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Fourth Shark Attack in Sharm El Sheikh
- Thread starter Crowley
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An article in the Norwegian newspaper VG today shows an incident a Norwegian family had while snorkeling in the Habada area october 20th this year. Quite interesting reading and amazing pictures.
vg.no/reise/artikkel.php?artid=10012022
(I am not allowed to add links so copy and paste and add www in front of the line above..)
The newspaper has the dramatic heading "This is Hege swimming with the death shark"...
They explain in the article and interview (there is a movie) that they where snorkeling outside the hotel when the approx 3m long Oceanic Whitetip suddenly appeared and was very curious with the snorkelers. He was close to them all but mostly with the mother who had cut herself on the reef a little earlier and was bleeding.
They stayed calm and as the photo shows they kept their arms tight to their bodies so it would not have anything to taste on. They got on shore safely and unhurt. And was exited with the meeting. The resort closed its beach after the incident.
The shark accidents in Sharm is widely covered in Norwegian media these days and many of them has sendt journalists to the area to cover the situation as this is a popular vacation area among Norwegians. I am myself going down there with my family and another one in two weeks.
The travelling agencies are also now discussing whether their clients should have the right to cancel their trips to Sharm if the problem is not solved quickly, as snorkeling and swimming in the Red sea is a big part of the vacation.
For me the absence of beer and sun would be far more serious...
vg.no/reise/artikkel.php?artid=10012022
(I am not allowed to add links so copy and paste and add www in front of the line above..)
The newspaper has the dramatic heading "This is Hege swimming with the death shark"...
They explain in the article and interview (there is a movie) that they where snorkeling outside the hotel when the approx 3m long Oceanic Whitetip suddenly appeared and was very curious with the snorkelers. He was close to them all but mostly with the mother who had cut herself on the reef a little earlier and was bleeding.
They stayed calm and as the photo shows they kept their arms tight to their bodies so it would not have anything to taste on. They got on shore safely and unhurt. And was exited with the meeting. The resort closed its beach after the incident.
The shark accidents in Sharm is widely covered in Norwegian media these days and many of them has sendt journalists to the area to cover the situation as this is a popular vacation area among Norwegians. I am myself going down there with my family and another one in two weeks.
The travelling agencies are also now discussing whether their clients should have the right to cancel their trips to Sharm if the problem is not solved quickly, as snorkeling and swimming in the Red sea is a big part of the vacation.
For me the absence of beer and sun would be far more serious...
Appreciate your efforts to de-sensationalize this and know it must be causing a lot of problems in the region.
However, the statement about "invading human populations" bothers me. We're in their realm in this case and are the real "invaders." It would be interesting to determine the cause of the recent attacks, but I'm not sure we can attribute "wrong" behavior by the shark, especially in view of the fact that it may have been caused by human actions (the sheep dumping) and there have been several sharks engaged in "attacks," not just one.
Do keep us informed. I hope to get to the Red Sea next year.
I understand what you mean and that it is us as humans who are in the sharks enviroment, not the other way around. And we need measures to keep these fish in our waters also for the future.
However the Egyptians are far more concerned about their own future and wellbeing. They need the tourists to create income and preserve the peace and I am sure they wish that the sharks where gone from the Sharms beaches.
If the recent incidents are caused of an increasing number of potentional dangerous sharks approaching the tourist areas, then I see no other alternative then to reduce these numbers by fishing for them.
I do not know how much damage this has done for the industry now, but another lethal attack now would be devastating for business. And lead to much more sorrow and grief for much more people than the family and friends of the victims.
Sharks are important as all animals are, but we can not sit in our western world luxury homes and condemn the poor Africans for protecting their income and food for their children.
However the Egyptians are far more concerned about their own future and wellbeing. They need the tourists to create income and preserve the peace and I am sure they wish that the sharks where gone from the Sharms beaches.
If the recent incidents are caused of an increasing number of potentional dangerous sharks approaching the tourist areas, then I see no other alternative then to reduce these numbers by fishing for them.
I do not know how much damage this has done for the industry now, but another lethal attack now would be devastating for business. And lead to much more sorrow and grief for much more people than the family and friends of the victims.
Sharks are important as all animals are, but we can not sit in our western world luxury homes and condemn the poor Africans for protecting their income and food for their children.
I am not so sure, but it looks to me that Sharm exists primarily as a scubadiving destination. So, I am not so sure it is a good idea to kill all the sharks, assuming that quite a lot of visitors are coming especially to meet these creatures underwater... Not to mention environmental implications- it could be that the sharks are pushed to come closer to shores because of a combination of overfishing and fish-feeding by tourists?
I am not sure what has this got to do with Sharm, Egypt. I have spent some time travelling Africa all the way from South Africa to Egypt (two years) and I got the impression that poachers who kill animals such as Rhinos and Elephants are not some poor miserable families looking to feed their starving children- on the contrary.
Most animals face a more severe problem (not only in Africa but throughout the world)- loss of habitat. Humans are getting larger in numbers, need more areas for agriculture, build roads, etc etc etc and the animals lose their place. In some countries it is done so stupidly, that they heavily eliminate their forests to clear land fro agriculture, thus loosing/losing precious land that is swept away by rains, which forces them to a vicious cycle of more deforestation.
Anyway, back to the topic, Sharm is anything but a typical African town, and I don't think there are poor people who are earning hardly enough to feed their children in Sharm. It looks rather prosperous, at least in Egyptian standards.
Rythmmaker
Contributor
Following the link in the VG article, it takes you to another story where they claim that dive operators in the area intentionally dumped one or more lamb carcasses into the sea to "bring predators closer to the reef than they would naturally come."
I get really steamed when media outlets go far beyond sensationalizing and cross into fictional vilification - for what reason? Why would they print such outrageous stuff with no attribution beyond "AP sources."
This is beyond irresponsible...
I get really steamed when media outlets go far beyond sensationalizing and cross into fictional vilification - for what reason? Why would they print such outrageous stuff with no attribution beyond "AP sources."
This is beyond irresponsible...
clarkaddison
Registered
According to one dive operator, only about 10% of tourists to Sharm are scuba divers. According to the Egyptian Tourist Authority, around 60% of Egypt's tourist income now comes from the beaches.
The days when Sharm was strictly a divers' destination are long gone.
The days when Sharm was strictly a divers' destination are long gone.
This was my reply to that article in VG last night
What is the basis for these "facts"
Maybe because your journalists were denied entry they write "lies".
WHY would the dive shops do this?
Where is the benefit to them if they have no customers?
Where is the benefit to them if every one stays away.
This is likely the same shark, that has gone rouge...
Do some proper research, like into the Live Sheep Ships that transit the area and throw overboard the dead sheep..
This is a sad day for the German Ladies Family, The Tourist Industry in the Red Sea and the Sharks.
Sharks are being hunted like never before, and your articles like this dont help.
Al
Rapporter
5 people likte denne. Rediger Svar
What is the basis for these "facts"
Maybe because your journalists were denied entry they write "lies".
WHY would the dive shops do this?
Where is the benefit to them if they have no customers?
Where is the benefit to them if every one stays away.
This is likely the same shark, that has gone rouge...
Do some proper research, like into the Live Sheep Ships that transit the area and throw overboard the dead sheep..
This is a sad day for the German Ladies Family, The Tourist Industry in the Red Sea and the Sharks.
Sharks are being hunted like never before, and your articles like this dont help.
Al
Rapporter
5 people likte denne. Rediger Svar
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