Friday, March 13, 2009

Tiger Shark Shot by Spearfisherman



Spearfisherman Craig Clasen from the US spears a Tiger Shark.


The first thing that goes through ones mind is this is terrible! How could some one do something like this. The fact remains that nobody will hold back when a couple hundred kilo's of killing machine and a nice set of chompers is harassing you.
Most times the sharks back off ... occasionally they don't, and if you cant get out the water in a hurry well ... it gets ugly!

Here is the story I pulled off the web:

Plunging a knife in again and again, diver Craig Clasen grapples with a 12ft tiger shark to protect a friend.

For two hours he wrestled with the giant, spearing it seven times, even drowning the beast before eventually finishing it off with a knife.

Mr Clasen was hunting yellow fin tuna with fellow fisherman Cameron Kirkconnell, photographer D.J Struntz and film maker Ryan McInnis in the Gulf of Mexico when the encounter took place.

The group were about to leave the deep waters south of the Mississippi River's mouth, when Mr McInnis found himself alone in the company of a tiger shark.

With no time to lose, Mr Clasen grabbed his speargun and swam to his stranded friend, who was being circled by the giant predator.


'I positioned myself between Ryan and the shark and I tried to watch it for a second, hoping it would pass us by,' explained 32-year-old Mr Clasen.

'I noticed that the shark was getting tighter and tighter and just kept trying to get a back angle on us and behaving in an aggressive manner.

'The shark made a roll and looked like it was going to charge us so I just went ahead and took the conservative route and put a shaft through its gills.

'Cameron and I have been around sharks for years and we all have a lot of experience with them but this encounter had a different feel to it.

'Down in my core I really felt the shark was there to feed. I didn't want it to come to that.'

Mr Clasen spent nearly two hours wrestling with the giant 12ft shark, spearing it seven times and even attempting to drown the beast before eventually finishing it off with a long blade knife.

'Once I shot it in the gills I felt a moral obligation to finish the job,' says Mr Clasen.

'I didn't want it to go on any longer than it had to. I shot the fish like I would do any other fish and worked it up closer and did my best to kill it as humanely as possible.

'I speared it in the gills which I knew would kill it and from that I tried to put a shaft into its brain as quickly as possible.

'I shot it six times in the head with a spear and I wasn't having much luck - it was a slow drawn out process.

'Sharks are so resilient and so tough from millions of years of evolution they are just survivors.

'The best way and quickest way to finish the job and kill the shark and recover it was to get a rope around its tail, drag it from the back of the boat and attempt to drown it.

'In the end we had put a knife its skull once I got lose enough to it and use a long blade knife even after trying to drown it.'

Mr Clasen has been free diving and fishing since an early age. Hailing from Mississippi, he was brought up in a fishing family, and is an expert in all fishing disciplines. Despite his experience, Mr Clasen took no pleasure in disposing of the giant shark.

'This was one of the most remorseful moments I have ever had in all of my years in hunting, gathering and fishing,' explains Mr Clasen.

'Personally I never shoot anything or kill anything that I am not going to eat.

'We saved the tail and the head, cut a giant chunk out of it and ate a piece.

'I wasn't there to hunt the shark, it was a defensive move for me and I would do it again. Unfortunately it had to be done and its not something I was proud of. It was a situation that presented itself to us. This was one of those rare instances where we had to protect ourselves.

'I have so much respect for sharks in general. With the amount of time that we spend out there we are exposed to so many potential risks.'

Spearfishing is a form of fishing that has been popular throughout the world for centuries. Considered to be the most selective way of fishing, the amount of fish taken by spearfishermen accounts for just 0.1 per cent of fishing globally.

Today spearfishermen use effective elastic- or pneumatic-powered spearguns and slings to strike the hunted fish using free-diving, snorkelling or scuba-diving techniques.

Regarded by many as two of the world's best free diving spearfishermen, Mr Clasen and Cameron Kirkconnell have come into contact with thousands of sharks.

Watching from the boat, Mr Kirkconnell is sure Mr Clasen the right decision. 'We had been in the water all day and had caught lots of tuna,' he explained.

'But every dive we do is a shark dive and at certain times of the year, especially in Louisiana, we expect to see between 50-100 sharks from 7-12 ft.

'This encounter was so rare though. This shark might have been part of a feeding frenzy and still fired up and thought this was an easy kill.

'Tiger sharks have no problem eating whole sea turtles, 150lb tuna and even dolphins. It wasn't a split second decision on a whim, Mr Clasen has had hundreds of hours of experience.

'There was no doubt that was what needed to be done.'
Story from: Mailonline

Coatesman

114 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why didnt u just get back in the dam boat and let the shark be?

Anonymous said...

i heard about this i live near where this happend. If a tiger is after you you have know choice. That tiger was freaking huge to so they had to do something. They had to do it quick to because they were free diving.

Coatesman said...

I hear you! however some times these things happen so fast and the boat is not right there to help (helps having a sharp skipper)
I have had a couple close ones, and had the boat pull me out, not sure what happened with this guy ...
The problem is that we are becoming accustomed to Sharks like Tigers, and when they make an appearance we kind of expect them to make a few passes and and then move off.
I can only assume thats what happened here.But this time the shark got a little more interested.

Anonymous said...

I agree get out of the water and leave the gorgeous fish alone. your story by the way is full of inconsistencies. Perhaps you should re-write it!

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, I have no pitty for you! I thought yellow fin tuna were an endangered species anyway...so either way you should'nt have been there in the first place! Murderer!

Anonymous said...

ive been in the water with 20 tigers at once. have dove with them for years .this is a obvious exaggeration , i know its exciting but its just not the facts . its such a shame it took so long to kill her , its inhumane .
i never want anyone to hurt but this is a decision you have to live with .even if it was a quick or misinformed one . im sure its crossed your mind if it was the right decision . justify it how you want .
now it might be a great idea to maybe focus some of this attention to some of there really incredible horrors with sharks , i dies every 2 seconds due to commercial fishing . experts predicted to go extinct in the next 20 years .
some of the biggest shark conservationists once killed one . try to use all this to get support to save the shark ..

Anonymous said...

If Craig is telling a true story (which I believed what I read), I dont see any wrong-doing. It is just an accident, wrong time, wrong place, with lots of tuna blood smell around them...

Unknown said...

anyone who supports this should really be ashamed! u are closed minded, ignorant and unaware of the full scale of events taking place all over the world these days! wake up!! dont forget that without the natural selection and the important role that sharks fulfill as predators in the oceans - there wont be anything for you to fish in the first place as everything will be sick and dying as our seas rot away!
that was not a big tiger shark - they get much bigger and as any one with experience as a diver or free diver should know... take a big breath dive down, stay calm and they leave you alone as u r of no interest to them if there are fish around and normally sharks will do anything to protect their "noses" where all their senses are and a sharp blow sends them off or next time instead of trying to be the macho hero, give them the fish u were spearing and get back in the boat!
you are as bad as the japanese, chinese and every other nation that murders sharks.

