Question: diva if i came up against a dangrous preditor such as giant squid,box jellyfish or a great whiteshrk what should i do?

Diva Amon answered on 2 Jul 2012:

Hey cheny017,

Firstly, can I just say that this is a great question and my favorite one for the ENTIRE competition.
All three of these animals are most definitely things you wouldn’t want to encounter in the water but if you did, they would all have to be dealt with very differently.

The first thing I would say for all three animals is – If you could, try to swim quickly but calmly away from the animal and try to get out of the water! you wont be able to out-swim the shark or giant squid.

For the great white shark, there is a good chance that the shark may not be interested in you. If it is though and you cant get out of the water, make sure and keep an eye on the shark always so it cant sneak up on you. If it attacks, definitely try to fight back, playing dead will not help! Try to hit the shark on the snout, on the gills or in the eye. Try not to stop fighting.

For the box jellyfish, if you know the area is meant to have box jellyfish, wear a stinger suit like they do in Australia. Everyone wears them when it is box jellyfish season. The problem with box jellyfish is that they are really hard to see as they are transparent like most jellies. This means just being careful and taking precautions. They don’t attack, you would more just have to wander into their tentacles which can be up to 3m long. If you do get stung, get out of the water and away form the jelly. Try to remove all the tentacles stuck in your flesh with a towel or gloved hand to prevent secondary stinging. Contact medical help sob they can give you anti-venom. Until then apply lots of vinegar if you have it.

With regard to the giant squid – I don’t really know what to say. That would be really bad. I don’t think you or anyone would have a chance! They grow to 43 feet and have clawed sucker rings and a powerful beak. Not to mention many tentacles! To be honest though, i don’t think you have to worry about meeting a giant squid as it is thought that they stay in the deep sea below 300 m, never coming to the surface unless they are dead or dying.

I hope this is helpful if you ever meet them! Hopefully you wouldn’t meet all three at once!