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Very interesting. Tagged Great White sharks have been pinging quite often off Jacksonville and Daytona and sometimes come very close to beach.
If you're interested, subscribe on facebook or go to the "Shark Tracker" and put in the name "Katharine" and "Past Year". Katharine, a Great White, was hovering around Jacksonville beaches for quite a while this winter.
I was never worried about sharks when swimming until once we went swimming at 6pm in Gulf near Clearwater...sharks were fishing as well as surf fishermen. We saw FOUR sharks - while wading, just 10ft off the beach, swimming after schools of fish. The fisherman told me that "locals never swim at this time of day".
At certain times of the year, I have read in here on Citi-Data that there are thousands of Blacktip Sharks migrating up then 6 months later down the east coast of Florida. I don't really recall who the author or what the name of the thread was, just that I read it while researching Jacksonville before I moved here.
PVB at the Guana Preserve parking, the lot furthest north.
That's a pretty big stretch of public beach (although I don't know the exact location of the access point from the parking lot vis-a-vis the private property to the north). Was it very crowded? Or were your children frolicking in the middle of a school of bait fish ?
FWIW - I've found that fishermen here are pretty nice and polite and friendly. I've found that surfers and other board people and the like (with whom you'll be sharing the beach too) tend to be less so. The jet ski people are the least polite - but they're required to stay 300 feet off shore. Perhaps the next time this happens - you and other swimmers might just ask them to move down a bit. Or you could move down a bit. Depends who's lugging the most stuff .
I think a little politeness can go a long way in situations like this. This is the beginning of another hot beach season where people doing all kinds of things ranging from swimming to riding horses on the beach are using a crowded resource simultaneously. A few attempts to "get along"/share can reduce the chances for friction.
Note that most of these surf fishermen are very skilled. They have to be to get their rigs where they want them to be. So - unless you're on top of one another - the odds of injury from them are pretty small IMO. Not so with many surfers. And their boards can present hazards too when they "escape" (which they can unless they're attached to the surfer - required in JAX Beach - but perhaps not in SJC).
Also - here's an explanation of why the rods are so long:
Surf casting rods look like oversized spinning rods or bait casting rods with long grip handles for two-handed casting techniques. Surf casting rods have to be longer to be able to cast the lure or bait beyond the breaking surf where fish likely pray, and strong enough to cast heavy lures or bait needed to hold the bottom in rough water. They are used in shore fishing from the beach, rocks or other shore feature or sea fishing from the shoreline. The length of the rod depends on how far and what weight of lure you want to cast, let say a 18ft or 21ft surf-casting rod will easily allow you to throw a 2- to 4-oz lure more than 200 feet.
The advantage of long surf rod is great casting distance. Also it helps to fight the big game fish without breaking a fishing line. When a fish attacks or takes off running you can allow the fish to make very short runs to 5 or 6 ft with just the rod, not using a line. You have much more control on the fish and it allows you to use lighter line with a longer rod. With shorter rods you need to use heavier line that kills casting distance and is senseless. You can also break heavy line a lot easier with a short rod than you can with a long one.
Next time you run into fishermen on the beach - you might ask them what they're fishing for. My guess this time of year is a fair number are going for kingfish (king mackeral). They are often very close to shore (I've seen lots of people catch them on the JAX pier). Although I doubt they're anywhere near as dangerous as the bluefish people surf cast for up north (those bluefish are world class people biters) - I don't think I'd want to be in the water when kingfish were in the water too.
And who knows - you might even want to take up fishing with your kids. I've been doing it since I was a kid (although I never learned to surf cast - too hard). Today the extent of my fishing consists of a few hours here and there at the JAX pier. Where I've never seen a shark in the water. But know they're there. Because I once caught one there - a baby hammerhead shark (ugly looking thing - but his mother probably didn't think so ). The most amazing thing I see at the pier on a regular basis are the giant sea turtles.
If you want to give it a try - go to Dick's and they'll fix you up. Then head to the JAX pier.
BTW - I used to dive - and saw sharks on a pretty regular basis. Used to get a little scared - but - unlike other sea critters (of the biting and stinging varieties) - they never bothered me. OTOH - I never went diving at Shark Reef (but some of my friends did):
For biting/stinging non-fish stuff in the ocean - like jellyfish - which you're much more likely to encounter than sharks - we used to swear by Adolph's meat tenderizer - but its use is now controversial/discredited. Just keep in mind that some people can have anaphylactic reactions to these bites (like some people have to bee stings). Don't hesitate to call 911 if someone gets stung and appears to have any degree of respiratory distress (itching/localized pain and the like are normal). Also - if any of this stuff gets under your swim suit - don't be modest - rip the suit off so the critters aren't trapped against your skin.
Also - teach your kids to shuffle their feet when they're walking in the water at the beach. That will scare away the horseshoe crabs (they have spines which can be painful to step on). I first learned to do this on Sanibel Island - the Sanibel shuffle .