Anonymous said...

This is terrible!

Granted I was not there, perhaps it was self defence, but I have known many phenomenal spearos who have never had to shoot a shark.

Besides, if it was purely self defence, why is he proudly pasting himself all over the web- surely then he would feel bad about it and not boastful!?!

Its sickening!

Rather take up another hobbie and leave our oceans alone!

Anonymous said...

It people like you that needs to be speared!!! How can you sleep at night you’re a KILLER man!

Unknown said...

Normally I don't take sides before hearing both sides of a story but in this case, for obvious reaons I'll make an exception. The spears are clearly shot from slightly above and behind so it doesnt take CSI to figure out that the shark was below and swiming away when it was shot. What i dick you must be!

...a...

Unknown said...

Normally I don't take sides before hearing both sides of a story but in this case, for obvious reaons I'll make an exception. The spears are clearly shot from slightly above and behind so it doesnt take CSI to figure out that the shark was below and swiming away when it was shot. What i dick you must be!

...a...

Anonymous said...

Ho Hum, can this be true? He spent 2 hours fighting with it???

Anonymous said...

Learn to co-exist with nature, esp when your in its environment. You have no right to kill something in its own domain!

Anonymous said...

That's disgusting and so sad. You seem proud to post pictures like that. Get a new hobby and leave the sharks and their food alone, if you truly respected them this would be obvious. What needs to be done is simple- leave the sharks alone, people like you are destroying a very delicate eco-system, with absolutely no regard, all in the name of ‘sport'.

Anonymous said...

Hi. If you did not want to harm the shark why did you tangle with it for 2 hours? Why was no one bitten? Why did you guys happily pose with it afterwards? Please make up one lie and stick to that. You can fool some of the people some of the time...

Anonymous said...

What an ass!

Anonymous said...

I think spear fishing is a disgusting excuse for an inhuman sport. Find another hobby and for goodness sake, please don't murder anymore sharks!
Just because they can harm people there is no regard for them as a species, if you where off culling pandas people would feel differently, but because it’s sharks so many turn a blind eye. What happens when the apex predator is removed by people like you? Or do you simply not care…

Anonymous said...

Typical fucking gung ho yanks, and always a lame excuse afterwards. it makes you sick to hear of such stories! what goes around comes around china!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

How could you eat it? WTF? Self defense my ass! I hope the next one takes a chunk out of you!

Coatesman said...

This is obviously a touchy subject .... :-)
And killing sharks has become less and less popular and thats amongst spearfishermen. Most people just see spearo's as mindless killers, but they often have a closer connection with the environment than most people .. well thats my experience.

Anyway not here to go of on a tangent :-)

Read the Discovery Interview with the guy who filmed the whole thing!
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/03/13/tiger-shark-attack.html

Anonymous said...

He looked well pleased with himself in that pic... not remorseful at all!

Anonymous said...

Las excusas son para quienes las inventaron. Muy buena historia para justificar lo injustificable.

No me cabe la menor duda de que hubieron miles de alternativas antes de matar al tiburon. Pero cuando tenemos una mente q esta predispuesta a matar esto es lo 1ro que va a pasar por su mente para resolver la situacion.

Un tiburon menos un paso mas a nuestra propia extincion.

Anonymous said...

Live and Let Live !
Killing cannot be justified..
Craig Clasens smug expression in The Daily Telegraph shows no signs of remorse !
How dare humans go into the blue and be so arrogant??

Anonymous said...

I think there are a couple of things to bare in mind here. Spearing is a farcry from angling, where a drunk sits on a boat and simply suffocates fish at random. It is a sport (no, I'm not condoning killing for sport) with a far greater respect for nature (lets remember that death is an integral part of life) and does not have people killing at random, but rather has someone dedicate a part of their life to condition their body to be able to do what they do that being said...

The photo above strongly suggests that there was no epic battle of a "killing machine" attacking and retreating for hours while this character fearlessly put himself between the "beast" and his helpless friend. Do any intense exercise for a short period of time and tell me how it was possible to be involved in this two hour anaerobic battle against this fearsome killing beast machine. I think our friend might have exaggerated a bit and might be just a little proud of doing what he did. A good friend of mine lives to spear and has several times fended off tigers, oceanic whitetips and all sorts of other "killing machines" with nothing but a firm kick when they get over excited... and they were even swimming towards him! Imagine that. Another thought, when I was 11yrs old I was freediving off a boat while several family friends were spearing, upon shooting a hefty wahoo a tiger shark came drifting in to see, he was quite a bit bigger than the teenager in the above photo and to this day I enjoy many very fond and inspiring memories of that magic "death killing beast machine" drifting and slicing through the water. Strange to think, isn't it?

Here's my bottom line-
If you're going to fish, spearing is the only way that has any respect for nature, rather than respect for Jack and coke.
However, this shark died at the hand of someone who took pleasure in it, rather than acting out of defense.

Anonymous said...

you're no hero, you're an attention seeking ass! i agree with the above comments saying you should learn to co-exist with nature & not kill something in its own domain! Spearfishing is no sport its disgusting and inhumane!

Anonymous said...

If you have been in the water with a fish this size you will know that it would take something of great magnitude to pull the trigger. (been diving and filming sharks for years)

I would crap myself to think of the consequences of shooting and having to deal with a mouth full of teeth.

So I dont think this was done lightly or for sport!

Anonymous said...

Great mate !!! You're the BEST !!!

Hope next time the poor shark bites off your balls ... just like that... as a joke... to make itself a hero in front of the other sharks...

Anonymous said...

This story sounds very far fetched and it looks like this shark was shot from behind. I think Craig Clasen and his mates have made up a story to justify spearfishing a Tiger Shark.
It's shocking.

Anonymous said...

This story holds no water for me. You wrestled with the shark for 2 hours??? How about get you & your friend back up to the boat??? You had plenty of time to do that. Sorry. No sympathy for you. I've dove with sharks for many years, a firm kick or punch drives them off enough to get yourself to safety. That fact is we need to spread education & awareness on the plight of sharks. Many species will be extinct in the next 10 years. This type of story does not help the shark's situation. You guys were idiots...spearing tuna all day, how did you not think sharks would not be attracted to that??? You call yourself experienced? That's laughable. What you did to this shark, is tragic.

Coatesman said...

Sounds like this would be a good time to punt Shark Life:

Join shark Life</a

Anonymous said...

Fools with testosterone problems raping the sea, pretending to themselves that they are "manly" - there is nothing humane about any of this. It's cruelty to the tuna, to the sharks and to we poor humans who end up reading about this horror before breakfast It's time to evolve! I like the suggestion that the killers use this experience as a springboard to becoming activists on behalf of the oceans and the planet. If they are so tough they should join the Sea Shepards and fight some real battles. Maybe then they could find redemption.

