Red Sea Jaws - Channel 5 documentary

Okay I have no way to see this and it's not available to download yet. If anybody has a downloadable link or is willing to send me a DVD of the show it would be much appreciated.

However - Channel 5, at least when I was in the UK, was hardly of the same factual status as other channels, tending more towards better viewing than serious documentaries. This is six years ago now, so it may have changed, who knows.

However - at this link outlining the show - there are some factual inaccuracies already...

(1) "Four tourists were set upon within minutes of each other" - which is broadly accurate except they were three different incidents involving two different sharks at three different locations

(2) "[beaches were re-opened as] experts claimed to have captured the two sharks responsible for the attacks" - no they didn't. Two sharks were caught, one shortfin mako and one juvenile longimanus. The mako was described as "probably responsible", since they are so rare here and it was the right size. The longimanus was quite rightly identified as being too small and without the distinct tail marking observed by witnesses. The identifications were made by very knowledgeable people, rather than the "experts" called from abroad, who did not arrive until much later, after the fatal attack.

(3) The German lady was not killed in Na'ama bay, she was attacked in the Gardens, the next bay to the north. Close, but rather different locations.

I am sure you're probably sick of me blabbing on about this thing but it's still affecting business here (although not as dramatically) and I want to know what is being broadcast to potential visitors!

Cheers

C.

Hi Crowley
We are gonna try and record it tonight and then download on DVD - fingers crossed, will let you know..
Chris

Hi Crowley
The documentary was actually very good / accurate. I was very telling that they showed footage of the Longimanus with the knotch on its fin being fed by a diver.

Hi Crowley, Yes its downloaded ok on our computer and am now gonna copy onto DVD. Can you give me your address and will post it to you.
Regards Chris

I too have heard reports that in the end, the program was refreshingly well researched. I too baulked when I saw the title and inaccuracies on the teaser page. Maybe the title was chosen specifically to draw in the masses in the hope of opening their eyes and educating them a little. I hope so.

Looking forward to seeing it posted on the net somewhere, so that I can judge for myself.

Crowley:

Okay I have no way to see this and it's not available to download yet. If anybody has a downloadable link or is willing to send me a DVD of the show it would be much appreciated.

However - Channel 5, at least when I was in the UK, was hardly of the same factual status as other channels, tending more towards better viewing than serious documentaries. This is six years ago now, so it may have changed, who knows.

However - at this link outlining the show - there are some factual inaccuracies already...

(1) "Four tourists were set upon within minutes of each other" - which is broadly accurate except they were three different incidents involving two different sharks at three different locations

(2) "[beaches were re-opened as] experts claimed to have captured the two sharks responsible for the attacks" - no they didn't. Two sharks were caught, one shortfin mako and one juvenile longimanus. The mako was described as "probably responsible", since they are so rare here and it was the right size. The longimanus was quite rightly identified as being too small and without the distinct tail marking observed by witnesses. The identifications were made by very knowledgeable people, rather than the "experts" called from abroad, who did not arrive until much later, after the fatal attack.

(3) The German lady was not killed in Na'ama bay, she was attacked in the Gardens, the next bay to the north. Close, but rather different locations.

I am sure you're probably sick of me blabbing on about this thing but it's still affecting business here (although not as dramatically) and I want to know what is being broadcast to potential visitors!

Cheers

C.

Click to expand...

Are you there?????????????? Can you answer - have downloaded dvd and waiting for your address.............
Chris

If it's accurate, I'm all for it...

Regarding people feeding the longimanus thought to be responsible for some of the attacks... I can't really say anything, but let's just say I have heard some rumours...

Chris - sorry for the late reply, was at work - my address is in your PM and thank you so much!

Cheers

C.

Having trained originally in Sharm and still enjoying regular trips out there from the UK, I have been reading the various posts on this forum (particularly the well balanced posts and opinions from Crowley) with great interest.

I was out there staying at Ras Om Sid and boat diving out from Sharks Bay and Travco jetties everywhere from Tiran down to Ras Mo (and most sites in between) for the fortnight just before the attacks happened. Someone I know who was out there at the same time (but diving with a different group) is adamant that she saw the much maligned notched-finned OWT in the vicinity of Yolanda or Shark Observatory not long before the attacks. The TV production company approached her for a comment and I suggested, based on my anticipation of what the TV show might be like, that she stay well out of it!

As it turned out, I was pleasantly surprised by the balanced reporting of the show itself (which by FIVE's standards was almost bordering on a 'serious' documentary). They even avoided mentioning the rumoured Israeli-espionage plot which – for a station with mainly alternates shows about the Nazi-plots of WWII with repeats of old US movies – seemed like an obvious sensationalist point of focus.

In fact, it reviewed the evidence in a fairly sensible way and largely came to the same mixed conclusions as everyone else (feeding, fishing, tourists, dumping, naturalisation and learned behavioural patterns, etc). The biologists confirmed that there is always a risk of attack but that it was minimal in context (which is generally agreed by most of the users on these boards). Perhaps most importantly, the vague warnings about the fact that the OWT hasn't been caught and that she might come back next year (and the comments of the British tourists saying they might not snorkel again) were contrasted with an interview of one of the victims saying that it would never put her off going into the sea.

Certainly, neither the attacks themselves nor the coverage of that show would put be off returning to Sharm. However, I'd be lying if I said that it wouldn't change my reaction to seeing another shark or the problem of fish feeding.

Thanks Leonfish - and to the others that have responded. I'm really pleased to hear that.

I think you have to be here to appreciate what it's really been like, and okay, this is hardly the event of the century but it's been big news in the world I live in, with significant impact on business - people are still asking about the sharks, and a small but important number of people still don't want to get in the water.

And now we have fighting in Cairo - fantastic. As if we needed some more reasons for people not to come here!

Cheers

C.

Its far from just Cairo

I cant really say im against a country trying to get rid of its unelected military dictator though!

FWIW this programme is repeated on Sunday so im going to record it and watch it. Pity they didnt put the Israeli death-shark conspiracy on it - would have made it more amusing.