Knife for the beach with sharks in mind?

First thing, is if there have been recent attacks at the forementioned swimming spot, it's kinda insipid to go out there anyways, under any conditions. Secondly, if you think you stand a snowballs chance in hell with any shark that's in it's element, you're #1 the toughest dude in the world; #2 haven't studied sharks alot; or #3 just plain crazier than a sh*t-house rat. I'm not like the dude from "Waterworld" or nuthin', but I have spent a bit of time scuba diving. I'll admit, on my very first certification dive I had all my gadgets, including a large dive knife that I thought "might be useful if I'm attacked by a shark or something". Then I got down to about 25 feet where a half dozen seals got curious about us, and decided to play with us. I have NEVER seen any animal with that kind of speed and grace! It was like a magic act! one minute I have a seal about two feet in front of me, the next minute it had VANISHED! and then decided to swim little circles around me while I did my best to even follow it with my eyes. So, why am I talking about little seals in a thread about sharks? Cause, sharks like to eat seals. seals are easy pickin's for sharks. If a seal can make my instructor and I look and feel SO UNBELIEVABLY PATHETIC, imagine a shark in it's element. Fact is, if it had been an "attack seal";) I would have been lunch. I heard all about the dude in Florida that got in the brawl with a shark, and dragged it up on shore, but that is the exception to the rule.
So, the knife I'd recommend? It's one of two. If it really is a volatile swimming area I'd recommend a Kershaw Chive for picking your nails at pool side.

If you're going to near the scene of a recent shark attack anyways, something along the lines of a broadsword should serve quite well.

Actually, I have an aquaintance with Dive Rescue that used to do some commercial diving. He told me the most effective shark attack weapon he'd ever had... Wanna take a guess what it was?


A foot and a half or so length of rebar.
I guess when they were working at a site and the sharks would get too close for comfort they would point the rebar at the sharks, and for some reason the sharks would shy away. Wierd, huh? Not exactly pertinent to the conversation, but I thought I'd mention it. Although....if you are bound and determined to carry something....maybe consider an ASP? the only way we would stand even a wee bit of a chance with a shark is by bonking it on the nose. I'm not saying don't carry a knife, I'm just suggesting to carry what you want to, and don't sweat the shark business.

The more realistic "protection" against sharks....

1. Don't swim on a raft or surfboard. From underneath you look pretty darn similar to a sea turtle to sharks, which means you resemble lunch.

2. Don't splash around alot when swimming, use smooth and easy movements. Splashing to a shark sounds like a wounded creature, which in effect is ringing the dinner bells.

3. Don't go in the water with any open wounds. Once again, they smell dinner when that happens (everyone knows this stuff, but it never hurts to review).

Oh! And before you go swimming I got a couple of nice pics for ya'!
:D :D
http://vatican.rotten.com/shark/

Seriously, I hope you and the family enjoy the trip, and return safely.
 
Ever hear the story about the old man that fought off a bear with a buck 110? People have fended off cougar attacks with their bare hands. How about the recent event where the uncle wrestled the 9' shark onto the shore to save his nephew? Exceptions to the rule? Perhaps, but it happens often enough for it to be a very possible reality. Don't defeat yourself before going into ANY situation. You have a very possible chance of being that "exception". Why not up your odds, even a 1% increase in your chance of survival could be all it takes to change the outcome. You MIGHT not be the one being attacked, the shark MIGHT not attack the way everyone knows they do. If it was an etched in stone situation with no exceptions then EVERY shark attack victim would be DEAD, and that is not so. Most shark attack victims survive. There are lots of reasons why, carying a knife could be just one more reason! Now I am not in any way downplaying sharks. If you get attacked there is a great chance that you WILL die, but don't do it even before you are attacked. Strange s h i t happens every day. You can boost your chances of becoming a part of that strange s h i t. Take all the advice given thus far. Read up on sharks and shark attack stories. Find out what victim did to survive. Cary a BIG FB in a bag on the beach, and a smaller FB somewhere on your person. And most importantly, STAY THE HELL OUT OF THE WATER!
 
A carpenter hammer (for the snout). If anyone ask say you are doing some work on the beach and decided to take a dip.

Will
 
I couldn't imagine having to fight a shark. But, being knife people, just having one makes you feel better.
I hate to admit it, but I bought a POS copy just for the beach. For six bucks, who cares if you filled it with sand or lost it while swimming. This is a copy of a Civilian and I thought it would hold up for one week at the beach. Just made me feel better.

