Spear Fishing Shark in survival situation

**Kurt615** · 10-30-2014, 01:17 AM

I'm watching this show called Rival Survival on Discovery where a Democrat and Republic senator are placed on an remote island at the equator. Supposedly the surrounding body of water contains the largest population of sharks in the world. Long story short they each made spears with metal tips using the sling from a slingshot to launch the spear (pretty common method of spear fishing). While hunting for fish and being worried about having to fend off sharks, I thought "Why not use the mass amount of sharks as an advantage?...they should try to spear a shark!" If there's anything I know about sharks, its that they like blood and can smell a drop of it from quite a distance.

What if one of them made a small cut on themselves and dropped blood in a shallow body of water away from their shelter to attract and then ambush the shark ? It seems like a good idea, although dangerous....Can any validate whether this might be a good idea or a terribly idiotic idea?

Disclaimer: I don't intend to try this...but in the event of being stranded, perhaps.

**wilderness medic** · 10-30-2014, 01:42 AM

First- What kind of sharks?
Second- The drop of blood thing is more of a myth
Third- No

I'm not going to say terribly idiotic...but no, not a good idea. They can't smell blood that far away. What they can sense is electrical impulses from an organ called the ampullae of Lorenzini. If they were close enough to smell it all the blood would do is put them into hunt mode making them that much more dangerous. Penetrating most sharks skin is not going to work without modern spearing gear, at least effectively enough for you to land it. Even if you got something to stick it's going to flee, i'm guessing you don't have a rope attached. Even if you do... No.. That doesn't seem like a smart move. I'd move on to something else. Shark spearfishing is hard enough as it is with very expensive equipment. And that's for very gentle sharks, not aggressive ones (don't know what species you're talking about).

**pete lynch** · 10-30-2014, 04:00 AM

Tick tock...

**hunter63** · 10-30-2014, 11:26 AM

Hunter63 saying Hey and Welcome.
There is a introduction section at
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...-Introductions

Learning a bit about you, you age, location and back ground might help with a discussion.

"What if's" are fun....TV is fun....but remember it is after all entertainment.

Possible, maybe?....wise, most likely not... as Wilderness Medic brought up several really good reasons to avoid needless danger.

**wilderness medic** · 10-30-2014, 11:47 AM

Knowing what specie(s) of shark you're talking about would help.

Even leopard sharks which are small and generally regarded as harmless can be tricky to spear. Getting a kill shot is rare, so even once it's on your spear you have to dispatch it. It your situation for food i'm guessing you'd be trying to beach it and club it to death, so that would be a little easier than trying to stab it in the brain while floating in water.

Any fish over half your size approaches on the ability to drag you around. Once you get in to that size you need either a reel or breakaway float system (like the barrels they used in Jaws).

Here's a small one, notice he doesn't show killing it, just shooting it. Still has to be dealt with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRuisCLR_gM