Anonymous said...

Sorry what a lame idiot.. I have dived with dozens of Tigers surrounding me and they do not attack without being provoked.

Anonymous said...

There is no way taht him and his mate would not have been able to get out of the water if they really tried. As has been stated a hefty kick usually gets rid of the offending curious shark.
what they hve doen is depicable!
No good!
Bad Karma!

Anonymous said...

you are an idiot....how dare you do this....your "story" is full of crap. you should have got on the boat and left the shark alone, you'd already got the fish you had been spearing for. trophy spearing is b.llcrap.
i don't agree with spearing for fun, i don't agree with your actions and i'm disgraced that you felt you had to tell your "full of crud" story to the internet.
I am however pleased of the response this has generated....they say karma sorts things out in the end....perhaps the loss of one shark will trigger another to bite you in the ass and you can bleed to death in the ocean for 2hrs....2hrs enough to have a think about your actions....
you are such an idiot.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe you did that!!!!!!!!!
Its just wrong dude!
Karma will get you back!
We dedicate our lives to saving sharks and there you go and exploid yourself almost looks like you're bragging about it!
yes, you are a stupid idiot!

Anonymous said...

Many people seem to have missed the point that he was trying to finish the shark after feeling he had to spear it in self-defense. After the initial spear he could have gotten out of the water at any point and just left the shark to rot, but tried to finish it which any one who has ever hunted, knows is the humane thing to do if you wound an animal. I seriously doubt that everyone here is a vegetarian, so it's somewhat hypocritcal to critizise someone for doing what you pay someone else to do for you. He also stated that he has been in the water many times with sharks and not speared them, so I don't get the impression this is something he's out to do. As one poster pointed out, who would want to spear something with that many teeth if they didn't have too?

Anonymous said...

Though its hard to tell from the images posted regarding this the angle at which the spears were fired. As someone whose spent many many happy hours diving with sharks of all sizes and having faced an aggressive Tiger before there is plain and simply no cause for spearing it, specially what 6 times?!?

The first spear if it did not drive the shark off would certaining have enraged it to the point of acting in self defence. Any subsequent action from the spear diver was as the aggressor, the spears though not penetrating deep would certainly have over excited the animal and like any predator when threatened they either respond with fleeing or force.

There's no way that 'heroic' story holds true based on the facts shown in the picture, that was a blatant attack by the diver on the shark. Hell a simple slap, punch or kick is enough to ward them off.

Disgraceful behaviour

Eco Interactive said...

I find your program morally reprehensible. We are not allowed to kill off lions and elephants, but for some reason you find pleasure in killing off the last of our remaining sharks.

I´MADIVERNETWORK said...

What a brutal stupidity, shame on you!
Your photo needs to be added to the gallery of "RAPERS OF THE OCEAN".
Do you have any clue of what you are causing to the marine balance and the entire planet??? DAMM!!! I want to puke!!!
With the skills you have boy, you should be joining a non-profit org to kill the bastars who use these weapons to distroy what we have left in the Ocean, but not contributing to damage it more.
Do you have any idea of how many years takes for a tiguer to reproduce... or any idea of why we need sharks to be untouchable in the Ocean...
I wonder if you really have guts, because if you do then revove your garbage and stop killing.
Man guts are meassured in how much you respect, not in how much you kill.
Dude, I swear ... if you only knew man... please gave us a chance to explain to you, how bid is the damage that you caused taking with you what doesn´t belong to you.
If after that, you want to continue this masacre then "future generations... have mercy on you"

Anonymous said...

I can't believe how someone could do it. Then tell a story like that one to make it sound like self defense. But what ever keeps you sleeping at night!!! Spearing is just like any other sport or hobby, you want to do better or something no one did before.
So i will say the same as most other people on the post above and hopefully 1000's more after mine you are a stupid idiot!

Anonymous said...

THIS LOSER IS REALY SICK,,?

Anonymous said...

Asshole...

Anonymous said...

Shame on you Spearo....

I am ashamed to be an American with someone like you amongst us...

Anonymous said...

My husband & I've encountered Tiger sharks while diving in Bahamas. When things got a bit uncomfortable for us and a Tiger was within reach, I and/or hubby slapped, punched, kicked our way back to the boat ... the captain was watching & ready to jump in with a baton (some type of stick but not a spear gun).

Even though I was not there during your event, & I'm basing my opinions on what I see in the media ... you have to see why most of us think you & your friends staged this. Your friends who were recording this ordeal were more concerned about getting this on film than protecting you or Cameron. Once Cameron got safely on the boat with your help, he did not grab something & jump back in the water to help you with the Tiger with, or alert the skipper (was there another person)
to help. You wrestled with the Tiger for 2 hours ... you couldn't at some point just swim away & get back on the boat before you finally killed it?

Anonymous said...

i agree with Ian. This most certainly was not necessary. These sharks are becoming fewer by the day because your "kind" needs a bit of an ego boost in saying you killed such an animal.

At the end of the day, this is the sharks natural habitat. By getting in the water you know that, and you still attack him on his own doorstep! He didnt do anything wrong, he doesnt know what you are, and i can assure you he wasnt there to attack to you, he was curious and as ian again mentioned, a simple slap punch or kick would have warned him off.

Anonymous said...

Mr Clasen - I hope you get this message because it truly is sincere. I must say I really don't think you what you did was senseless or sick at all. In fact it only points to your arrogance and ignorance- it’s truly fascinating & you were after all trying to protect your friend; your behaviour is very understandable and sheds light on your society. Either that or you have some physiological reason for this maladaptive behaviour.
Your behaviour says a few things to me apart from pointing to your ignorance- you have no understanding of ecosystems or trophic levels – you have no understanding of your role as an intelligent individual on this planet. You have concerns about your masculinity- is this because you are in an identity crisis? Do you live in a violent society? Of course you do. In my gloomy state I must acknowledge that your micro-system must breed a horrid sense of self- one that is without pride but can be reduced to sheer pond scum. You have no light. Your exposure has brought only darkness to us. We are better off without those of you who we fight with for O2 on this planet. You have no idea how others may model your behaviour, uncertain of the effects of their actions.
I imagine you spend a lot of time down there, raping our oceans given all your accoutrements. Are you a behavioural ecologist? Please indulge us - how is it that you were aware that the behaviour of the shark could be construed as aggressive? Are you an expert or does being a spear fisherman make you one? Did you feel it was necessary to spear the shark so many times or were you riding the wave of human instinct? You certainly were not acting like a human and you certainly were being driven by your fundamental human instinct. Another animal would not have hurt that animal as many times. However, you can because you’re a man – or you think you are. Your sad microenvironment surely has contributed to your identity crisis. No properly socialised, educated human would behave in such a decrepit fashion. I surely hope there is a reaction for your actions. Your trophy will stand as a reminder – it certainly will unravel everything that we try to do today to educate about our seas.

