Shark Attacks

[Altos]

Hi All - I am a kayaker of many years. I really prefer flat water such as lakes but have done a lot of mileage in the sea also.

I did used to paddle white water most of the time but with the drought we have had over the last few years that kinda fizzled out for me - plus I ain't 30 anymore.

 

Presently I live in Brisbane, Australia and we are no strangers to shark attacks in Australian waters. I have some questions :

 

Is there anywhere in Thailand where the fresh water rivers and lakes are free of crocodiles ?

 

What is the incidence of shark attack in the Gulf of Thailand ? I think it would be nice living in maybe Jon Tien / Pattaya general area. What is the surf like around this area ? Are there surfers and do they have many incidents - with sharks ?

 

Are there kayak excursion groups/ bussinesses around Pattaya ?

 

If paddling in the Gulf I am not looking at skirting the shores but may be several miles out so does anyone have any idea of the swell (wave) height in open water ?

 

I really don't want to wrestle with munchies - crocs or sharks.

 

Any ideas over there ? Thanks guys.

Altos.

[Scottish_Tyrant]

Hi All - I am a kayaker of many years. I really prefer flat water such as lakes but have done a lot of mileage in the sea also.

I did used to paddle white water most of the time but with the drought we have had over the last few years that kinda fizzled out for me - plus I ain't 30 anymore.

 

Presently I live in Brisbane, Australia and we are no strangers to shark attacks in Australian waters. I have some questions :

 

Is there anywhere in Thailand where the fresh water rivers and lakes are free of crocodiles ?

 

What is the incidence of shark attack in the Gulf of Thailand ? I think it would be nice living in maybe Jon Tien / Pattaya general area. What is the surf like around this area ? Are there surfers and do they have many incidents - with sharks ?

 

Are there kayak excursion groups/ bussinesses around Pattaya ?

 

If paddling in the Gulf I am not looking at skirting the shores but may be several miles out so does anyone have any idea of the swell (wave) height in open water ?

 

I really don't want to wrestle with munchies - crocs or sharks.

 

Any ideas over there ? Thanks guys.

Altos.

 

Re the crocs, not got a clue.

 

Sharks, never heard of any attacks ever. I have my PADI and never heard of even shark warnings. But with the warm water I suppose its ALWAYS possible.

 

Maybe some of the diving instructors would be able to assist better with the shark question?

 

Surf, not much about patts mate.

[lonestar_tj]

Pattaya Bay is basically a bathtub, I wouldnt worry about sharks. Not sure where you would be eaten by crocs either only time I here about crocs is when there is a flood and they escape from the farm. I guess if you really gotta worry about something it would be the cobras.

[jonny low]

Think you be fine just watch out for the girls with guns

[whitespider - RIP]

Re Crocodiles

 

Just googled and it appears that "salties" are responsible for the deaths of "hundreds of people a year in South East Asia".

 

However before you leave your speedos at home, this seems to be predominantly Vietnam (Mekong Delta), Philippines and Indonesia + southern India and Sri Lanka.

 

This website http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetolog...-plan/cporo.htm suggests that although Thailand falls in the middle of its geo' area that they are virtually extinct apart from the mangrove swamps in the south and even there are rare. A few, but very few sitings in the Phuket area.

 

There is some concern over flood waters and the possibility of escapees from farms as Thailand is the 3rd largest consumer of crocodile meat and there are literally hundreds of farms supplying this demand. Farm owners, it appears, are pretty lax about the threat of flooding.

 

Now who fancies a swim

 

PS - I have it on good grounds that salties are averse to floating turds and used condoms - so thats Pattaya Bay off their "places to visit" list methinks!

[habitual]

You should read up on diving in Thailand. There are many websites and books available which will give you better advice than BMs here.

 

But, that's not going to stop this BM from giving you advice.... There is nothing in the water worth worrying about. The only thing to watch out for are textile cones - shellfish which can kill you if you pick them up. Don't pick anything up and you'll be fine.

[hazze]

PS - I have it on good grounds that salties are averse to floating turds and used condoms - so thats Pattaya Bay off their "places to visit" list methinks!

 

I used to dive regularly in pattaya.

 

not sure if its the over-fishing or the pollution but theres not much wildlife in the water.

I could go an entire dive and only see one type of starfish and one type of fish.

I can't imagine theres a risk of sharks.

 

The water itself is probably a much higher risk. Even many thais are reluctant to swim in the water in pattaya bay.

[Altos]

PS - I have it on good grounds that salties are averse to floating turds and used condoms - so thats Pattaya Bay off their "places to visit" list methinks!

 

Man - I hope you are joking on that one .

