We present a study of the short-time scale (< 250 ns) fluid dynamic response of water to a fiber-delivered laser pulse of variable energy and spatial profile. The laser pulse was deposited on a stress confinement time scale. The spatial profile was determined by the fiber core radius r (110 and 500 microns) and the water absorption coefficient {mu}{sub 2} (200 and 50 l/cm). Considering 2D cylindrical symmetry, the combination of fiber radius and absorption coefficient parameters can be characterized as near planar (1{mu}{sub 2} greater than r), symmetric (1/{mu}{sub 2}=r), and side-directed (1/{mu}{sub 2} less than r). The spatial profile study shows how the stress wave various as a function of geometry. For example, relatively small absorption coefficients can result in side-propagating shear and tensile fields