Anonymous said...

Freedivers, they say they become one with the Oceans, that they respect its contents. I definitely do not see any respect from this guy,and even less for its contents. I agree with most everyone's input, and dislike how the "story" was put together to make it sound justifiable! I lost a dog i had for 15 years to a hunter who said he "accidentally" shot her, thought she was a wolf and thru her dead body into a river! They guy turned out to be a veterinarian. I told him if i ever seen him again, the same would happen to him.

This story reminds me a lot of my Dogs....good thing i don't know him!

Anonymous said...

The thing that gets me the most are the pics. Just looks like another guy getting his jollies off killing a big bad shark. I don't see someone that feared for their life and felt bad for the shark sitting about posing like that, just don't. What you did was sick not only for that shark, but for all sharks because you again spread another horrid story about a vicious shark that is not true.

Anonymous said...

I have sent several emails to CNN, where those idiots were first shown on TV, but I never got an answer. If you look at the picture, the shark is closer to the camera than the guy and looks therefore larger than normal. That aside, if the man is 6 feet tall how could this shark be 12 feet long? In my opinion there is only one foot more at the top and one foot more in length at the tail. Adding 2 feet to the height of the person, the shark was not more than 8 feet long. If it had been a 12 foot tiger shark it would have done what sharks do some times: bite that SoB.

Anonymous said...

Sorry but he had to "fight" for two hours? Wow you are heroe and have big balls. And thats the only reason, why he killed the shark....that's the reason , why so many man do "sport fishing"...they want to feel MAN, HEROE, whatsoever. Sorry, but that is just so stupid to me. A little punch to shark snout is enough to keep him back for a while and jump on the boat. Disgusting behavior!

Anonymous said...

I hate this man he really makes me sick, specially since he was in the sharks teritory. this guy is bragging about what an inhumane thing he has done, i HOPE he atleast gets 20 years in prion, as that is cold blooded murder.

Anonymous said...

I don't buy the argument that you had to put the animal out its misery after wounding it either. Sharks and many fish in general are very tough animals. We see sharks with bullet wounds, badly broken jaws and all sorts of injuries that would appear to be fatal, but they heal up and go about their business. Had you let it go, it would have at least had a chance. And you seriously want us to believe that wrestling, spearing and stabbing it for two hours and then dragging it behind the boat to drown it was the humane thing to do?

Even so, it's extremely doubtful that you had to resort to shooting the shark in the first place..... To anyone who dives with sharks, that video is a joke. The shark doesn't look aggressive at all.

And then you have the nerve to say you feel bad about it! If you felt so bad, why did you have to cut out the jaws and cut off the tail fin to pose for a photo op?

I'm not against spearfishermen. What you have done, though, has given a huge black eye to your sport.

Anonymous said...

These photo's look way too posed for my liking... no camera shake nothing (expected during an 'attack') - it's all too perfect and premeditated. And a 2 hour battle with the shark?? This is cruelty to feed an ugly ego!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Having read the artical and looked at the picture from all angle, i fell this was an unesasery act. We are visitors to there world and if they wish they can rain all hell on us, this we know to be true. I have spoaken to one or two people who know attack victims and they hold no mallace towards the shark. All have said they were in there world and it was the risk the took in going in the water.

This guy will make more enamies than friends and i feel he will get what is coming to him, what comes around, goes around.

Nuff said

Anonymous said...

i've seen the footage of this, this shark was not in a "frenzy mode", i've seen tigers excited, this one was just curious and investigating what it sensed in HIS environment. i agree with the whole angle of the spears, it seems like the shark was shot from behind! if a shark is harassing you, a jab it in the nose, especially w/ a spear will deter it. killing it was completely unnecessary and there is no justification for it, if the shark was so threatening, wouldn't your highest priority be to get the hell out of the water, and if the shark was as aggressive as he claims, it certainly would have attacked one of them over the duration of the allegded "battle"
sharks are in trouble, but when so many more people are condeming rather than condoning this cowardly killing, maybe there is some hope for sharks in the future

Anonymous said...

Why is it that we have never heard of any sharks harrassing scuba divers, how convenient that he happened to have a spear gun, so does the speargun attrack hostile sharks cause armed with nothing divers hardly get harrassed. I dnt think it was self defense maybe it was self defence in the sharks case. He saw the chance to be a hero in social circles and took it. Disgraceful, Craig Clasen would make a nice trophy on my wall!!!

Anonymous said...

You are talking crap, a 2 hour "fight" wow did you turn into the hulk and learn to breath water whilst you were down ther. Obviously your trophy would have got a few people to say wow but anybody whom knows about these animals and whom dives with them like myself "yes freediving" thinks if you had to spear yourself in the head you would be doing the sharks and oceans a really big favour.

Anonymous said...

Obviously the tigers appendage was bigger than our hero spero and he went into a blind rage as people with a single braincell tend to do and could not let it live. And a 2 hour breath hold maybe for your next trick you could disappear off the face of the earth or spear yourself in the head either will do.

Coatesman said...

Any one got the link to the footage of the Tiger shark incident?

Anonymous said...

Do you really think that this murder will go unnoticed by nature? Karma is a bitch my friend.

Anonymous said...

Your arrogance is astounding. Aren't you such a huge fucking hero...shooting the shark from behind and above...wow you must have been right in its "eating frenzy" path! Y not just ditch the fish?? Or is it more fun to kill an endangered shark?! And if the shark was such a threat why didn't it eat you while you went to the surface for air...any idiot knows thats when you your most valnerable...and while you were there climb into the boat.

uwhabtat said...

This story reminds me of the adventure stories we used to read about the knight in shining armor defending the town from being demolished by the dragon;s fiery mouth! In the end he gets the princess. Obviously no princess involved in the tiger shark story.
How did this diver hold his breath for 2 hours?

Anonymous said...

Boo Hoo, Your alive, you might not be so lucky next time. I saw the video... You had time to get back on the boat, you didn't have to kill it! You could have just left! I think your story is bull! I think you enjoyed it! Only you have to live with that. ohm and two hours, how do you manage to carry your balls around, tossa

the video = http://www.beersteak.com/animals/craig-clasen-diver-vs-tiger-shark-video/

Anonymous said...

Wow! it always amazes me when I see the level of bullshit arrogance can spew forth, especially when it is blended with such a profoundly unique amount of stupidity.

Some things to consider next time you venture out in your pansyass blue camo wetsuit, Superhero:

1. COME UP WITH A CONVINCING STORY BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH TO COVER YOUR ASS

' Mr McInnis found himself alone in the company of a tiger shark ' ... well if he was alone how did you know that he was being 'confronted' by a tiger ... is telepathy one of your superpowers?

