Fourth Shark Attack in Sharm El Sheikh

Sadly, around 1pm today, a German lady was attacked and died of her injuries. The attack took place just north of Naama bay.

I have friends and colleagues who witnessed the body on the shore, but even though we had a boat in the area, I do not at this time know anybody who either saw the shark or witnessed the attack.

The initial conclusion is that it is an attack by the same Oceanic White Tip that caused two of the other incidents. As I have reported earlier, it would appear the third attack on 1 December was an unfortunate co-incidence but actually caused by a different shark - a Longfin Mako.

All diving and watersport activities have been cancelled until further notice. The picture on the latest BBC article is of the Mako that was caught in the shark trap on December 2nd. The longimanus in the photos posted by string is NOT repsonsible for the attack, because it is too small.

At least one tour operator has supsended visits to Sharm. More will probably follow suit.

There is indeed at least one exploratory boat being sent out to search for the shark tomorrow, A number of my colleagues will be on this boat.

Some facts:

- There have now been four shark attacks, not 5 or 8 or 10, and one fatality, today.
- according to eywitness reports, the deceased was just swimming, NOT fish feeding.
- The report in the Danish media posted in my rumour control thread is wrong
- The pictures in the latest BBC report are of a Mako, not Longimanus
- Rumours are rife, most are rubbish
- One hotel manager has been suspended for throwing kitchen waste into the sea, in a genuine, but misguided attempt to pacify the shark because he thought if it had some food, it would stop eating tourists - true!
- the CDWS have not ordered the slaughter of the sharks - in fact they are actively trying to stop it. I know some folks have problems with the organisation (so do I), but there are a lot of people involved who actually really believe in what they are doing, not simply trying to make money. My source is one of them.

I expect that Sharm will not re-open for water activities until the shark is caught and killed. I personally believe this is the right thing to do - same as a polar bear or a tiger or a grizzly invading human populations. The behaviour of this shark is wrong, and without some sort of vulcan mind-meld we will never know what caused it but speculative reasons include overfishing, fish-feeding and yes, a bunch of dead sheep were thrown overboard from a container shop a month or so ago. Sometimes, animals go crazy just like people do.

I will do my best to report what I know to be true. I would ask others not to accept as fact what is being sensationalized by the media. This is a big problem for those of us that live and work here because our livelihoods are already being threatened.

Thank you,

Safe diving,

C.

Hi Crowley

Thanks for an honest onsite view of the situation.
Lets all hope the situation gets better...

i have trip booked there 21 - 28 Dec.....

Crowley:

The behaviour of this shark is wrong...

Click to expand...

Seriously? The shark is just doing what sharks do, which is to earn a living by feeding on prey in the water. There is no right or wrong about it. Not saying it shouldn't be destroyed, because human life has got to be considered more important than a single animal, but you certainly can't pass a moral judgement on the shark.

fstbttms:

Seriously? The shark is just doing what sharks do, which is to earn a living by feeding on prey in the water. There is no right or wrong about it. Not saying it shouldn't be destroyed, because human life has got to be considered more important than a single animal, but you certainly can't pass a moral judgement on the shark.

Click to expand...

Good grief I am not passing judgement on the moral behaviour of sharks, whatever that might be. If you read my earlier posts you will know how much I admire these creatures and this species in particular.

When I say the behaviour is "wrong" - I mean it is not typical of the species - yes, they have eaten a lot of shipwreck/airplane crash victims but at least in this region, they circle, approach and occasionally bump people, both divers and snorkellers, without attacking.

My colleagues and I have, between us, more than 50,000 dives in the region - and that's only the people I know. This sort of unprovoked attack has never been witnessed before. I am not a world authority on sharks, but I do know what's been happening in Sharm since - well - people first started diving here.

Cheers

C.

Crowley:

I mean it is not typical of the species - .

Click to expand...

Then why didn't you say that?

Thanks crowley for your accurate reports. It is sad that the German lady died of a shark attack today. I feel with her friends and family.
But I think there has been done errors in the handling here. I assume the pressure from dive centers and hotels pushed an to early reopening of the coastline at Sharm. Well it is actually obvoius today. And I wonder why it was not closed again yesterday after the incident with the danes and belgium woman. They had close contact with an aggresive shark.

I know that on a divers forum most users are very found of sharks and wildlife in general. But we have to think of human interest when this has happend, and I think they will have to kill quite a few innocent sharks in the attempt to stop the guilty one. And I am not sure there is only one guilty shark either.
As far as I can see, Sharm El Sheikh is now the most dangerous shark waters in the world ! Imagine what affect this will have on their tourism. And Egypt needs this income.

Crowley do you think we could draw a map showing the places the incidents happend and the two sharks where caught ? Or list the places in this thread ?
This way we could get a graphic overview.

Another question: has anyone ever seen the oceanic whitetip close to the beaches of Sharm ? How common are they ?

If it is indeed the same shark then it seems that somehow it has aquired a taste for easy prey (humans). They are not mindless eating machines. They to me like bears will "learn" behavior. Just like a problem bear this shrk seem to have associated swimmers(?) with an easy food source. Do we know the extent of the injuries? Were these exploratory bites or was it actually feeding? I, like others, have a tendency to try and throw humor in on stuff like this. Perhaps my way of dealing with a very primal fear. There comes a point though when I need to focus on the cause. As an instructor it is my duty to inform students as much as I can and if it does appear that sharks may develop a response like this and stay with it the new diver should know that when a warning is out to take it very seriously. Not a "Jaws" like reaction but a healthy respect for the fact that in the water we are not at the top of the food chain any longer.

Crowley:

same as a polar bear or a tiger or a grizzly invading human populations.

C.

Click to expand...

They invaded human population?

Unfortunately it looks like a fifth attack

http://www.thescubasite.com/Latest-Scuba-Diving-News/fatal-shark-attack-in-sharm-el-sheikh