Horseshoe Bay Peel Is Sharks...

[ozscott]

Hi all. 2 days ago on the 31st I was at Horseshoe Bay. On the way over I saw a lot of what looked like tuna oil floating on the bay in the paddock and near the entrance to Horseshoe. I thought nothing of it. Took the fam swimming near the shore in the bay. Lots of boats. Nice clear water you could see out 200 metres and we stayed to a bit after high tide. I noticed a police officer in a small RIB patrolling from one side of HB to the other and all he did was drive along at about 8 knots looking to the right of his boat into the water...peering into it. Never stopped anyone or checked anyone out. And there were also 2 officers on seperate wave riders doing much the same thing - up and down, looking into the water. It occurred to me then that they were keeping an eye out for sharks, particularly with the pod of threshers or whatever they were just around at Amity... and all the big boats chucking chicken bones out off the back after the champers parties...then on the way out I smelt a strong Tuna oil smell and saw much more of the oil right accross the paddock...made me think that the police had seeded out of horeshoe bay with oil to try and keep the sharks outside the bay with the oil.

Anyone got any idea what was going on? Am I on the money?
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Cheers

[ross_woody]

I doubt the water police would drop tuna oil, if anyone it would be fisheries. Early new Years eve went out the front of Wellington point looking for a feed of crabs. Saw a lot of swirls on top of the water, they were not turtles. Got a look at one and appeared to be about a 2 to 3 metre shark. Summer is here, just normal movement, around 20 years ago caught several tiger sharks mid way up th erpouse chanel, biggest was 311kg.

[adamleah]

I was there New years eve also ... the stuff on the surface was the algae that has been written about in another post and was definately not tuna oil....

The police are generally there on new years eve to patrol for hooligans etc and aswell as the jetski and smaller inflatable they had a larger launch onsite also that I presumed they would have been using as a base throughout the evening,

[ozscott]

Yep I know that there are still good sized sharks in the bay - and particularly around Peel, Mud, St Helena etc. My old man was a copper when they caught a tiger in the bay that was at the time the biggest recorded one in the world - not far from Peel. Just wondered about sharks in Horeshoe and in particular on the 31st. I prefer swimming around the beach at Peel on a good sunlit day because of the view afforded so far out through the water...used to swim at Tipplers, but you cannot seen whats in the water there!

[skippa]

Last year we where witness to a Dolphin feeding frenzy in Horseshoe Bay. The Dolphins had herded up a school of herrings or simular. The fish where actually jumping out of the water and onto the beach right in front of our feet to escape from the dolphins. The dolphins took turns in swimming thru the school no more than 2 feet in front of us, it was awesome to watch. Later, as we where swiming in the shallows, they returned and where happy to swim with us; by this stage they'd finished feeding and seemed quite playful.

However I wouldn't swim around the Bluff or wrecks, I've seen some huge sharks out there and had one nudge up the leg of the motor as we fished the 'hole in the wall'.

Cheers,
Tony

[tigermullet]

Thanks Ozscott,

Your report conjured up a delightful image of the water police, in a rare display of wicked humour, berleying up sharks to scare the bejeezus out of the punters.;D

[ozscott]

................... :)