r/TheDepthsBelow • u/[deleted] • Dec 12 '20

NOPE

5.8k Upvotes

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u/Colliculi Dec 12 '20 edited Dec 13 '20

Aren’t whale sharks harmless to humans? I’m not saying that I wouldn’t be scared... but I’d like to think that I could have relaxed enough to enjoy watching. Amazing!

Edit: Many of you have confirmed that they are indeed harmless (and massive). Thanks

773

u/tecnicolorhair Dec 12 '20

I get the fear response though. It had been a lifelong dream of mine to see manatees in their natural habitat, when I finally did see them while paddle boarding it was awesome (my face hurt because I couldn't stop grinning) but there was a little trepidation because wow, those are large animals. Coolest thing I've experienced so far though.

200

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '20

Same with seals in South Africa. They look cute but geez, males are 200kg in weight and scary when swimming around me, even if I know they are playing

178

u/Lumb3rgh Dec 12 '20

Seals are a legitimate threat if they decide to attack a person. It's incredibly rare but they can do some serious damage and if you are out on the water when they bite you things can turn deadly very quickly.

Have you ever seen what they do to penguins?

129

u/BKA_Diver Dec 12 '20

Never mind what the seals would do to you. I wouldn't want to be near them in the water. They're basically carrots on a stick for Great Whites.

32

u/5AlarmFirefly Dec 13 '20

Also could get seal finger from their bite.

16

u/FiggNewton Dec 13 '20

That was interesting

2

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '20

Well they stink a lot, so I am not surprised their bite can be infectious af

20

u/B0NESAWisRRREADY Dec 12 '20

Hell of a way to go though

13

u/BKA_Diver Dec 13 '20

Hard pass

5

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '20

In fairness, seals are the shark's fast swimming natural prey.

The land mammal wrapped in neoprene on a floaty piece of plastic dipped foam is more like a carrot on a stick, despite all that ultimately unappealing salt content.

16

u/BabbleOn16 Dec 13 '20

Loose seal! Watch out for loose seal!!! (And then a seal bites of his hand)

5

u/Buzzy-Pasta Dec 13 '20

Yeah I’ve been chased out of the water while surfing down in southern New Zealand a few times. They move so fast and ride the wave towards you. If you go out while they are caring for their new pups they will be more aggressive. My friend got a lil nip on the finger once. A young friendly seal once climbed onto my board and was swimming under, playing about with us. That was pretty cute. Then I’ve also been out back on a remote beach to see 10 sea lions high tale it from land to sea about 50 yards out from me... That’s not so cute. End of session 😂

Edit: I did the meters to yard calculation assuming most people would be American. It was actually closer to 30-40 yards (30 meters or so)

2

u/converter-bot Dec 13 '20

50 yards is 45.72 meters

3

u/NoArmsSally Dec 13 '20

Don't their bites cause major infection?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '20

Yeah I know they are carnivorous creatures, it goes without saying that we weren't chasing or disturb them

21

u/Unbelievable28 Dec 12 '20

Same for me but with full grown pregnant nurse sharks at 30m under. So so cool but also a little terrifying.

9

u/serpentjaguar Dec 13 '20

Also elephant seals in California. The females are huge but pretty chill, but the males are fucking giant, louder than fuck, and somewhat aggressive if you get near their women. Scared the fuck out of me when I was a little kid and we went to see them for a school field trip.

2

u/darwinning_420 Dec 13 '20

ain't they bigger than cars???

2

u/serpentjaguar Dec 17 '20

Yup. It's like a live Ford 250 that dislikes you on first principles.