Diver fights off 12-foot shark
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Their story is complete BS. 2 hours? They were at the surface next to their boat. You don't fight a shark for 2 hours unless you're trying to kill it. If survival was their concern, they could have gotten out of the water.
Maybe more along the lines of...
Yarrr... the white whale, he took me leg! Now I be sworn to kill him!
I wish I had my copy of Moby Dick handy here at the office, cuz now would be a great time to cite actual excerpts.
And this is why I love the internet! Ask and ye shall find!
Moby Dick Quotes - Litquotes
Carolyn:shark2:
I wish the public would see the sharks for how incredible they are...not that they are Hollywood's version of the underwater boogeyman. I have spent a week in the water with Tigers, and was amazed at how leary they were of us at first, and that we had to gain their trust before they came close to us. The entire story of these guys is total fabrication with a "created threat" to give themselves some kind of credibility. For us who are in the shark conservation movement, this whole story is another wound for a threatened species.
I took these pics on my trip to the Bahamas with Shark Diver Magazine. The free diver is Wolfgang Leander who has been diving with sharks for over 40 yrs. The sharks actually came back for more contact from him. As you can see from the bottom picture, the shark he is swimming with is about the same size as the one that was killed needlessly. Like any predator, sharks will come around where they smell food. But from the video and photos, I didn't see any type of really agressive behavior to warrant it's death. I have yet to hear that one of the divers were even bumped. Again I call foul on this one.
Adult female Tiger estimate of about 17'
Juvenile female Tiger estimate of about 9-10'
Carolyn:shark2:
I took these pics on my trip to the Bahamas with Shark Diver Magazine. The free diver is Wolfgang Leander who has been diving with sharks for over 40 yrs. The sharks actually came back for more contact from him. As you can see from the bottom picture, the shark he is swimming with is about the same size as the one that was killed needlessly. Like any predator, sharks will come around where they smell food. But from the video and photos, I didn't see any type of really agressive behavior to warrant it's death. I have yet to hear that one of the divers were even bumped. Again I call foul on this one.
Adult female Tiger estimate of about 17'
Juvenile female Tiger estimate of about 9-10'
Carolyn:shark2:
DixieDolphin
Contributor
Great shots! One of these days I want to do a shark trip out of the Bahamas. (C'mon winning lottery ticket!)
I agree, media stories like this only serve to perpetuate an already sensationalist attitude towards sharks. It's pretty disappointing that this has been blared all over the news networks.
Edit: Also... ah, the internet! Is there nothing it cannot provide? =D
EditEdit: By great shots, I was talking about the ones from LIVE4SHARKS up ^^^^ there. Not the original story.
I agree, media stories like this only serve to perpetuate an already sensationalist attitude towards sharks. It's pretty disappointing that this has been blared all over the news networks.
Edit: Also... ah, the internet! Is there nothing it cannot provide? =D
EditEdit: By great shots, I was talking about the ones from LIVE4SHARKS up ^^^^ there. Not the original story.
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Absolutely EVERYTHING about their story is utter BS.
They made a claim that the right and honorable thing to do was complete the kill in a more "timely fashion" than simply allowing the shark to swim away and die peacefully. Every responsible hunter on the planet knows that is exactly what you don't do! You take a kill shot, then you sit down for as long as it takes to allow the animal to die in peace, rather than forcing it to suffering from fright! The difference is if you accidentally take out a deer with your vehicle, then you need to dispatch it with either a bullet to the head or slit it's throat as quickly as possible, because it's already suffering from fright.
Animals do not understand pain or death. Granted they may know something is up, but they do not have the capacity to realize what is in store for them, so the "fight or flee" response kicks in and unless driven by a testosterone fueled hormonal rage during breeding season and fighting another male, or a female defending her young, they will flee. Fish do not defend their young, meaning that this female (obvious lack of claspers) was nothing more than curious.
Growing up working on farms, as well as raising domesticated animals as well as keeping various exotics over the years, I can tell you that I have had to put down numerous animals for various reasons, and still am faced with it, and every time I find myself wiping away tears from having to do it, no matter how necessary it may be. I always choose the swiftest and best method depending upon which type of animal I'm having to put down, and it varies widely from a bullet to the head to induced hypoxia or hypothermia.
I mentioned in another thread that I have a "pet" shark. Well, we had 2 of them (a mated pair) but our female died suddenly last December and it broke our hearts... Our male's personality completely changed after that, and he has become much more skiddish and less prone to wanting to interact with us. The female was known to "porpoise walk" and show off during feedings so that I would hand feed her, and the male was beginning to get there until she died.
I own and operate a small aquaculture facility and and run our regional reef club. My whole thing about reefkeeping is to educate people about the senseless raping of the oceans with that ever present "Oh well, if it dies I'll just replace it" Petco type mentality. We have a moral and ethical obligation to learn as much as possible about caring for the species that we choose to keep and interact with, and I refuse to tolerate anyone that isn't willing to make that commitment yet still wants to keep a reef tank.
The one land based animal that I would most closely compare to Sharks would be a Coyote... I make that comparison, because I've kept one of those too. They have a bizarre natural ability to sense things and quickly differentiate between threats and gentle interaction. They are incredibly inquisitive, yet remain guarded though typically will always resort to fleeing rather than fighting (he who chooses to run away, lives to fight another day). They are both actually very playful animals, and you can see there wheels spinning as problem solvers. My Coyote wasn't into being petted and generally had a problem with someone putting their hands out to him, but if you got down on your hands and feet and roughhoused with him as a sibling would have done, then he was in 7th heaven and would play with you all day -- until you touched his paws!