Alex
 
I would pick a Lightfoot pitbull. It's not going to do much to the shark, but is kind ironic that you would try to off a shark with a knife with a picture of a shark on it. If I could pick any weapon I would pick a 12 Gauge with 00 Buck. A few shots to the brain would do the trick.:mad: That smiley is my war cry.:D
 
Let's be realistic. First off, if you happen to be attacked by a shark, It would be by surprise and the mere shock will petrify you. Remember, sharks are predators and do not wave flags or whistle to let you know that they're on the hunt. By the time you react to pull out your diving knife or whatever your carrying, the shark will have let go (humans are not a shark's favourite meal) and you'll be left with severe injuries.

Now, if you happen to see a dorsal fin in the water or you're aware that there are sharks nearby, I suggest you get out of the water before they think your a seal and try to take a bite.
 
If it were a matter of you or him, if only one of you is leaving this beach alive -- of course the shark would win. But it never is a life-and-death struggle, not for the shark. Predators can't afford to get injured at all by their prey, not even a scratch, or the accumulation of minor injuries would soon incapacitate them. How long would a man last if he got cut before every meal? :)

That's why people are able to fight off sharks and survive -- it's not that the shark decides if he doesn't give up and swim away he'll be killed; it's quite enough if he'll get cut again, or even if he'll get punched in the nose again. There's plenty of easier prey to be had.

Uh oh ... now I can't get that old Monkees song out of my head....

They say there's a lot of fish
swimmin' in the deep blue sea
well, I'm gonna catch me a pretty one
and she'll be good to me
 
As a long time Floridian I would suggest you do as I do. When you go in the water make sure you stay near a fatter slower moving tourist. :)

n2s

As for the edge weapons, I don't think I would go with anything less than a harpoon.
 
This is one step away from "What kind of boxing gloves should I wear to take on a shark?" or "Is Greco-Roman wrestling better than Judo for sharkfights?"

(Olympic 8-ounce and Judo, btw.)
 
The answer is obviously Greco-Roman, due to the higher throws, and the fact that there is no lapel to grab onto for a Judo throw, further more the anatomy of a shark makes bars and holds much more difficult.......:D ;) :D
 
First off, if a shark really wants to eat you for lunch, no knife is going to help you. There skin is too thick, and they're simply too fast. The good new is that you are most likely going to be injured or killed on the drive to the beach, not in the water. I'm a diver, and beleive me, sharks are not out to get people...it's the other way around. This year has been average as far as shark attacks are concerned. There are usually about 75-80 per year in which only about 10-15 are fatal...this is very average. Million of people enter the water repeatedly throughout the year...adding up to countless billions of in-water hours. Taking this into account, only 75 attacks a year is a really good average. Really, the only way a knife would even be remotely useful is if the shark was in very shallow water...about knee lever or less...Then I would use a hammer grip and stab about the eyes/head. If possible, try to hit the belly...the skin is softer there. Otherwise, the knife won't do much good. Hitting the shark on the nose is also a good way if you have nothing else. Realistically, you don't have anything to worry about.
 
Okay, guys, reality check. I think we all know that this is a ridiculous question, but to give a very serious hypothetical answer, I would have to say the knife of choice MUST be a hawkbill or modified hawkbill.
Why?
Because it's already been stated that while underwater you can't move around fast, so you'd want a knife that could do the most damage possible with the least amount of effort.
Also because it has a very point tip that would be useful to grab and hold onto a shark's tough hide.
 
Thank you Pergatory, yes this was a thought experiment.

Kind of like the sillyness that got, well, a bit out of hand with old threads about what is the best blade to carry while jogging on a deserted beach in the nude, etc.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

This, obviously, came to my mind due to recent news events. My understanding is that shark attacks are, in fact, down this year but there seems to be a lot of media hype. And, shark attacks, while rare, are also not generally fatal.
I could not even imagine what knife I would carry on the one-in-a-billion chance that a shark might find me in the 2-3 feet of water that I would be standing in while I am with my kids at the beach.

Like anything else, if on the street, you damn well better know what you are doing or a perp is going to take that knife from you and stick you with it. If a shark attacks, I couldn't imagine having the concentration of mind under stress to retrieve a knife. Even if I was able to retrive it, I could imagine dropping the thing or sticking myself in all the mayhem.

mnblade, see you at the beach. I'll be the one with the sunburned a$$ and you can have a laugh on me. But wait, if I am sunburned on that part of my anatomy, were am I carrying my concealed shark knife. We'll leave that for another thread. ;)

Regards,

David
 
I read one time if your bumped by a shark the next time you see him your gonna be meeting your maker. What is suggested is that you pound the shark on his nose er.... the front part of his body. According to this account the snout area of sharks are very well defined with many sensitive nerve endings and hitting this area with a knife or fist will probably make the shark release you.
 
i answered this post before with my first idea, a very large blade,
but after treading all this i made a new plan:
>it doesnt matter how small your knife is as long as you can cut a slower swimmer and get out of the water before him<

:eek:
 
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