing the sharks?

Really? That's pretty ridiculous.

What I know(based on shark week) is that sharks are more likely to bite in rough dirty water. Not sure where "bling" falls into it at lol.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
fishing lures often use flash (AKA "bling") to attract bites,,,,,expect that is what Mr Oldest school was referring,,,not LOL at all IMMNHO,,,
Exactly the reason that sport divers and vocational divers wear "blacked out" watches, knives, ect. I had a good friend get hit by a cuda because he was wearing a shiny new divers watch, he shredded a new glove and never touched my buddy's hand.
Even the shine of a swivel can get you cut off by a bluefish, cuda or other toothy critters, it doesn't take much to catch the eye of a hungry sea creature.
 

MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
The beach is loaded today.
d0a5439581d1f239115ec6344b00d18d.jpg


Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk
 

bigten

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The shark attacks might keep people out of the water for a little while, but they are still gonna pile in on the coast. I loathe even going to the beach between may and September. If i go to take the boat and fish its for just a day, or we get a hotel several miles outside to save driving so early. When we left saturday afternoon from Holden, the traffic was backed all the way across the bridge to the stop light, and was bumper to bumper almost to green swamp.

I'm sure you are aware that Saturdays are check out days for the renters/vacationers there. Traffic is bad out those days and bad in on Sundays, as that is check in day.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The beach is loaded today.
d0a5439581d1f239115ec6344b00d18d.jpg


Sent from my LG-US996 using Tapatalk
When we used to shark fish from the surf at times we would go for "short trips" that would put us at Wilmington or some of the beaches we could get to as quick as possible. Of course we were sharing the surf with swimmers. I can't count the times we would decide to just go out and fish a few hours on the beach at the motel instead of going to Ft. Fisher and of course there would be folks swimming right beside us or into our lines. If we hooked up on a good one there would be a crowd around and when we would get one out and take pics. for 30 mins or so there wouldn't be a soul in the water. Hour later and they would be right back out there. Many of these fish were hooked either right behind the breakers or some were so close when you hooked them you could see their fins come out of the water.

They have always been there, I just think there are more of them now and more people. The perfect storm.
 

dobber

Old Mossy Horns
I used to only read the local paper, only got the local news, maybe something from elsewhere.
Today i get bombarded with news updates to my phone, i am more up to date with current events than ever before.
in NC - 3 shark bites this year, one resulting in a lost leg, then of course there's the kid riding a magical Unicorn being blown off to sea. That was just this mornings news and i am in a different country, so not so sure there are more bites/drownings or we just hear about them more often
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
It's a 24/7 news world. I can find out if someone got attacked by shark in Australia just by a quick update on my phone. Couple that with every person having a camera on their phone and the ability to spread news in a instant via text, twitter, facebook etc, that is why you here about attacks more often. Of course more people in the water increase the chance of an attack as well.

I don't fret over it. It's kind of like spending time in big bear country. The simple fact of being around/near big bears increases your odds of being attacked, but, using a little common sense keeps your odds lower. I don't swim near piers or areas where there is lots of food (docks, fish cleaning stations). I don't swim at dawn/dusk or at night. I keep an eye out for schools of bait fish and get myself/kids out of water if I see them. All that being said, if you get in the ocean, you automatically increase your risk of getting bit by a shark by 100%. The only way to prevent it is to never get in the ocean. I can't live my life in fear. Every time I get in my car, my chance of dying in a car wreck increases dramatically. But I have to drive. Every time I walk outside, my chance of dying from a bee sting increases (I am allergic to bees), but I still go outside. It's the risk we take called living.
 

nekkedducker

Ten Pointer
I'm sure you are aware that Saturdays are check out days for the renters/vacationers there. Traffic is bad out those days and bad in on Sundays, as that is check in day.

Yeah i was aware of that, we were eating at Provision Company right before and the girls working there said that Saturday was the worst traffic they have seen all year. Even more that memorial day weekend.
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
Yeah i was aware of that, we were eating at Provision Company right before and the girls working there said that Saturday was the worst traffic they have seen all year. Even more that memorial day weekend.
I was at Provision's Saturday. Boat traffic was worse than I've seen it. The dock help said it must because they've had so much rain that with some good weather, folks were out.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Nothing kills/eats sharks so the population is exploding. More sharks + more people = more shark attacks.

Same as sharks eating charter boats fish, it's getting worse every year.
That makes about as much sense as anything. Just like raptors/owls being protected sharks for the most part are other than a few slot limits and they have boomed. I had forgot about that.
 

Firedog

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Even the term "Shark Attack" is sensationalizing for clicks and attention. Where have I seen this before.. one animal tries to feed on another... oh yea.. literally EVERYWHERE in nature.. for all of our smarts and advancements.. we are still just another animal on a planet full of predators and prey.. which one we are depends on where we are and what we have with us.
 

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
I don't know about the "getting worse" aspect of it. Reason I say so is I don't recall shark bits being in the news near as much as they were the summer just before 9/11 happened.
 

Helium

Old Mossy Horns
Chances of getting killed in car accident are much greater!

I will never forget when bowhunting Pungo close to Conmans.. shared a little concern about the bears.... Mike said “don’t worry about those bears, you’ve already done the most dangerous thing you could do driving 60 miles per hour passing cars coming opposite direction at same speed and only a little yellow line separating you”!
 

Helium

Old Mossy Horns
I think its a combo, more people means more chances its simple statistics....that and the waters off NC coast are lousy with sharks.....

Personally I doubt the sharks attacks keep many people away, or even out of the water, folks tend to have the mindset that they spent 1-3k for the week to be on the beach and they are damn well getting into the ocean. They dont think that they will be the "ones" to get pulled out in a rip or bitten by a shark and well they are probably right.

Still at the end of the day as a kid and younger adult I dont remember nearly as many people drowning at the beach as we see now every year, it seems like 12-20 people drown every year now and it sure doesnt seem like it was that many back in the 80-90's. Then again maybe I was just not paying attention....
More people = more drownings.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
well I know the REASON is summed in one of two things,,,

Global Warming​
President Trump,,,(thanks @MJ74 )​

or MAYBE

Global warming BECAUSE of President Trump,,,,​

No doubt. If Trump hadn’t pulled out of the Paris climate agreement, those sharks wouldn’t be in such a bad mood. Sharks are only acting badly because we pulled out of the agreement.

Wait for Omar to float that idea next week.
 
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