Champion surfer killed in brutal shark attack

I am just happy to see she has so many wonderful people­ around her to support her in these hard times.... xxx

Thank you very much Emilie, here in Hawaii we are­ planning a tribute for him next Saturday, I spoke with­ Aurelie and Brigitte for a few moments last night, very­ touching. I will share the details of the memorial on­ Aurelie's facebook page once it is totally­ organized.

Emilie. Thats okay, I understand perfectly what you are­ saying. I don't know why people say such things, ,,­ maybe to make themselves feel betterl, ,, maybe to try­ and impress people who are as equally ignorant, I dont­ know, its beyond me.

@ leedsxbox: I hope you did not understand what I said­ as the equivalent of calling him stupid, as it is far­ from what I was trying to express... I just don't­ understand how he deserved so many insults and how this­ became a debate about "the stupidity of people­ playing in the sharks' back gardens".­ apologies if it is how it comes across in my message,­ and if I offended anyone.

Rest assured Mathieu Schiller was not stupid, and­ that's a cruel and inconsiderate thing to say about­ somebody, it's not even remotely funny making jokes­ about the loss of life either, theres others to be­ considered when somebody dies in such tragic­ circumstances, try and have a bit of respect, I know it­ must be diffiuclt for some of the degenerate minds that­ use these forums, and I know how desperate some people­ are to try and want others to think they're clever,­ or humourous, if thats the level you gotta stoop to ,­ to make friends, trust me, you'll never have any.
­ Mathieu Schiller was a consumate professional at his­ chosen sport, he knew the risks, and he accepted them,­ as do most surfers, and others who use the oceans for­ recreational activities.

Just to make it clear as I just found the right word­ for it: The Schillers NEVER EVER put the blame on­ sharks.

some of you are wy out of order.... the point is not­ wether or not he was stupid: he knew the risks, and­ none of his family is actually denying it, however it­ does not mean their pain at the loss of a brother and­ son is deserved!! He leaves behind him 2 sisters and a­ mon, after his dad passed away some time ago.... I did­ not know him, however I do know his sister Aurelie:­ this family is an amazing one, he has done a lot for­ his community and the youth of La Reunion, and they all­ have the utmost respect for their island and the­ amazing wild life it enjoys. The least some people­ could do, regardless of a debate that the Schillers­ never even brought up (you won't find any­ "anger" towards sharks anywhere coming from­ them!!) is respect the pain that those left behind are­ going through at the moment. His sister will never know­ the joy of introducing him to her future baby, but­ hopefully this little human being will never have to­ read the horrible comments about his uncle left by­ ignorant people who should get a life rather than enjoy­ the suffering of others.... RIP Mathieu, all my love to­ you Aurelie, and to your sister and mum.... May you­ find peace in the thought that he died doing what he­ loved most, in a place for which he dedicated so much­ of his life....

Get a life 447

Well said 445..The problem is, us humans can be so­ ignorant. If you don't know what your talking­ about, then shut up...Save the sharks

Sharks don't discriminate, they don't care if­ you're Barnsley Bob, or the King Of England, you in­ their realm, they hungry, you're lunch, unless as­ pointed out, you're lucky enough to be helped out­ of the water. May not be want people want to hear after­ years of being 'mind conditioned' into what­ most folk always knew, no such thing as 'test'­ bites, they're 'immobilizing' bites, do­ your research, stop watching the Discovery Channel, and­ start questioning what you're told by­ 'experts'. The only thing that makes them­ 'experts' is that they were fortunate enough to­ be sent to university by their wealthy parents, to gain­ qualifications in totally unrelated subjects, to read­ all the books written by thier predecessors and make­ all the same mistakes.

For years 'experts' have believed that sharks­ don't eat humans, that we aren't high on their­ list as a chosen food. However, recent attacks suggest­ strongly that we are as likely to be attacked and­ consumed by a shark as is any other ocean dweller,­ probably more likely, given that we can't swim very­ well. The one thing that seperates humans from all­ other shark prey is that we don't reside in the­ ocean.
Recent research shows that humans usually­ survive shark attacks for two reasons. 1 - simply­ because in general, we are not alone when in the ocean,­ and more often than not, there are other people around­ to assist and help the person from the water.2 - The­ human body is extremely durable and strong, fully of­ hard bones protecting vital organs. This doesn't­ happen with any other prey that sharks attack. The­ shark attacks, renders the prey useless and returns to­ devour when the prey is near death or dead.
If a shark­ is in the vicinity and hungry, it does, has, and will­ again attack and if it gets the opportunity, eat human­ beings. Theres so many references to this. If you need­ a perfect example of this, research the sinking of the­ u.s.s indianapolis. A tragic event, wheres many people­ where in the ocean, had no chance of gettting out of­ the water and suffered significant losses to sharks.

@#$% well said simon.ashton63 well said

Very sad, but the sea is not there for human beings to­ live in, it is for fish, it is their home, they need to­ feed and that it what this shark did. You cannot blame­ the creature. You risk your life, you cannot place the­ blame on the fish

As a diving instructor with over 17 years of experience­ and having had the wonderful opportunity to be with­ sharks in their natural environment- I can say first­ hand that we are the killers. I am a shark diving­ specialist who has done many dives with Tiger sharks,­ Bull sharks, Mako, Great Whites, and Oceanic White tip-­ I am still here with all my limbs in tact. Sharks are­ one of the most misrepresented and misunderstood­ creatures on our planet- namely because they create­ fear within our instincts of safety. Over 100 million­ sharks are killed every year just for the sake of a­ soup, bycatch and fun.

They are in danger of being­ wiped out!!! A creature that has been around for over­ 400 million years, is the regulator and lord of the­ oceans, without which will have devastating effects on­ the rest of the planets eco-systems, is being­ slaughtered everyday.

Sharks only eat when they are­ hungry- and they are hungry- why??? because we have­ taken all their food for our own extravagant and­ wastefull purposes. They don`t have a lot to choose­ from. It is changing the feeding habits and migration­ patterns and so -behavioural patterns will change. They­ are survivors and adapters. We as humans can learn a­ lot from them.

All the surfers I know have the biggest­ respect for sharks and for the ocean. They know the­ dangers and accept them. They know sharks are not­ blatent man eaters. Most deaths through shark attacks­ are because of blood loss. The shark has had a­ "test bite" and we are not on their menu and­ so it lets go. The problem is a test bite from a Tiger­ Shark or Great White is a big bite. A surfer can be­ mistaken for a seal or turtle- It is only logical that­ they attack- for them it is their natural instinct of­ survival.

They can be dangerous-of course-but so is­ crossing the road. If you look at statistics, crossing­ the road is more dangerous. We need more respect,­ education and knowledge so we can protect what is­ slowly being destroyed.

Oh, and Eric (453) take a quick look in your mirror.