FWIW - this is probably too much advice. But I am pretty much Calamity Jane when it comes to any nuisance thing that bites/stings on land or in the sea. When I took my open water check-out dive to get certified - I landed knees first in a bed of fire coral . Robyn
And you know what Florida2014 - if you want to fish a little - try it out - I'll lend you all our light fishing gear (for 2) this summer. Suitable for the JAX pier (not surf casting). IF YOU PROMISE TO GIVE IT A TRY. All you'll have to buy is bait. With the skin cancer my husband and I have gotten - we save our "sun hours" for the golf course these days. Hate to see the stuff doing nothing in our garage. What do you say? Robyn
Worth mentioning is not all the beach is the same under the surf. The surf fishermen can scan the breakers and see the 'troughs' below them that tend to hold fish and they will target these spots. So thinking they have the whole beach to fish from is not exactly the case. They are more limited in areas to fish than you might think.
About the sharks... I would worry more about rattlesnakes, my opinion is they're more of a threat. A quick Google search may surprise you. Not as common these days but yep, they're still here.
Here's a story from the 50's that may ruin some folks on night swimming at the beach: FISHING’ MINORCAN STYLE
If you like it there are many more at the author's website. All local, interesting and well, you just don't find this stuff everyday. About Jerry Delany
Worth mentioning is not all the beach is the same under the surf. The surf fishermen can scan the breakers and see the 'troughs' below them that tend to hold fish and they will target these spots. So thinking they have the whole beach to fish from is not exactly the case. They are more limited in areas to fish than you might think...
Just taking this a step further...
If one were a swimmer - especially a swimmer with young kids - wouldn't one want to avoid the areas where there are troughs? Not only to avoid the fish that congregate there. But to avoid areas where you/your short kids kid might step from an area that's 2 feet deep into an area that's 4 feet deep without warning? So perhaps the areas that fishermen are interested in are ones that swimmers should avoid?
FWIW - for anyone interested in the beaches here - one of the most significant dangers here hasn't been mentioned at all. Rip currents.
You should always make sure your kids learn at least the basics of swimming before they go into any water. And adults should learn about rip currents too and pay attention to rip current warnings. Robyn
Never said it should be outlawed/banned, I simply said there should be designated areas for people to throw hooks into the water separate from swimmers (children and adults). Unfortunately in the world we live in people are NOT courteous, people are NOT smart and people do NOT make smart decisions....hence, enacting of laws like the no bonfires, no smoking in public, banning handguns in schools.....you know, FOR THE CHILDREN.
Laws or not, Florida has endless areas to fish, thousands upon thousands of miles of beaches, piers, docks, etc. yet some ying-yangs decide to throw lines into the water 20 feet from people swimming? Sorry, I don't get it.
"My state", lol. I thought we lived in the State of Florida, not "Zabaland."
Never said it should be outlawed/banned, I simply said there should be designated areas for people to throw hooks into the water separate from swimmers (children and adults). Unfortunately in the world we live in people are NOT courteous, people are NOT smart and people do NOT make smart decisions....hence, enacting of laws like the no bonfires, no smoking in public, banning handguns in schools.....you know, FOR THE CHILDREN.
Laws or not, Florida has endless areas to fish, thousands upon thousands of miles of beaches, piers, docks, etc. yet some ying-yangs decide to throw lines into the water 20 feet from people swimming? Sorry, I don't get it.
"My state", lol. I thought we lived in the State of Florida, not "Zabaland."
And designated areas for surfers (and other boarders)? And frisbee and volleyball players (and other activities played on the sand)? And camping out for the day (and grilling - grilling without open flames is allowed - and - after all - those grills are hot)? And dogs? And all the myriad other things that people do at the beach? FWIW - St. Johns County recognizes *all* the things that people use beaches for - and treats them with an even hand:
And - to the extent that any group is protected over another group - it's fishermen - not swimmers (or surfers or anyone else):
Florida Statute 379.105 Harassment of hunters, trappers, or fishers.—(1) A person may not intentionally, within a publicly or privately owned wildlife management or fish management area or on any state-owned water body
(a) Interfere with or attempt to prevent the lawful taking of fish, game, or nongame animals by another.
(b) Attempt to disturb fish, game, or nongame animals or attempt to affect their behavior with the intent to prevent their lawful taking by another.
(2) Any person who violates this section commits a Level Two violation under s. 379.401.
I think your argument is also flawed in a few ways. For example - most of those same miles of beach that are available for fishermen are available to you too. And - if you want to minimize your chances of coming into contact with fishermen/not have to talk with them - swim near a lifeguard station (available at Mickler's and JAX Beach IIRC - probably available at various beaches to the south too). Lifeguards do have the power to tell fishermen to move on if they think they're endangering swimmers.
Also - people are allowed to smoke on the beach - carry guns if otherwise allowed under state law - even eat peanuts which may affect kids with peanut allergies. A public beach in Florida is a resource for everyone in Florida - adults and children - not a school or a kiddy pool. If you want a kiddy pool - go to a kiddy pool. If you want a beach - be prepared to share it in a reasonable way with other human beings and to have courteous discussions with them if you disagree about things from time to time. That's all Zaba is saying - and I agree with him/her. Robyn
P.S. The open bonfire rule has nothing to do with children. It's for environmental protection (also fire prevention). Just like the rules that you can't walk on the dunes or pick the sea oats.
Last edited by Robyn55; 06-11-2014 at 07:12 AM..
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). The most amazing thing I see at the pier on a regular basis are the giant sea turtles.
. Robyn
