5/13/2008 at 12:30 PM
Tags: Sharks, Animals, Killer Beaches 2008, Beaches, Dangerous Travel, Killer-Beaches-2008 (all tags)
We love Australia. It's gotta be the only country in the world where a swimmer who gets attacked by a shark laughs off the experience from his hospital bed.
After the 16-foot animal--believed to be a great white--bit swimmer Jason Cull on Saturday, he calmly tried to work himself out of trouble:
It banged straight into me ... I sort of punched it, and it grabbed me by the leg and dragged me under the water. I just remember being dragged backwards underwater. I felt along it, I found its eye and I poked it in the eye, and that's when it let go.
Ah, the old poke-it-in-the-eye trick: Works every time!
As for Middleton Beach, it was closed after the attack, and a couple more sharks were reported in the wake of Cull's encounter. Sounds like a good candidate for our Killer Beaches Map.
Related Stories:
· Australian Pokes Shark in Eye to Survive [AP, via Google]
· Sharks coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: natmeister]
by pbb
5/08/2008 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Australia Travel, Islands, Sharks, Animals (all tags)
Most travelers exploring the Queensland coast Down Under are looking for the Great Barrier Reef, but they might be missing a beautiful spot that we heard about in the weekend papers: Hinchinbrook Island, off the coast between Townsville and Cairns.
The first explorers actually thought Hinchinbrook was part of the mainland, which gives you an idea of how close it is to the coast, and that makes it easy to get there by boat. Nowadays you can splurge at the resort, go hiking and beachcombing, or you can hit the Thorsborne Trail.
The 20-mile hike takes four days and there's a good chance you won't see another human--only 40 people are allowed to be on it at any one time. Whether you'll see crocodiles, sharks or just gorgeous scenery depends on which of the locals you believe. We vote for scenery.
Related Stories:
· Living It Up on Hinchinbrook [Sunday Mail]
· Queensland Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: RedHQ]
by amandak
5/05/2008 at 1:34 PM
Tags: Dangerous Travel, Sharks, Killer Beaches 2008, Death (all tags)
Al Gore never warned us about this: The scary rise in shark attacks--there have already been four fatal ones this year, compared to 1 in all of 2007--is due to global warming, scientists say.
It's not that the sharks get ornery when they have to put the A/C on. But as temperatures rise, more people head to the water, and thus put themselves at risk of being attacked by a shark. Dr. George Burgess of the University of Florida tells the Guardian:
As long as we have an increase in human hours in the water, we will have an increase in shark bites.
Other pressures on sharks include overfishing (which drives the predators to seek prey outside their normal hunting areas) and seal overpopulation.
Find out if your favorite beach is about to become the next "Jaws" movie with our Killer Beaches 2008 map.
Related Stories:
· Surge in Fatal Shark Attacks Blamed on Global Warming [Guardian]
· Killer Beaches 2008 coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: bsmif]
by egw
4/29/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Killer Beaches 2008, Beaches, Killer-Beaches-2008, Dangerous Travel, Death, Sharks (all tags)
Have your summer beach trip all lined up? Hope you're not headed to one of this year's Killer Beaches, where for one reason or another, you're in danger the second you set foot on the sand.
From shark attacks to rip currents, the beaches that follow aren't necessarily deadly--but they can be. We've mapped 'em out so if you're still planning your getaway, you'll know which spots to avoid.
Careful out there this summer!
MORE...
by pbb
4/28/2008 at 12:00 PM
Tags: Killer Beaches 2008, Google Maps, Surfing, Beaches, Sharks, Dangerous Travel (all tags)
After a fatal shark attack on Friday, about 17 miles of Southern California beaches are reopening today. Lifeguards from Torrey Pines to Carlsbad tried to keep swimmers and surfers out of the water this weekend after what officials presume to be a great white killed 66-year-old David Martin in Fletcher Cove.
Though the beach closures led to some empty strands, a few people ventured into the water anyway. One paddleboarder explained:
It's like going to see "Jaws"--getting in the water the next day, all you could think about was the music. But if you're afraid of the ocean, you shouldn't be in it.
