Posted by So Cal Divin on November 13, 2004 at 17:19:45:
Check this link out!
http://spearboard.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13367
Tiger Shark
To start off, I'd say that this might be the most frighting experience of my young life and sure don't want to go through this again or ever wish this to happen to anyone else.
It all start's off first thing in the morning, I decend on the spot to find out that there is a ragging current and I didn't quite hit the spot the way I wanted to. No big deal I'll just take a compose heading and get to the spot, well this was no easy task considering that the currnt was right in my face and I wasn't really making a bunch of progress.
On the way to the spot I'm greated by to big male hog's that I quickly take down and proceed to the spot. Once I get to the spot I see about 15 gag's or so in front of me finning into the current, I zap one and the other's take off so I proceed to the honey hole only to find nothing home. I look back into the swifting current to see that a few of the gag's had come back to check me out. I quickly take aim and let one have it only to watch it take off with the current.
I take off the way the fish went already reloaded for the second shot when I get to the fish and see he didn't need the second shot and decide to stringer it up when I look up to take a glance and see the biggest shark that I've ever seen coming right at me. By the time that I see him he is only 10ft from me and coming, I grab my gun and lift it up to protect myself when it ram's me so hard that the gun come's straight up against my chest and the shark is pushing me into the current like I'm not even there, when I say the shark is pushing me, I mean pushing me hard and the only thing between the jaw's of death is me and my trusty sea hornet. I had one hand on top of the gun and one under the handle bracing myself for the worst.
The shark had pushed me about 80 to 85ft down the break into the current and it all happend so fast that it felt like forever. In this time of shock or disbelievement, I was thinking to myself that this was it for the Ol Bucket boy or what ever anybody else want's to call me. After the shark decided it had enough of me it turned to go it's way, but not fast enough for me not to get a good look at what this beast was. In my guess it had to be at least 14ft long and the beefest Tiger Shark that I've ever seen.
Now that this shark has left I'm thinking is he coming back for more or what. Well because I'm shaking so hard and breathing like no tommorrow and scared out of my wite, I've got to stop and get myself back together. I quickly put on a powerhead and get 20ft off the bottom and swim back to my stringer to collect it and my last grouper with the shaft in it. I sat in the water column for a least 2 minute's and looked in every which way he could come. After I calm down some what I quickly go down grab my stringer and grouper with the shaft in it and leave. All the way up I'm thinking of what has just happened here and I can't wait to get back in the boat. Once I hit the surface I lay down on the dive alert to come get my ass now. The HeadHunter pull's up to me and I jump in the boat only to see myself shaking so bad it's stupid.
After some what telling the crew what has happend I sat in a corner for an hour and thanked my lucky star's that it coulda been alot worse. I think I may have said a total of 10 word's in a hour because I just couldn't get over the fright. After my time out I got back in the water and starting shooting again but not without looking over my sholder all day. I know some people would say that I shoulda done thing's different but there was nothing that I could have done any better in my opinion. I lived to see another day and shoot more big carbo's and tell one hell of a shark story.