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I wonder how big Great Whites REALLY grow...


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I spotted this article on the NZ Herald website today:

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11359307

 

Leaving aside the hype, I wonder how big these suckers really grow. The references I have indicate a maximum size of anywhere between 6.0 to 6.4 metres.

Any (reliable) reports of anything to support or exceed this?

 

Cheers

af

 

PS Hopefully we can leave all of the stuff about Carcharocles megalodon out of this particular thread!

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This reminds me of thread about a shark sighting on another fishing forum a few years back.  Story goes they were fishing out of a 6m boat and got a visit from a great white.  Of course those that were there said it was bigger than the boat, easily 6m, possibly 7m or bigger and they had had video and photos to prove it.  I remember there was a lot of debate whilst everyone eagerly waited for the video to be posted....

 

When I viewed the footage and photos I personally thought the shark was more like 3.5 - 4m long, as did most from memory.  Definitely big enough to give you a scare, but the original poster and others that were supposedly there on the day still said it was at least 6m and wouldn't even entertain the idea that it was any smaller.

 

I think it's natural in the circumstance for people to over exaggerate the size of these things, but I think the facts and physical evidence suggest that a great white to 6m is a pretty rare animal.    

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  • 1 year later...

Many many years ago there was a 25 footer (over 7.5 m if my math is correct) displayed in an alcohol bath/aquarium on the back of a semi-trailer at the Wayville Showgrounds. It was one of the biggest ever caught supposedly. I remember thinking it was like a damn submarine with teeth. 

 

Cheers ppl.

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How about this 2 deaths  :sh  in one week in WA :( Used to live there next to the latest where a lady was taken. I feel there is a "Duty of Care" needs to be taken by the government of Australia and cull (IMO) sharks and their food source... seals said but need to look at the big picture, could be your child or family member.

Here is the latest today.

 

Woman killed by shark 'bigger than boat' in Australia
Posted on 5 June 2016 - 05:44pm
Last updated on 5 June 2016 - 05:56pm
 
 

SYDNEY: A woman was fatally mauled by a huge shark — described by witnesses as larger than their boat — near the western Australian city of Perth on Sunday.

The attack on the woman off the northern Perth suburb of Mindarie comes just two days after a surfer died after having his leg bitten off by a shark along the same coastline.

Western Australia state police said the woman — reported to be a 60-year-old diver — had "significant injuries that are consistent with a shark attack".

Police Inspector Danny Mulligan added that three fishermen who tried to help the woman and her partner described the shark as being longer than their 5.3m boat.

He said the woman's diving partner felt "something go past him" when he was in the water.

"When he surfaced he saw a commotion in the water and then another boat arrived to pull him out of the water, and then it was noticed that the lady had suffered some severe and fatal injuries," Mulligan said according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Given the nature of the injuries and the location of the incident, it is likely that a large white shark greater than 3m in size is responsible," the state's Department of Fisheries said it a statement.

The department added that it had deployed "capture gear" — reported to be drum lines — to "fish for the shark" after the attack, which happened 1km offshore.

Surf Life Saving WA tweeted earlier Sunday that a 4.5m shark had been reportedly sighted offshore from Mindarie.

Local beaches were closed after the incident.

The suspected attack came two days after Ben Gerring — a surfer who lost a leg in a mauling off Falcon Beach some 115km south of Mindarie on Tuesday — died in hospital.

The 29-year-old was with a group of surfers when what is believed to have been a great white shark pounced on him, ripping off his right leg above the knee and snapping his surfboard in half.

A 4.2m shark caught on Wednesday near to where the attack occurred was destroyed at sea, although authorities could not confirm whether it was responsible.

Deadly attacks are relatively rare, according to the International Shark Attack File, which in February reported a record 98 shark attacks worldwide last year.

However, only six were fatal, including one in Australia, it said.

Experts say attacks are increasing as water sports become more popular, but stress fatalities are uncommon. — AFP

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Many many years ago there was a 25 footer (over 7.5 m if my math is correct) displayed in an alcohol bath/aquarium on the back of a semi-trailer at the Wayville Showgrounds. It was one of the biggest ever caught supposedly. I remember thinking it was like a damn submarine with teeth. 

 

Cheers ppl.

Hmm not too sure about that one jaffa, I would have thought that if there was one that size officially measured and on record it would be very well documented. It seems to be difficult to find any indisputable measurement much over 6 metres. 

Although I did have a plumber come to my house one day and when  he saw my boat he started talking fishing, he told me about the shark they saw one day of the coast locally. They were in a 25 foot boat and this shark was over a metre longer than the boat at each end. I think by the time he left that shark was up around nearly 10 metres long.

I am sure that there must be some beasts out there that would blow our minds but it is so hard to get an accurate measurement when these things are in the water. Just bearing in mind the refraction of light through water makes them look bigger. Same effect when you look at your line entering the water, the line is going in at an angle but appears to change direction once it penetrates the surface.

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As sad a story as that is, where would the culling end Panga ?

Totally disagree.

It's bad enough they drum fish for them over there.

I do not have any kids, let alone grand children but the  amount of attacks is proportional to the # of sharks and seals (natural food source here in SA. And I have lived and dived in WA)  

I would rather have a cull on sharks than see a child or a fellow human killed as it will affect so many of the relatives IMO 

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Although it's horrific to hear that somone has been killed or attacked by a shark, the stats show that on average only 3 people are killed each year from shark attacks.  If people were really concerned about saving lives of humans it would make more sense to focus on activities that kill much more people each year, than trying to cull sharks to reduce shark related deaths.

 

Globally and in Australia there is a trend of increasing shark attacks and deaths.  Experts say this is more likely due to an increasing global population and more people enjoying water based activities, more so than a massive resurgence of shark numbers around the world.

 

The irony is there are about 300 people that die from drowning each year in Australia.  Although not of all these occurred in the ocean, a good portion did, so on this basis there's a good argument to suggest that if people stayed out of the water they'd significantly help reduce the mortality rate related to drownings and shark attacks.

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  • 5 months later...

Agree with rotare on this one there are on average 70 boating deaths each year in Australia but nobody here would think twice about taking the family for a day out on the boat.

As horrible as it is when something of this nature happens and I feel a immense amount of sympathy for the families and those affected by these events the fact remains that when we undertake any activity there will always be a risk that something can go wrong and that there are factors that are out of our control.

People are smart enough to know that when they are in the water there will always be that risk that a shark will be in the area and that it is there area and something might happen but the same can be said for driving a car, riding the bus fishing from the rocks and almost anything that we do in our day to say life's.

Killing of the seals and the sharks isn't the solution more flyovers and more life guards spotting is the answer for beach swimmers and if you are more than a km of shore then the risk and responsibility to ensure you understand the risks and the controls falls on you and who ever you are with at the time.

 

It's there home we just play there

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you are really interested, I follow this site from the USA every week....., they tag and track Great Whites... even some here in AUS.. !!!!!!

 

They all have names, sizes and sex...

 

Some of the travels will blow you away....

 

Great White Tracking

 

Enjoy that...

 

SaltyFlyer

Very interesting site SaltyFlyer, I find it interesting to see the perspective of a person standing next to the shark and the actual measured length of that shark documented. Just recently there was a "6 metre" white shark fimed swiming around a boat and it was apparently bigger than the boat, but I am sure some of these 12 foot pointers look as big or even larger than that one. It is so easy to over estimate the size of these things in the heat of the moment. 

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