Cage-dive boat capsizes in South Africa

[MarkUK]

Three tourists – two Americans and one Norwegian – drowned at the weekend after a cage-dive boat was hit by a freak wave off Gansbaai and capsized. All ten tourists and nine crew went into the water, and other cage-dive boats raced to get them out.

Apparently this is the first fatalities since the cage-dive operations began in 1991.

Usual media claptrap is saying they were circled by great whites, etc, but they'd only just arrived on the scene and no chum had been put out, so apparently no sharks were actively in the area.

A tragedy, to be sure, but seeing the sensationalist crap being put about by the tabloid media is just so annoying!

Mark

 

[The Chairman]

The business of the News now adays seems to be ratings and not an unbiased reporting of the news. Sad really.

I can see them now: "So how many sharks circled them??? Huh? Huh? How many??? " I bet they were bummed when it turned out that they had drowned.

 

[drbill]

Having been the subject of some very questionable reporting back when we were removing feral animals from the island, I heartily agree that sensationalism rather than accurate, unbiased reporting seems to be the norm these days. In addition to criticizing the press, one also needs to look at the public to whom they are pandering.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok keep making fun of me for wearing my horse collar on dive boats, and I'll keep pointing our that boaters drown even when they were just riding on a boat.

 

[almitywife]

fyi,

Mainer killed in shark boat accident - Boston.com

Mainer killed in shark boat accident
Email|Print|Single Page| Text size – + April 15, 2008
CAPE TOWN, South Africa—South African police have identified two Americans who died in a shark adventure boat accident as Cassey Scott LaJeunesse from Maine and Christopher Tallman from San Francisco.

Americans and a Norwegian drowned when their boat capsized after being hit by a freak wave in otherwise calm waters Sunday while they were on shark cage diving expedition in Gansbaai, about two hours from Cape Town.

The town prides itself as the world's capital for great white sharks, attracted by clear frigid waters and a big seal colony. Thousands of tourists every year flock for the adrenalin rush of being lowered beneath the water's surface in a sturdy cage to view sharks which are attracted by fish and other bait.

The Cape Times newspaper said Tuesday that Tallman, 34, was retrieved from underneath the boat with a faint pulse but died onshore. LaJeunesse, 35, of Biddeford, Maine, was killed instantly.

The newspaper reported that Tallman and LaJeunesse had been in South Africa for a week and had been due to fly home Tuesday.

A South African friend, Jeandre Horn, said LaJeunesse loved the country and had brought Tallman along on a visit. Horn opted out of the shark cage diving trip because he often became seasick but his friends were excited about their adventure.

"We were up (on Saturday) talking about this until two or three in the morning," he told the Cape Times. He described LaJeunesse as a career-driven person who loved to travel. "Just an all-around great guy, very loved by his family and all his friends."

He said that Tallman was "very funny and intelligent."

Inquest dockets have been opened.

Since the diving industry started in 1991 there have been no accidents and no shark attacks, even though some people criticize it for encouraging sharks to equate food with humans.

It went tragically wrong Sunday when a wave described as "tsunami-like" by witnesses broadsided the Shark Team boat.

Nine crew members and nine other tourists survived the incident and were treated for minor injuries and shock. Other boats nearby rushed to help and pluck people from the shark infested waters and so limited the number of casualties.

 

[Charlie99]

Usual media claptrap is saying they were circled by great whites, etc, but they'd only just arrived on the scene and no chum had been put out, so apparently no sharks were actively in the area.

A tragedy, to be sure, but seeing the sensationalist crap being put about by the tabloid media is just so annoying!

Search of Google News on "Gansbaai" will pop up many stories.

Among the articles is one that quotes a marine biologist working on an identical boat, whose boyfriend is the captain of the capsized boat, and who helps pull the survivors out of the water within 6 minutes or so.

"There were hungry sharks circling, and it was a miracle that they didn't go for anyone in the water, and that our boat was not also overturned."

It doesn't appear to be media hype.

Fight to save tourists from sharks - News - Manchester Evening News

 

[DandyDon]

That would be upsetting even as a survivor, to pay all that money and travel that far, end up in the water, sharks closing in, screaming "Wait, you promised me a cage!"

Sorry about the loses. Wish more divers wore Vests while riding on boats.

 

[Eau_Girl]

Sorry about the loses. Wish more divers wore Vests while riding on boats.

DandyDon, You have a point. I was recently on a day boat. As we left the marina the crew handed out life jackets and had us put them on. I did but felt a bit silly and didn't know why we were doing so. Then it was explained there is a sand bar in the area and thus a risk. Once we were clear of it we didn't have to wear them. The process was reversed on the way in. Better safe than sorry.

Condolences to the families of the 3 divers on the boat in South Africa.

 

[Theunis]

DandyDon, You have a point. I was recently on a day boat. As we left the marina the crew handed out life jackets and had us put them on. I did but felt a bit silly and didn't know why we were doing so. Then it was explained there is a sand bar in the area and thus a risk. Once we were clear of it we didn't have to wear them. The process was reversed on the way in. Better safe than sorry.

Condolences to the families of the 3 divers on the boat in South Africa.

I agree. When we go diving at Sodwana, Aliwal Shoal, Protea Banks, etc, life jackets are removed after passing the breakers and put back on before beaching the boat.

This was a freak accident, it happened on the open sea.

My condolences to all the parties as well.

 

[MarkUK]

Search of Google News on "Gansbaai" will pop up many stories.

Among the articles is one that quotes a marine biologist working on an identical boat, whose boyfriend is the captain of the capsized boat, and who helps pull the survivors out of the water within 6 minutes or so. It doesn't appear to be media hype.

Fight to save tourists from sharks - News - Manchester Evening News

This is one article, I still think it has been blown out of all proportion. I have spoken to skippers/shark wranglers on several of the other boats which helped get people out and they all said that no one had started chumming, as it was the start of the day and the boats had just got out, and that there were hardly any sharks around – and the few that were around were just swimming around, no in feeding mode.

You are always going to get the tabloid media sensationalising things like this, and it doesn't sound as good to the general readership if they went into the water and they weren't menaced by great whites, does it?

Mark