Watching the TV news last night brought back memories as they reported on the shark attack off a beach in North Carolina where two teenagers a boy and a girl were attacked and each lost an arm. what was unusual was the fact they were in relatively shallow water.

I was only seventeen when I had my first experience with sharks, while taking passage on the troopship "Orbita" from Liverpool to Durban we called in Mombasa in East Africa, while there I watched some crew members fishing for sharks and catching quite a few but throwing them back in again. Four years later while serving on the Aircraft Carrier HMAS Sydney and doing flying exercises off the New South Wales Coast, at night we would anchor in a place called Jervis Bay. as there was no shore leave to pass the time we rigged spotlights over the ships small boat boom pointed into the water then we would get buckets of waste meat etc from the butchers shop and throw it into the water in no time the water was alive with sharks now we would toss a rope with a three pronged hook and a large piece of meat on it into the water which was churned up as the sharks fought to get at the bait then "snap", one would grab it and about six of us would be on the rope hauling him in, we usually had to wait a while to take the hook out as it was dangerous to put you hand into the mouth of the shark. When they were completely still we would then cut out their backbone and dry it over a few days in the sun, and also take out their jawbone complete with teeth then throw the carcase back in the water, then you should have seen the commotion as the othe sharks tore it to pieces.
The backbones make good walking canes when dried out.

During my time in Australia I recall two people being killed by sharks one a 14 year boy swimning off Balmoral Beach which was supposed to be protected with a shark net when it was discovered there was a hole in the net which the shark got through, and the other was a German immigrant who despite being warned not too went swimning in the main harbour in Watson's Bay and within a short time was attacked and killed.
Mauri

thanks Mauri for that,i just posted earlier to this story and was rejected as spam what an effing joke,was more or less thanking you

Barney, Another time I got into catching sharks was on the oil tanker British Osprey and we were on our way to Lorenzo Margues in Portugueese East Africa from the Persian Gulf when we broke down and were just drifting along, this was at the height of the Cuban Missle Crisis. Our engineers were working like crazy to get our engine going and we were hauling sharks in and dumping them on the deck, being a loaded tanker we were very low in the water so they were easy to haul in. Our Captain got mad with us and ordered the sharks thrown back in the water and catching them to stop Mauri

Really surprised that Barney was the only one who made any comment about my shark stories, maybe I should'nt be telling these type of tales??. Its pretty hard for someone like myself who although born and bred in Lisburn have spent relatively very little time in the town to talk about local events or experiences, with over fifty years in Canada and twenty years before that roaming around the world I sometimes feel like an intruder even on this Forum. Mauri

You are certainly no intruder sir.
Keep your stories coming.
I may not comment but I can assure you that I thoroughly enjoy them.

Hi Mauri, Like Low Roader & Barney I can assure you your stories are like the lead offers in a Supermarket they are appreacate by us all I assure you because I sometimes don't confirm my appreacation of your input I probably take it for granted the site would be all the poorer without your input,so please keep them coming Kind Regards Ted

mauri,

please keep the stories coming, they are very interesting and enjoyed.

Thanks Guys, really appreciate your comments. Mauri

Mauri, I enjoy your adventures very much. I know it can be frustrating when people don't comment and I can be as guilty of this as the next person. I must confess it is much nicer when one's input is appreciated. Keep posting.

Ann
now you know how frustrated I feel as I was expecting hundreds of comments to my contribution about our Queen visiting the Vaterland.
donald