[cuthbert]

Just take a walk along Pattaya / Jomtien beaches at low water and see the turds , I wouldn't swim off those beaches . Shark and crocs are the last things to worry about , just do not swallow the water .

[Altos]

You should read up on diving in Thailand. There are many websites and books available which will give you better advice than BMs here.

 

But, that's not going to stop this BM from giving you advice.... There is nothing in the water worth worrying about. The only thing to watch out for are textile cones - shellfish which can kill you if you pick them up. Don't pick anything up and you'll be fine.

 

Yeah - Actually it was reading a diving site that prompted me to post the question here. I think maybe the divers are a different risk bracket to such as legs dangling over the sides of surfboards and kayaks that may appear as bigger fish on the surface.

Here, we keep our rudder lines a little loose to avoid vibration which seems to attract the sharks and I know a few people who have had their rudders nudged by sharks. I only know of one guy who was attacked in a kayak. It munched the back of his boat and he headed into the surf and got out of there in a hurry but the boat was flattened behind the cockpit. Also he was playing in a white water boat which is much smaller so maybe he looked like a meal proposition. The sea kayak is generally about 6 + metres for a single and maybe 7 + for a double so the shark needs to be bigger. :-(

Altos

Edited July 30, 2008 by Altos

[Altos]

Just take a walk along Pattaya / Jomtien beaches at low water and see the turds , I wouldn't swim off those beaches . Shark and crocs are the last things to worry about , just do not swallow the water .

 

F**k is there no sewage treatment ? What about away from these more central areas ? Or is it general in the Gulf area ?

Altos.

[lawsy08]

I say you would be pretty safe ! with the price of shark fin , i doubt there are many shark's left ? there's probably more chance of been bittin by some of the shark's on land ?

[Scottish_Tyrant]

F**k is there no sewage treatment ? What about away from these more central areas ? Or is it general in the Gulf area ?

Altos.

have a go in Koh Larn, the water is much cleaner, that is until my mate decided to take a dump in the bay! Now that was f**ckin funny

[Esco]

Never heard about sharks but did get warned last time when I was swimming at James Bond Island many people had been stung by jellyfish

[Scottish_Tyrant]

Never heard about sharks but did get warned last time when I was swimming at James Bond Island many people had been stung by jellyfish

 

Yep for sure, down the south you could easily come face to face with Jaws. For some reason the bay of Thailand seems to be relatively shark free, they probably ate them all! Either that or the sharks have an in built warning system about Patts! Not to say that they dont ever come on their hols to patts waters.

 

You have far more chance of bumping into a shark in a bar then in the water in Patts area.

[whitespider - RIP]

PS - I have it on good grounds that salties are averse to floating turds and used condoms - so thats Pattaya Bay off their "places to visit" list methinks!

 

 

Man - I hope you are joking on that one .

 

wow a REAL newbie No I am deadly serious, you dont come here for the beach!!!

[gogo dog]

No sharks or crocs around Pattaya, the raw sewage has killed them all.

[Goldfishpie]

The only sharks I've ever heard of are the Bull Sharks at Chumphon. Theres also a few small reef sharks round Koh Tao I saw on a dive trip. I even did a google search and couldn't find anything about sharl attacks. So nothing to worry about. Pattaya is a great place but I can think of better places for Kayaking.

[Leebanon]

No sharks or crocs around Pattaya, but dead dolphins

 

http://www.pattayaone.net/news_23_08_51_4.html

[Parkwahn]

Dont walk near condos or any high rise flying falangs are deadly

[Daveo]

Fuk me, had me worried, thought someone had spotted my Ex wife

[iceice69]

i only go swimming on the roof top of the flipper house,....don't know any sharks that can use a lift to the 13th floor...i whatched jaws...don't go in the water................

[plahgat]

For Siamese Freshwater crocs they are almost exstinct in Thailand (except in the farms), only to by found in a very few numbers in a few ponds deep inside some of the largest Nationalparks, (Kaeng Krachan and Pangsida), they are actually the most endangered crocodile species in the world!

Never heard of Saltwater crocodiles during my 21 years of travelling to Thailand, they used to be living in the past in some remote islands in South Thailand (Koh Tarutao), but are probably all gone now!

Sharks are also diminishing in numbers, only smaller harmless species are usually spotted (blacktip and whitetip), although a few years ago there was a small notice in some papers that a big "fish" killed a swimmer outside Koh Phangan!?

So who knows?

 

Plahgat

Edited August 27, 2008 by plahgat

[luckyman]

IF THE SHARKS DONT KILL YA....THE SEWARAGE WILL !!!!!!!

[Oriseus]

That reminds me of Jaws5