'I positioned myself between Ryan and the shark and I tried to watch it for a second, hoping it would pass us by,' explained 32-year-old Mr Clasen' ... if you could swim into the 'kill zone' then surely Mr McInnis could swim out of it ... or are you invisible too?

'Mr Clasen spent nearly two hours wrestling with the giant 12ft shark,' ... the superhuman strength aside, a 2 hour breath hold while under what you claim to be extreme stress - the navy recruiters must be burning up the path to your door.

'it was a defensive move for me and I would do it again. ' ... defense rule 1: defend and RETREAT TO SAFETY ... or were you off rescuing a stranded kitten the day they taught that at superhero school.

2. INSURE THERE IS NO EVIDENCE, OR AT LEAST DESTROY ANY IF IT EXISTS.

A picture is worth a thousand words ... the smug look on your face in your beautifully posed shot on the beach detracts from the your ' heartfelt ' statement : 'This was one of the most remorseful moments I have ever had in all of my years in hunting, gathering and fishing,'

While on the topic of photographic evidence it astounds me that in midst of this grapple between life and death with this killer of the deep that someone had the time and sense to stop and grab a fully rigged camera and capture a perfect underwater shot, while still reeling with the shock and terror of thier near death experience . Now, working in the media industry myself I can only marvel at how this was achieved. Most of the professional underwater photographers I know would need to take hundreds of shots, on an ordinary day, to get that perfect balance of framing, lighting and composition, which the pair of you managed to achieve while fighting for your lives! ... Not only do you have nerves of steel you also come fulling equiped - was Batman one of your instructors?

Let's see what we have here : INVISIBILITY, TELEPATHY, NERVES OF STEEL, SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH, CAN BREATHE UNDERWATER FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME, HAS ALL THE NECESSARY GADGETS & A SKINTIGHT SUPERHERO SUIT ...

If it wasnt for the fact that you are quite obviously intellectually challenged, a murderer

Anonymous said...

There is no reason why this animal should have suffered for two hours..It has been branded in the London newspapers as the " Monster that would not die" I think this message is awful, and i feel the fisherman should of got his friend to safety and left this beautiful animal alone. Killing a tiger shark and making it suffer for two hours in nothing to be proud of.

Anonymous said...

you suck man, your dick must be so small...

Anonymous said...

Hey, He-Man, are you proud of yourself? You certainly seem to be so, posing with the carcass of what was once a beautiful, graceful creature in its own environment. And you had the balls to state to the media that you took no pleasure in the killing? Come on, give me a break.

Let's break this down, shall we?

First off, you are allegedly an avid spearfisherman, so I would assume you've been in the water with sharks before. Therefore, you should know that sharks and other predators are naturally attracted to spearfishing activity. But in case you don't know, a speared fish acts like what the sharks hunt, and that is prey, so of course the shark will investigate.

The shark does not appear to be in attack mode, and anybody who has been around sharks (as I'm still assuming you would have been), knows what that looks like. If you don't, I would suggest you look it up on youtube. That's youtube.com if you're computer illiterate as well as ignorant about the ocean and its inhabitants. So why spear the shark in the first place, instead of getting back on the boat, as others have said? You had "two hours" to assault the poor beast and both cameramen remained in the water. Yeah, sounds like they were truly terrified.

And while we're on the subject of your cameramen, why were they there to begin with? Seems overkill (pardon the pun, I'm not meaning to be funny here) for a tuna spearing mission. Hmmmm, could this be staged? And if I were you, I'd be all KINDS of pissed if I were having to fend off the tiger all by my lonesome while my "friends" continue to film instead of lending me a hand, either to protect me or to finish off the shark "humanely".

If that tiger truly was in attack mode and wanted to harm you or your accomplices, somebody would have been seriously hurt, don't you think? From what I hear, nobody even suffered a broken fingernail in protecting themselves. Yeah, that really proves she was a maneater, does it not?

The spear angle makes no sense either. You shot her from behind and above. Doesn't take a brain surgeon to determine that, but since we're on the subject of experts, I'm basing my opinion on 24 years of law enforcement experience, the majority of which was investigating crimes and criminals. In case you're wondering, you are the latter and should be in jail for what you did.

Oh, and there was no way that was a 12' shark. And while we're on the subject of size, based on your actions, you must have a huge....well....red Corvette, am I right?

Yeah, you must be very proud.

Anonymous said...

Did this make you feel better about yourself?
Look at me 'great white hunter'(I know its not a great white shark before anyone comments)
What a bloody waste, really this should be punished.
You did not need to kill this amazing creature, you could have just
got out of the water.
Mindless idiot

Anonymous said...

Okay, just trying to recreate the scene of the crime. If the freediver being attacked by the Tiger Shark, why are the TWO spearheads in the TOP of the shark's head? He shot down on the shark. Analogous to shooting someone in the back. John Wayne would not have found this acceptable behavior and neither do I.

Anonymous said...

Scum, that’s what you are! Clearly you have no respect for the ocean or its inhabitants. You should be ashamed of your self! What goes around comes around and sooner or later you’ll be getting yours. Count on it!

Anonymous said...

I agree with the person named Chantal. I feel the same way she does. You go girl.

Anonymous said...

YOU and your cronies have absolutely NO conservation ethic whatsoever!!!!!! Take away your spear gun and let us see who is actually brave now!!! This is a sensless, mindless and selfish act on your part. Hope you know that you have again highlighted how mean humans are when it comes to anything but THEMSELVES!!!!! there was no need to kill this shark, you could have got out of the water and if you were as good as you think you are, you would have discussed emergency procedures with the boat crew, you could have lifted your spear up on the surface to indicate that you needed to get fetched immediately, as MOST other spearos do. I have spent the last 23 years diving with sharks and teaching shark diving and you are so out of line buddy it is frightening!!!!! The universe will catch up with you and what goes around will most definitely come back to you!!!!! Hang your head in shame because you are IN NO WAY A HERO!!! Let this stay for the record, you are not able to co-exist with nature and this is YOU!!! You prefer to be a big hero with a weapon in your hands and go for anything that you can wrestle with and conquer!!!! What an absolute freak you are!!

Anonymous said...

Craig you are a pathetic excuse for a human the way you were posing with the tail and jaw bone looks as if this so called incident was perfectly orchestrated by you and your bent crony's i personally would like to meet you in the waters of south Africa so that i can personally gut you like a pig. My name is Gavin Scrooby. If you have any balls, please contact me on facebook and I will add you as an enemy

Coatesman said...

Hi all,

I appreciate all the comments on my blog. I would like how ever to point out that I am not Craig the Tiger Slayer!

I have received a whole bunch of 'hate mail' not cool ...

Please note that I moderate every comment even the ones that slate Spearfishing ...my passion ... and still post them!! So I am trying to be objective and unbiased.

Many Thanks

Chris Coates - AKA Coatesman

Anonymous said...