David Martin's son, too, said the attack wouldn't keep him from surfing. And though a weekend surfing event was canceled in Encinitas, you can bet that lots more people will be itching to get back to the beach today.
Related Stories:
· Relatives Remember Shark Attack Victim [SD Union-Tribune]
· Paddleborders Venture out after Fatal Attack [AP, via Google]
· City of Solana Beach: Beaches [Official Site]
· Google Maps/Where Is... coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
4/04/2008 at 9:40 AM
Tags: Sharks, Adventure Travel, Surfing, Dangerous Travel (all tags)
It's only been spring for a couple weeks in the Northern Hemisphere, and New Smyrna is already making a play for this summer's "Most Dangerous Beach" award. Four people have already have suffered shark bites in Volusia County this year--including three in the past 10 days--and that has locals thinking this year's title is within easy reach.
The latest shark victim was 18-year-old surfer Joey Giangrasso, bitten on Thursday:
I thought he was just going to hit me and leave, but he like held on for a second when I went to pull out he clamped on a little harder and shook his head. And that's when I like reached down in the water and tried to grab or push or do whatever I could. He finally let go.
Luckily doctors were able to patch Joey up--though it took more stitches than they could count.
Meanwhile a spokesman for the local beach patrol says the last time there were this many bites this early was in 2001, the "Year of the Shark." New Smyrna racked up 22 shark attacks that season.
Go straight to our Killer Beaches 2007 Map.
Related Stories:
· Killer Beaches of 2007: New Smyrna Beach [Jaunted]
· New Smyrna Surfer Suffers "Very Deep" Gash from Shark [News-Journal]
· Fourth Shark Bite in Volusia County [WDBO]
[Photo: jencommunicado]
by pbb
3/06/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Sharks, Aquariums, Zoos, Travel Deals, Australia Travel (all tags)
We feel like Sydney's tourist attractions have been getting more and more expensive in recent years, so we're quite pleased to see a decent discount deal coming out for the Sydney Wildlife World and the Sydney Aquarium. They've just joined forces to create a "Discovery Pass" which gives you a discount of around 20 percent if you head to both of them, as long as your visits are within three months of one another.
After considering shark sightings at the Aquarium, we're keen to get back there soon; the koalas at Sydney Wildlife World have such a massive cute factor they're pretty much irresistible.
The new deal means an adult pass for both places is now A$46.50 ($43), more than a $10 discount. That more than makes up for the unfavorable exchange rate for those traveling on US dollars. Come on, those Sydney sharks are waiting to smile at you.
Related Stories:
· Discovery Pass [Official Site]
· Safely Seeing Sharks in Sydney [Jaunted]
· Aquariums coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: andrew_mrt1976]
by amandak
2/26/2008 at 12:24 PM
Tags: Sharks, Adventure Travel, Diving, Dangerous Travel (all tags)
An Austrian tourist died on Monday after a shark attack in the waters between Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas. Markus Groh was out on a shark-spotting trip with Scuba Adventures, which sails seven-day live-aboard cruises out of Riviera Beach, Florida.
Unlike some tour operators, Scuba Adventures doesn't send its divers under in a cage. The outfit's website says:
We regularly encounter tiger sharks from 6-18 feet in length. The giant of the tropical shark world, this awesome predator will sometimes cruise past in bulky silhouette, approaching the baits with fearless purpose, an exhilarating experience!
To insure the best results we will be "chumming" the water with fish and fish parts. Consequently, there will be food in the water at the same time as the divers.
Though the company says it has crew in the water "to insure diver safety," it's apparently going to take a fatality to remind them that there's no stopping a wild shark from doing whatever it wants.
Related Stories:
· Diver in Chummed Waters Dies After Shark Bite [AP, via CNN]
· Scuba Adventures [Official Site]
· Killer Beaches of 2007 [Jaunted]
· Shark Attack Travel: Mexico's Hungry Great Whites [Jaunted]
[Photo: Ben McLeod]
by pbb