Anyway, I guess this is all why I am so pissed off about this, because I have daily interaction with a "killer of the sea" and know them to be anything but!
-Tim
They made a claim that the right and honorable thing to do was complete the kill in a more "timely fashion" than simply allowing the shark to swim away and die peacefully. Every responsible hunter on the planet knows that is exactly what you don't do! You take a kill shot, then you sit down for as long as it takes to allow the animal to die in peace, rather than forcing it to suffering from fright! The difference is if you accidentally take out a deer with your vehicle, then you need to dispatch it with either a bullet to the head or slit it's throat as quickly as possible, because it's already suffering from fright.
Animals do not understand pain or death. Granted they may know something is up, but they do not have the capacity to realize what is in store for them, so the "fight or flee" response kicks in and unless driven by a testosterone fueled hormonal rage during breeding season and fighting another male, or a female defending her young, they will flee. Fish do not defend their young, meaning that this female (obvious lack of claspers) was nothing more than curious.
Growing up working on farms, as well as raising domesticated animals as well as keeping various exotics over the years, I can tell you that I have had to put down numerous animals for various reasons, and still am faced with it, and every time I find myself wiping away tears from having to do it, no matter how necessary it may be. I always choose the swiftest and best method depending upon which type of animal I'm having to put down, and it varies widely from a bullet to the head to induced hypoxia or hypothermia.
I mentioned in another thread that I have a "pet" shark. Well, we had 2 of them (a mated pair) but our female died suddenly last December and it broke our hearts... Our male's personality completely changed after that, and he has become much more skiddish and less prone to wanting to interact with us. The female was known to "porpoise walk" and show off during feedings so that I would hand feed her, and the male was beginning to get there until she died.
I own and operate a small aquaculture facility and and run our regional reef club. My whole thing about reefkeeping is to educate people about the senseless raping of the oceans with that ever present "Oh well, if it dies I'll just replace it" Petco type mentality. We have a moral and ethical obligation to learn as much as possible about caring for the species that we choose to keep and interact with, and I refuse to tolerate anyone that isn't willing to make that commitment yet still wants to keep a reef tank.
The one land based animal that I would most closely compare to Sharks would be a Coyote... I make that comparison, because I've kept one of those too. They have a bizarre natural ability to sense things and quickly differentiate between threats and gentle interaction. They are incredibly inquisitive, yet remain guarded though typically will always resort to fleeing rather than fighting (he who chooses to run away, lives to fight another day). They are both actually very playful animals, and you can see there wheels spinning as problem solvers. My Coyote wasn't into being petted and generally had a problem with someone putting their hands out to him, but if you got down on your hands and feet and roughhoused with him as a sibling would have done, then he was in 7th heaven and would play with you all day -- until you touched his paws!
Anyway, I guess this is all why I am so pissed off about this, because I have daily interaction with a "killer of the sea" and know them to be anything but!
-Tim
captain
Contributor
I am not commenting one way or the other about the justification involved but let me say we call them wild animals for a reason, they are wild and unpredictable.
Would any of us thought that a chimpanzee that had lived with a woman for many years would suddenly rip off another woman's face.
Just because 1000 encounters with a wild animal are uneventful doesn't mean number 1001 will also.
Would any of us thought that a chimpanzee that had lived with a woman for many years would suddenly rip off another woman's face.
Just because 1000 encounters with a wild animal are uneventful doesn't mean number 1001 will also.
msg
Contributor
One of his last statements is that he cleared the other two divers out of the way. That would imply that they were in a safe position, therefore wouldn't it have had sense to get out of the water also? I have never been in the water with sharks like that, so I am not aware of all of the aggressive behavior that they describe. However, when hunting for yellow fin tuna, and dragging them out of the water, a blood trail is sure to follow, which in turn attracts sharks. Right? So if you see the "beast" why not get the heck out of the water? There story pegs the BS meter. I am certainly not against the killing of an animal in self defense, but it seems like they had enough time to vacate the water.
They seem to be the Forrest Gumps of spear fishing, and that's all I have to say about that.
They seem to be the Forrest Gumps of spear fishing, and that's all I have to say about that.
OldNSalty
Contributor
Well, I might not have predicted that specific attack but I wouldn't have been visiting at her house either. I recognize that wild animals are indeed wild and should be left the frak alone...and I am not one to generally fear animals, just have a healthy respect for them.
As to the divers, I wish there were charges that could be brought against them. I have dove with sharks (not on purpose). They were not aggressive but I kept my distance while observing them. If one had started acting a little hungry I would have calmly made for the boat.
These guys were in the water for 2 hours...where is PETA when you need 'em?
OP
ScubaSarus
Guest
Not to mention the divers were not feeding the shark Xanax and wine and spoiling it on a regular basis like the lady with the chimp did. The shark most like also didn't have mind altering Lyme Disease.
Not to mention the Chimp was out of its natural surroundings and the shark was in its natural surroundings. The shark was where it belonged and had a right to be
I wish we could reverse this and one of us apper on TV telling how irresponsible these divers were and what injustice has been done and how foolish the media was to tout a survival story.
Not to mention the Chimp was out of its natural surroundings and the shark was in its natural surroundings. The shark was where it belonged and had a right to be
I wish we could reverse this and one of us apper on TV telling how irresponsible these divers were and what injustice has been done and how foolish the media was to tout a survival story.
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