This is a pathetic publicity stunt! Watching the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAm88OTyI7E

you can clearly see the animal is weary of the divers, even getting a fright when the camera man "shouts" at it 7 seconds into the clip. All of you involved in this senseless killing should hang your heads in shame!

Anonymous said...

Craig, quick question..? How many times did you go up for air? couldn't you get back on to the boat at that time...

WOW..what a big man.. You killed a shark. Whoopees. You deserve every foul coment coming your way..

Anonymous said...

The sheer ignorance of the commenters posting here is absolutely breathtaking.

Yellowfin tuna are LEGAL to spear/catch in the Gulf of Mexico. They are not even CLOSE to threatened. Very plentiful fish, and delicious.

The divers plainly state they would have preferred to NOT kill the shark. However, they made a judgement call and anyone second-guessing them needs to get a life. You weren't in the water that day with them. These are very experienced freedivers and spearfishermen. All of them dive with sharks routinely...dangerous ones. Up to this point, none of them had to kill a shark.

As far as those calling them murderers and saying they need to go to prison, it is LEGAL to catch/kill a tiger shark.

As far as wishing the divers had died......you're sick.

Anonymous said...

That's disgusting!! Sharks deserve a chance to live as well. Humans are not gods, we do not get to decide which animal will die and which will live. That poor creature died in pain. I'm sure you would like having those means of torture done to you!! You're just as bad as the japanese whale slaughterers!!

Nic.

Anonymous said...

You're a lying cunt, plain and simple.
How long did you film this "dangerous predator" for before he "attacked"? If you know so much about Tiger sharks you'd know they don't prey on humans. You'd know how to read the signs of inquisitive / aggressive behaviour. You'd know how to deter one. The thing is, you probably do and set this up, as it clearly is a set up.

Someone said "what goes around, comes around", and I hope when you get yours it's not from behind by a cowardly turd like you, but that you get to see it coming and that you shit your pants and scream for mercy for two hours.

Unknown said...

The shark was doing what sharks do. You guys should not have killed it. Shame on you!

Randy Smith
Westerville, Ohio

Anonymous said...

I saw these killers on the Today Show. Funny that they killed the shark in June, but have only gone public with it now. Seems as though they were video taping for a catalog for a new spearfishing catalog and business. What a shitty way to promote your business !!! Karma going to get you for sure .

I like to eat fish - when I do, I go to the store and buy ecological sound fish or even a fish sandwich from MacDonalds. This whole macho, I've got to kill something in the ocean baffels me. I guess I'm secure in my manhood that I don't need to prove it by killing something. Why can't you just enjoy the animals for their own sake and leave them for others to enjoy. What a bunch of selfish bastards.

I've stopped using any day boats that take cigarette butt flipping into the ocean spearfishering morons.

Anonymous said...

What a complete bunch of lies, anyone who has ever been spearfishing, diving or just swimming around sharks will see what fabricated BS that is. you were clearly above ths shark when you shot her, so she was swimming away. coward. do you hit women too, maybe you thought they were going to attack you first?
get out of the water.

Anonymous said...

Are we to expect you to be in the news again next year for dog fighting? maybe torture of forest squirells?
There is no difference, you clearly set this up to torture this beautiful creature and seem like a macho man.

Anonymous said...

You Sir are a very Sad Man

Zane said...

Hi Chris

Zane here from Port Elizabeth. As a fellow spearfisherman I sympathize with you - magnificent creature - unsure what to believe about the story.

Seems like the folk want to lynch you - mistaken identity - you are not Craig.

Bad publicity for spearfishing, no matter how good the picture quality.

Anyway, one bad incident for spearfishing worldwide. Wonder how the folk react when the buy fish from local fishmongers that are undersize? Do they ask questions? Doubt it. Is there a public outcry against the trawlers or commercial fisherman who harvest undersize fish with no respect for species or quota?

Anonymous said...

Tiger sharks are VERY dangerous. Those who say they're not are ignorant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_shark

the SAND Tiger shark is a different shark entirely and is not dangerous.

Please get your facts right before you mouth off on an online forum and look stupid.

Please get your facts straight

Anonymous said...

While I am a hunter, not spearfishing, I understand some of the "rules' However if that animal wanted you dead, you would have never gotten off the 1st shot, let alone was it 6 more?

How many spear guns do you carry on a dive? How many shots does it take.

Again I advocate hunting, deer and other game, I also don't always take the shot. Sometimes the experiance is worth more than a trophy or a few meals

Hunting is so much a part of our history that to not respect the prey should be a sin.

I also understand that there are people who don't like or respect hunters, this is one of those stories that make it easy to make those statements. Thanks for the help...

This story appears to have the hallmarks that make resectable, legal hunter cringe. And if that shark is 12 feet long you have to be 9' tall.....

In the end, to take two hours, 7 or 8 shots to kill, keep the head and tail and eat a "chunk", sound more like a caveman than a true hunter...

What have the local authorities say?

Anonymous said...

You guys are funny!!
You're willing to kill each other, but just not animals.
I'm sure most the negative comments here are made by people who hardly ever leave the comfort of their chair in front of their pc.
They would not know much about the situation and it's dangers.
Thus their opinion means squat!

Anonymous said...

Wow. Lets send up some prayers for all the Sharks and their much sought after fins on Carte Blanche seen over the last year or two. Now that is something. Check it out if you don't kow about it.

Anonymous said...

I for one have been active in the water as a diver for over 23 years and have NEVER had reason to kill any living creature due to feeling in danger. You should have gotten out of the water and left the creature alone. You are in their habitat, not the other way around. You truly are a sorry excuse for a ocean enthusiast and I for one would NEVER care to be in your company. Personally I wish the shark would have won!

Anonymous said...

The views expressed are all pretty much in the 'don't kill sharks' camp to which I as a speoro subscribe. There are however some extreme and rare cases when a freediver can end up on the menu (yes spearfisherman do get killed, I even had a dive buddy killed)and then like any living organism you will take justifiable defensive action. However I have noticed way too many newbie speoro's (<5yrs experience and of extreme sport variety - male 25-35yrs with no previous interest in the sea)kitted out with all the very latest gear including powerheads who claim they 'had to kill' supposedly menacing sharks which in reality were only after the catch or attracted by all the glitterati and bling these guys use to pull gamefish in. I believe if you feel threatened whilst diving a deep reef then you leave - simple - before things get ugly for anyone or thing. Its the sharks domain and you're the privileged visitor. Keep it that way and report abusers. We don't need them in our sea.

Anonymous said...

Chris thanks for posting the Pic and story - A good news blog points out the bad and good of life even thought you are being attacked - big up for giving everyone an opportunity to post comments on these stupid sensationalists. what is your view on what happened as the owner of this blog???

Coatesman said...

This is my take on this whole Tiger Shark thing.

