DIVE DRY WITH DR. BILL #822: SHARK "WEAK"
My first day on Catalina, back on August 24, 1969, was spent largely in the water off the island's West End. I had arrived early that morning on board the dive boat Golden Doubloon to do my first ocean dives off my new home before being picked up by the Toyon school's boat.
While on the train to LA from Chicago, I had read a book about great white sharks that certainly stoked my fears. Diving in freshwater, I had never had to face a shark. Prior to heading out, I had purchased the biggest, baddest dive knife I could find. I had delusions about being able to find off "the landlord" with it.
Then in 1975 I went up to Santa Barbara to see the movie "Jaws." Before we entered the theater, my former student Barry Aires introduced me to a surfer who had been hit by a great white north of Pt. Conception. When he raised his shirt, I was horrified at the massive scar that crossed his entire torso. I stopped diving for three years after that. Then Jean-Michel Cousteau saw me donning a wetsuit and asked what got me back in the water. I replied that I had recently seen "Jaws II."
My fear of sharks took a turn for the better. Back in the late 60s and early 70s we had lots of blue sharks in the waters off Catalina. I started diving to encounter sharks... until their numbers declined to near zero in our waters. Fortunately some species like the tope or soupfin shark (Galeorhinus galeus) were actually increasing in numbers... and they were more afraid of us than I was of them. I've even dived in waters with great whites close by, with and without a cage.
I've encountered many different species of shark in places I've dived around the world. I've been in awe of them as I filmed them swimming within feet of me. In all my 67 years of diving I've only had one shark "attack." I had just re-positioned an 18" horn shark to get a better angle to film it when it lunged up and tried biting me on my wetsuit. I laughed so hard the regulator fell out of my mouth.
One thing shark-related that I have largely avoided is the Discovery Channel's sensationalist "Shark Week." Despite criticism from many marine biologists, this show has continued to focus on the fear angle rather than the need to protect and conserve shark species due to their important role in marine food webs. I did watch "Alien Sharks" and learned a few things but that was the extent of it this year.
This series plays on a primordial fear in humans, that of being eaten by a predator. How real is that fear? Not very. There are very few lethal shark encounters around the world each year. If they wanted to stoke rational fear among viewers, Discovery Channel should focus on mosquitoes, hippos, coconuts, vending machines, dogs or horses all of which kill more people each year.
This is not to suggest that one should cast caution to the wind (er, current) when encountering sharks. Certain species do pose potential threats. I would be concerned if an oceanic whitetip, bull or tiger shark approached. As for the ladies, you have nothing to fear! After all, these are MAN eaters. They don't eat women! I wonder if sharks watch the far more frightening "Human Week" each year since we kill FAR more of them each year.
© 2019 Dr. Bill Bushing. For the entire archived set of over 800 "Dive Dry" columns, visit my website Star Thrower Educational Multimedia (S.T.E.M.) Home Page
Image caption: Tope or soupfin shark and filming blue sharks (Catalina); great white (Guadalupe Island) and reef shark (Palau); Caribbean reef shark and Stuart Cove shark dive (Bahamas).
My first day on Catalina, back on August 24, 1969, was spent largely in the water off the island's West End. I had arrived early that morning on board the dive boat Golden Doubloon to do my first ocean dives off my new home before being picked up by the Toyon school's boat.
While on the train to LA from Chicago, I had read a book about great white sharks that certainly stoked my fears. Diving in freshwater, I had never had to face a shark. Prior to heading out, I had purchased the biggest, baddest dive knife I could find. I had delusions about being able to find off "the landlord" with it.
Then in 1975 I went up to Santa Barbara to see the movie "Jaws." Before we entered the theater, my former student Barry Aires introduced me to a surfer who had been hit by a great white north of Pt. Conception. When he raised his shirt, I was horrified at the massive scar that crossed his entire torso. I stopped diving for three years after that. Then Jean-Michel Cousteau saw me donning a wetsuit and asked what got me back in the water. I replied that I had recently seen "Jaws II."
My fear of sharks took a turn for the better. Back in the late 60s and early 70s we had lots of blue sharks in the waters off Catalina. I started diving to encounter sharks... until their numbers declined to near zero in our waters. Fortunately some species like the tope or soupfin shark (Galeorhinus galeus) were actually increasing in numbers... and they were more afraid of us than I was of them. I've even dived in waters with great whites close by, with and without a cage.
I've encountered many different species of shark in places I've dived around the world. I've been in awe of them as I filmed them swimming within feet of me. In all my 67 years of diving I've only had one shark "attack." I had just re-positioned an 18" horn shark to get a better angle to film it when it lunged up and tried biting me on my wetsuit. I laughed so hard the regulator fell out of my mouth.
One thing shark-related that I have largely avoided is the Discovery Channel's sensationalist "Shark Week." Despite criticism from many marine biologists, this show has continued to focus on the fear angle rather than the need to protect and conserve shark species due to their important role in marine food webs. I did watch "Alien Sharks" and learned a few things but that was the extent of it this year.
This series plays on a primordial fear in humans, that of being eaten by a predator. How real is that fear? Not very. There are very few lethal shark encounters around the world each year. If they wanted to stoke rational fear among viewers, Discovery Channel should focus on mosquitoes, hippos, coconuts, vending machines, dogs or horses all of which kill more people each year.
This is not to suggest that one should cast caution to the wind (er, current) when encountering sharks. Certain species do pose potential threats. I would be concerned if an oceanic whitetip, bull or tiger shark approached. As for the ladies, you have nothing to fear! After all, these are MAN eaters. They don't eat women! I wonder if sharks watch the far more frightening "Human Week" each year since we kill FAR more of them each year.
© 2019 Dr. Bill Bushing. For the entire archived set of over 800 "Dive Dry" columns, visit my website Star Thrower Educational Multimedia (S.T.E.M.) Home Page
Image caption: Tope or soupfin shark and filming blue sharks (Catalina); great white (Guadalupe Island) and reef shark (Palau); Caribbean reef shark and Stuart Cove shark dive (Bahamas).
