Diving with Sharks

[cnherrick]

... the same thing a diver does surface swimming.

Yes, a diver who is surface swimming has indeed drastically jacked up the criteria for interest on the part of shark.

But then at that point, (s/)he is not a diver. (s/)he is a surface swimmer.

---------- Post added March 27th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ----------

If you want to dive with Hammerhead Shark, consider diving the Texas Flower Gardens in March/April out of Freeport, Texas. Apply your google-fu to the M/V Fling.

Or apply your click-fu to this URL: Fling Charters

 

[TMHeimer]

Yes, a diver who is surface swimming has indeed drastically jacked up the criteria for interest on the part of shark.

But then at that point, (s/)he is not a diver. (s/)he is a surface swimmer.


---------- Post added March 27th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ----------

If you want to dive with Hammerhead Shark, consider diving the Texas Flower Gardens in March/April out of Freeport, Texas. Apply your google-fu to the M/V Fling.

Or apply your click-fu to this URL: Fling Charters

Thanks for agreeing. But yeah, divers do surface swim, sometimes a lot. I'm in a Biloxi casino now, but I'm still a diver (lot of sharks here too).

 

[R-balljunkie]

I have heard of only one shark attack...and that was a spear fisherman who had fish tied to a stringer on his waist. The shark tried to bite the dead fish and also got a piece of the divers's leg. So human error played the major role in this incident.

It actually bit him on the arm...there's more to the story, but I wont put Darins business out there on the web.


Like everyones stated, you'd be really really hard pressed to find someone who has been bitten.

Sharks see you waaay before you see them, often times they disappear out of your range of site, but they still are keeping a loose eye on you.

Don't worry, relax and have fun and remember, you only have to be faster than one other person in your group if an attack does happen.

 

[TMHeimer]

It actually bit him on the arm...there's more to the story, but I wont put Darins business out there on the web.


Like everyones stated, you'd be really really hard pressed to find someone who has been bitten.

Sharks see you waaay before you see them, often times they disappear out of your range of site, but they still are keeping a loose eye on you.

Don't worry, relax and have fun and remember, you only have to be faster than one other person in your group if an attack does happen.

Boy, joking aside, guys seem to be amazingly "on my side". "Keeping a loose eye on you"--don't like that. "It actually bit him on the arm". More hmmm...But IS it a joke?-- Honestly, "be faster than the other guy". Joke or not, quotes like that make me hope I never see one.

 

[R-balljunkie]

Boy, joking aside, guys seem to be amazingly "on my side". "Keeping a loose eye on you"--don't like that. "It actually bit him on the arm". More hmmm...But IS it a joke?-- Honestly, "be faster than the other guy". Joke or not, quotes like that make me hope I never see one.

The guy that got bit is my next door neighbor

Long time resident here, nice guy.

 

[Doc Harry]

Out in the Coral Sea, about 100 km east of the GBR, we did shark dive where they used a bait. The DM suggested that, when the bait ball had been fully consumed, you should swim right into the middle of the circling sharks. I did exactly that, it was really cool to have 20 sharks swimming in circles around you. Here is a photo I took as I was swimming towards the circling sharks.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I have never and would not support a "feeding dive" of any kind. My personal view.. others can make their own choices. As long as it is legal I do not think I have a right to criticize them for it just because my attitude is different from theirs.

Seen a lot of sharks in my 700+ dives. Only saw one look at all aggressive... No surprise... there was spearing going on.

Here in OZ it is ilegal to spear on scuba. Spearos and divers seldom wind up close together under water. I have never been on a boat here with a spearo. Never seen one here that didn't spook away from a fast exhaust of bubbles from a reg.



When I see a shark I slow down my breathing, slowly move to the bottom, rock wall, ledge or structure while getting out the camera if I already wasn't taking shots.

If it was acting agressive I would use my occy to freeflow in an attempt to spook it. If it was close enough I didn't want the bubbles to obstruct my view I would "feed it my camera".

Attacking my buddy... :doh: would depend on how much I valued my buddy Probably try to spook it and be prepared to do first aid when we got to the surface.

 

[Oldbear]

...you only have to be faster than one other person...

I always wonder why you wanted me to dive with you. And here I thought it was that I would bring breakfast to the boat. I AM the breakfast.

 

[Tool Belt]

I attended a presentation by Jean-Michel Cousteau a couple years ago. Afterwords I asked him what he thought of "shark feeding dives." Cousteau had no problems with the concept saying if it enlightened people about the true nature of sharks he saw that as a positive.

I would rather see them "in the wild".

 

[drrich2]

TMHeimer:

I think I may've brought this up in a past thread, but your concerns about sharks & hoping never to see one got me thinking. Most of my diving has been Florida/Caribbean, and I've seen several; nothing real big and none of the top dangerous ones (e.g.: white, tiger, bull) so far. But you know what I have seen?

I've seen a number of big barracuda. Great barracuda can slice through the water too fast for a diver to react meaningfully, and perhaps slice a hand off. No using your octo. to free flow and scare it. No punching it on the nose or trying to cut it with a dive knife or feed it your camera, either. Highly unlikely to attack, especially with good viz., but not impossible.

I've seen a number of big green moray eels. Me & one almost blundered into each other in Bonaire. I've seen enough stories of greens accosting divers, presumably due to a history of lion fish handouts, to know it's possible one could approach me unseen, and get on me. You can read stories of one coming to someone mask, or crawling into a BCD or getting between someone's legs. So, what happens if your hand looks like a lion fish?

3.) In areas where I get close to the bottom, large stingrays are at least a potential threat. Unlikely, yes, but in Key Largo while watching a reef sharks, I glanced over & saw 2 big'uns in the sand not all that far away, and in rather shallow diving conditions, there's a (very small) risk.

4.) I see plenty of lion fish. Read an article by a guy who got nailed in the leg by one while doing photography on a night dive, and the thinking was he was fairly stationary and it 'attacked.' It was suspected they might be more aggressive at night. I've dove right off the bottom in the shallows in Bonaire at the ends of dives; scorpionfish are a menace here. While neither fish is likely to inflict a sting fatal due to direct toxicity, excruciating pain when you're underwater can indirectly kill you if you panic or get overwhelmed.

Funny thing is, I like seeing all these animals (though I wish lion fish weren't in these waters).

My point is, are you equally concerned/avoidant toward other marine creatures who also pose very real but highly improbable risks?

Richard.

P.S.: At this point in my life, I would not be inclined to knowingly jump in the water with a great white or tiger shark. I would consider going on a feeding dive where tigers were apt to show up. I can hardly deliberately diving with a great white without a cage. So that's where my perceived threat tolerance lies.