If asked would I defend myself against a shark by killing it, I would have to say yes. However you can knock a shark off ... most times. This takes serious balls, experience and self control. A charging shark even a small one is seriously scary and no joke.
Tiger sharks although fairly relaxed in the water, have been known to get very inquisitive or moody and I know of a number of very experienced divers who have had very close calls that came out of the blue.

About a year back I was diving with my son (10yrs at the time) and a Tiger just appeared under us. Suddenly I was not so calm around this shark ...I was risking my son! So every ones point of 'danger' is different ....and this shark was just looking!!

Most guys are judging Craig because the spear in the gills is facing backwards. Did it ever occur to you that the fish swimming away would bend and pull the spear backwards. So I think it is hard to say that he shot it going away.

What I do find odd is the fact that there is no footage of the shark being aggressive and where is the shot on the shark? If the story was as is told and the footage backed it up, I think there would be way less critics.
From a person who films sharks ... I would never had missed any of the action .... action is what sells!!

Am I supporting killing Sharks? No way! I have never killed a shark and 90% of my dives are shore dives where there is no boat to jump into and you just have to deal with the sharks. I carried power heads for years and stopped carrying them as I just never had to use them.

I am still very conscious of sharks and if I had the money would get a Shark Pod ....especially for my son. People easily forget that just one inquisitive bite is fatal!!

Do I think That Craig is a Dick? I dont know the guy, and what goes / went through his mind. Maybe taking such elaborate pics and video without substantiating the circumstances was a little foolish. And I am sure he is feeling the brunt of the scorn by the shark lovers world wide.

On the up side this whole incident has made it very clear the way people feel about killing sharks today. A far cry from 40 years ago when this guy would have been an international hero!!

So if you have commented and feel very strongly about Shark killing, can I encourage you to 'put your money where your mouth is' and support ... an organization like
Shark Life

Coatesman

Anonymous said...

gees guys, get over it. the srearo made a good call. i shoot fish as a hobby and find it to be a much better method of catching fish than standing on the shore with a rod,

with a speargun you get to select and kill only the fish you want to take, not a random hit and miss, were you trick a fish into eating a meal befor hooking it in the mouth (if you lucky, normaly its deeper in the gills)and barbaricly ripping it to shore to see if it is possabily worth taking, befor "doing the right thing" and releasing it back into the water hurt, stressed and possibly scared to feed again.

spear fishing is much cleaner and quicker, the fish live in an environment full of preditors and when a spearo approachs a fish and takes a shot the fish knows its being hunted and has a fair chance, th spearo mearly becomes another preditor.

and any experianced spearo should be able to read a sharks body language and would only take that shot when he has to.

fuck this petty bull shit, i cant belive that sharklife would even intrest it self with such arbitary crap, i am going to leave this group coz its members are so far off the mark, waisting time on such crap.

next time i am out in the water and a shark buzzez me im going to load up a power head and shoot the fucken thing just because i can.
im not poaching , im only takeing my catch.
shark nets do more damage to the shark population than divers ever could, lobby against them befor you bitch about divers shooting a shark.
as a pro life guard for ten years turned commercial diver, i can say that the nets do not work at keeping sharks out of the in shore netted beaches they just kill the resident sharks. and a massive by-catch

at the end of the day i am dissapointed that so many people sit at home and watch the ocean from a distance and then blog shit about the folks that have made the ocean part of there lives.
fuck you all , get a hobby, and leave the ocean to people that actually care about and use it.

Anonymous said...

Wow, did this kick up a fuss.

I can understand all the sentiment, but surely there are bigger fish to fry? Think of drag netting, shark-fin soup issues and so on. And at least with spear fishing there is the element of true skill on the side of the fisherman, and a fair fight, unlike line fishing.

And he did show remorse...

And my view, if you're going to kill something, you'd better bloody eat it!

Don't get me wrong, I don't approve. But there are bigger issues out there.

Anonymous said...

I have done many Shark dives ,and one of those sharks I have dived with was tiger shark and not ones have they acted in a aggresive manner towards me .As a diver whe have certain rules when diving with sharks and whe treat them as any other wild predator ,with a sense of respect and enjoying their beauty all at once .So if youre name is Anonymous or any other arogant bastard who thinks its funny to just kill a shark because you can think again .Surely there is other game fish to spear that requires more skill .Who wrestles with a shark for two hours (bullshit).There is more to this storie than what whe read into it as whe also need to understand and beleive the spearo encounter .But in general just killing sharks because you can certainly makes of you an jack ass

Anonymous said...

wow, i love the fact this has generated so much pro-shark feedback. i've been a diver for many years and a champion of shark rights for the past few.

sharks are unpredictable creatures. i've been diving with them for years. i've had a few experiences that have made me nervous, but only because i've been told by so many shark experts that no matter how many dives you've had with sharks, they are still wild animals and no-one can ever guarantee what they will do. after you've seen enough sharks in the water, you begin to recognize what is normal behavior and what is unusual behavior. it seems like the people in this story have had a lot of experience in the water, and i'm thinking that if he felt threatened, he probably was. if you feel differently, please include the number of dives you've had with sharks with your post. mine is around 300-350.

if you have so much energy to write, please try to write letters to shark finning industries. they kill millions of sharks each year and there is no question that their lives are not in danger.

make no mistake, the extinction of sharks means the end of this little ecosystem we call earth. lets stop debating if this ONE kill was in self defense and focus our collective energies on the finning industry.

Anonymous said...

As a proud spearfisherman (all you ignorant couch-potato tree huggers can fuck off)I'm not amazed that the shark was shot from above and behind. Hey, rocket scientists: the shark, once shot in the gills, stopped its threatening behaviour and tried to flee. The spearo, on the surface [breathing] dived down to dispatch the shark as humanely as possible (instead of releasing an injured fish a-la-every-fisherman), shot the shark from the only angle presented. What was he supposed to do... swim to the front and then shoot it, like that's better or quicker?

Let's not forget the positioning of a shark's brain - approximately at the apex of an equilateral triangle drawn from the eyes backwards. When you consider this, Craig was trying to shoot the shark in the brain and end it quickly. Pretty good shooting too.

Sounds like the watermen on here take this with a pinch of salt. Luckily nobody was hurt, unlucky for the shark. Those most upset have no idea what it's lke to face down large sharks. Once you have, you are offered a little understanding into the life of these beautiful fish. With that understanding, I believe the spearo in question acted in good faith that he was in danger.

Get over yourselves. Or join forces in anger and rise up against the serious issues of shark finning, long lining or poaching. Use your energies constructively in order to prevent these large scale atrocities, instead of lambasting Craig when there's really nothing you can do.

Anonymous said...

I am glad he killed the damm shark.His live was in danger.

Anonymous said...

all u people bitching and moaning......grow a f@8king pair!!he did what he felt nessesary in that situation...so deal with it!!

Anonymous said...

Nice wetsuit, douchebag. Tiger sharks are listed on the IUCN Red List:

http://www.sharkfreemarinas.com/LC/iucn-list.shtml

Thanks for doing your part to destroy our oceans.

Is this they way you behave in public as well?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp_K8prLfso

Anonymous said...

I get so sick & tired of all the animal rights kooks calling the killing of a shark "murder" by equating it on the level of a human. When a group of terrorists in Iraq killed 4 American civilian engineers, burned them until their bodies were totally chared since they were working on a bridge structure, the animal rights wackos just sat back and yawned when they saw the pictures on the internet. They didn't care in the least. When terrorists beheaded innocent men, women and children there was no public outcry, but let a human cut off a sharks fin and these nut-case animal rights wackos go berserk. They are a bunch of brain-dead A**holes. They consider the life of a predatory fish as being more valuable than that of a human. What a bunch of sickos ! This tiger shark circled his buddy in attack mode and he killed it to save his buddy and now these radical animal rights morons are calling him names as usual. There is a nut case leader in Iran that wants to destroy all of Israel (probably with a nuke ) and these animal rights nuts couldn't care less, but let it be a bunch of sharks then they go ballistic. These people are totally insane. The shark was a clear threat to both divers and he did what had to be done and he owes no apology to anyone for doing what had to be done. I say F*** these animal rights bozos and their insane agenda. This wasn't a hunt for sharks but an act of self defense and better the shark dead than a human being. These animal rights scumbags make me sick to my stomach and when they disagree with someone the name calling spree goes full bore. It never fails. Two men are alive because of the action taken---its that simple !!!!!! .

Anonymous said...

i think spearfishing is all rite, i mean if u wona sh*t some 1 out do it anglers because searfisshermen only "catch" 1 percent of sea fish caught by humans.there is nohin wrong and t is more humane if done corectly.but i agree that shot was not self defense and was totally wrong. if they want to shoot fish there are lots of other fish to shoot.and how o u have so many spears atatched to ropes redy if u did not now about sharks

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed at some of these comments. It seems that some people are really insulated from the raw struggles that occur in & between living organisms. To label & condemn a sportsman, that chooses to pursue hunting fish in a legal capacity, as a murderer, is so off-kilter. Unless, that is, you are living completely off-grid and abusing no other living thing. Right. Get real.

Cameron and company are very respected free-diving spearfishermen, with LOADS of experience. I can assure you the shot was not taken lightly, and I believe that they believe the shark was an imminent danger. And to those of you who pipe in with personal experience with sharks, please consider the experience that this crew has had with sharks, it is considerable and merits respect.

Anonymous said...

Lets look at the fact here.
Has anyone ever seen Tiger Shark on a menu in any restruant? There is a reason for that, Tiger Shark taste like Cacka! Spearo's like myself only target what we are going to eat, tuna, wahoo, dorado, etc. No spearo is out there targeting Tiger Sharks at all. Taste like cacka, huge mouth full of teeth, and oh yeah, there man eaters.
Look at the video and you will see that the Tiger Sharks pectoral fins are pointed straight down, which means its pissed off. Not leaving you alone in the open ocean coupled with downward pointing pectoral fins means it is really pissed off and hungry.
So, do you bail on your buddy with the with the really pissed off, hungry tiger shot circling him in open water, or try and help him out with the only thing that will do any damage to the shark which is the speargun in your hands?
Shot placement, shot in the gills means at some point the shark turned sideways to him. I would bet money that when the shark approached him and got too close, he made the first shot then aiming at its gills. I try to shoot all my gamefish right behind the gill plate.
His spear is attached to a float line and float and takes off. I am sure some of you rocket scientist haters must have figured out that a shark can only swim one direction, and that is forward. This will make the spear flex or bend backwards, giving you inexperienced knuckleheads the idea the shark was shot from behind. Same story with the spears in the sharks head area.
As for it taking two hours to dispatch the shark, I shot a large grouper down in Mexico (perfectly legal) and it took me three hours to land after I made a near perfect shot in the gills. That fish was only 150 pounds or so.
Going for the kill shot on a tiger sharks brain is very hard to do. The brain on one that size is roughly the size of a tennis ball. Try hitting a moving tennis ball on a swimming fish in the open ocean while holding your breath and see how many shots it takes. Did I mention the tennis ball is attached to something larger then most cars, and can turn on a dime and eat you? It was probably not in a receptive mood to see divers with the first spear in it as well. But at this point, you have committed yourself to a course of action.
To sumerize, no spearo targets a fish he cannot eat, let alone one that can eat him.
Should he have let the fish swim off with his gear to die? As any fish or shark that takes a shaft to the gills will most likely die, he just wanted it to happen as quickly as possible. He tried to end its suffering as quick as possible. Most likely had the shark swam off with just the gill shot, it would have died a slow death of oxygen starvation, or blood loss.
Once he made the decision to help his buddy, he followed the correct course of action to end this as humanely as possible. I hope my dive partners would do the same thing in this sceanario, and protect his buddy.

Anonymous said...

WORTH THE PIC!!!! SHARK FIN SOUP ANYONE???

jordan lane said...

Can someone tell me how the f*** you drown a fish. this is complete bulls***.

Anonymous said...

you people are so ignorant, and many of you should consider joining PETA

Anonymous said...

Killing whales is different than killing sharks. I will happily shoot a hippie Sea Shepard member but not a Tiger shark. lol

Anonymous said...

Animal rights kooks. good one.

And if you don't like eating whales, tough luck. Dont make me send our Land Shepards to harass those hill billies killing off the so-called Big Game.

As long as we eat them, kill them all!!!

As for the Tiger shark, take off the fins and sell it to a Taiwanese.

Anonymous said...

What an ass! i have dove with sharks all over the world, and i have met these people and let me tell you this story is all a load of s***. all these guys live for is the "best story" when they all head to thier designated spearing clubs. our oceans are a magnificent place, beautiful and plentiful. but people like these clowns and their "commercial attitudes" wreck the very core of spearfishing, which is to enjoy your dive and shoot ONLY what you eat! meaning staying withing the rules and regulation of regular fishing. i dont think speafishing is cruel sport but is tainted by as*h***s like these macho macho men. i wouldnt support or endorse him or any of the clubs that they support including EZ rider bean bags!

Anonymous said...

wtf, it was just a dangerous tiger shark, kill it and let's get it done!
Otherwise you should better think to save tuna yellow fin before!!!

Anonymous said...

damn idiot! the commandment 'thou shalt not murder' is applicable to humans only. sharks are just fish and are lower created creature than man. this guy clearly states that he does not kill sharks, but when a shark wants to kill him he will defend himself. Nothing wrong with that! Will you let the shark kill you because you don't want to be known as a shark murderer? Damn misguided moronic hippie - please don't have children