Diving with Sharks

[ange2014]

Hi all,

I was really nervous the first time I dived with sharks. I was constantly fearful that one of them would happen to be hungry or in a bad/strange mood that day and attack me

I have a question: Besides staying close to the reef and not making too much noise/bubbles (as I was instructed), could the experts out there please advise on the basics and extra tips on what to do and how to behave and any precautionary measures in general to take when diving with sharks (say, tiger sharks, longimanus, hammerheads)?

And what does one do if a shark heads towards you and comes really close?

What does one do if attacked? What does one do if someone in the group is attacked?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

[Oldbear]

I can honestly say that I have never dived with sharks. But my life has been so much richer because sharks have chose to swim with me.

I live and dive in one of the largest shark refuges in the world, the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific. When we dive it is rare when we don't see a shark along the reef. In the last 50+ years that our club has been diving here (about 60,000+ dives) 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.

If you see a shark coming towards you just stop and do not act threatening to the shark. Once the shark gets close enough to see what you are they will turn away. When I see a shark heading towards me I stop exhaling so the shark might come even closer by not being afraid of my exhaust bubbles. Most of the time sharks will hear or sense your bubbles and leave the area before you even get close enough to see them. That is why I feel blessed when sharks decide to swim with me.

 

[Doc]

....I have a question: Besides staying close to the reef and not making too much noise/bubbles (as I was instructed), could the experts out there please advise on the basics and extra tips on what to do and how to behave and any precautionary measures in general to take when diving with sharks (say, tiger sharks, longimanus, hammerheads)?

You quote the instructions given during Shark Rodeos so the Sharks are not driven away in their own primal fear. Maybe do the opposite?

....And what does one do if a shark heads towards you and comes really close?

Roll the video.

...What does one do if attacked? What does one do if someone in the group is attacked?

Roll the video.
Hire an attorney that is in the entertainment industry.
Call "When Animals Attack".
Hold out for a 1 hour TV special during Shark Week.
Demand Tara Reid for a private meeting.

If you see a shark coming towards you just stop and do not act threatening to the shark.

Not acting threatening, as in: Don't look like Tara Reid or Captain Quint?

...Once the shark gets close enough to see what you are they will turn away.

Good plan. It's good to have a plan.

....When I see a shark heading towards me I stop exhaling...

Most people do this, pretty natural.

....That is why I feel blessed when sharks decide to swim with me.

Better than the alternative, but then again, you wouldn't feel blessed or cursed for long.

I can honestly say that I have never dived with sharks. But my life has been so much richer because sharks have chose to swim with me.

Well said.

 

[Oldbear]

Not acting threatening, as in: Don't look like Tara Reid or Captain Quint?

Yes...exactly

 

[snowdog61]

What he said. You're not their food so their only interest in you will be curiosity unless you are spearing or otherwise providing a food source. I watched a Nurse suck a Hogfish off an unsuspecting buddie's stringer (very funny actually - not to him at the time of course) and have been bumped a few times by Lemons while dealing with speared lionfish - all instances of a food source drawing an otherwise previously docile and disinterested shark into close proximity - a place they typically avoid. A wounded or struggling fish draws immediate attention whether it is a shark or not. Go on an organized shark feeding and see what happens. They will gather and mull around but not get too close or let you get too close. It's very different behavior when that bait bucket is dumped. Once the food is gone they all disappear very quickly. I did it once - have no need or desire to do it again (so no flames please). Seeing them underwater is always a treat. As long as you are diving in relatively clear water and are not where they are actively feeding there should never be any confusion as to what is food for them. If you are spearing or diving with spearos then you are just competition and anything goes.

 

[Wijbrandus]

I won't do a shark dive. I'm philosophically opposed to artificially changing shark behavior. I mean, would you go sit in a circle in Yellowstone and let the guide bring in a grizzly with bait? I don't think so. It's actively discouraged, leaving food where the bears can find it. Why be any different with any other wild animal. My humble opinion, feel free to do what you want.

The other factor is every time I have seen people come back from a "shark dive", their gear absolutely reeks from the chum. My last trip, you could not get near the rinse tank the stink was so bad. Ended up rinsing my gear in the shower of my room.

If you want to do the dive, enjoy it. Sharks are magnificent creatures. Don't be scared, they mostly aren't all that interested in you.

Mostly. :shark:

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Don't feed sharks, or chase them. Observe them. Count it a rare treat to be near them. Stay cool, clam, and quiet. Respect them, and they will invariably leave you alone. Just try and find an account of a scuba diver being bitten, let alone attacked, by a shark. If you find one, chances are that the diver was feeding the sharks.
DivemasterDennis

 

[freewillie]

I can't remember which aquarium I saw the presentation but there was a diver in the shark tank giving a talk on sharks. The first question addressed and answered was, "aren't you afraid of the sharks." No. There were other divers there looking out for him with sticks to chase away any shark that came a little too close. But, the lecture was essentially that humans are not on the shark food menu. Almost all shark attacks on humans are cases of mistaken identity. The shark thought the human was a turtle or a seal or some other natural food source. Unfortunately for the victim the shark is not aware of that fact until after it bites the victim.

Sharks are actually amazing creatures. They possess a very keen sense of electrical activity. It's been reported that they can actually sense the electronic signals in your dive computer. You are also very, very noisy to a shark with the sounds of the regulator and bubbles. The shark knows you are not it's regular prey. They are also ambush predators. So they like to hunt when visibility is poor during sun up and sun down. If you can see a shark very well then they can also see you very well. There goes the surprise ambush.

My first encounter with sharks close up was a couple of territorial reef sharks. Our dive brief included the fact that there was a pair of black tipped reef sharks that routinely came around to the divers to maintain their territory. The would swim nearby just to let you know that you were in their territory. The did get close enough to get your heart beating a little fast. Instructions were to swim slowly and no make any sudden movements. My heart did pound a little bit, at one point during the dive they were about feet or so from us but the sharks simply swam along side the group for a minute then swam off.

The closest a shark actually come to me was during a night dive in Cancun. I spotted a 4 foot nurse shark off in the distance with my light. I kept my light on the shark and it started swimming slowly in my direction. At first I didn't think too much of the shark's behavior until it kept swimming directly at me. My daughter and I sank a little lower to the reef and the shark eventually swam about a foot over the top of our heads! My heart was pounding a little bit and when I looked at my daughter she put her hand over her heart to indicate hers was beating fast too!

While that was the closest a shark has come to me the one time I tried to get closer to a shark it swam away from me. We were in Kona, HI when a 6 foot tiger shark nicknamed Laverne was spotted in the harbor as we left the dock. Next thing I knew the boat docked just outside the harbor at the closest dive site. I was a little apprehensive at first getting into the water when I knew a shark was nearby but the whole group was getting in so I did too. After a few minutes we saw the outline of a shark in the distance. I couldn't see the shark that well and when we tried to get a little closer for a better view the shark swam off in the distance. Not exactly aggressive behavior, more shy and timid.

With the numbers of sharks killed for shark's fin soup they have more to fear from us than we of them.

 

[MarineResearch]

I have done a lot dives with sharks; some planned but most just random encounters. In general, the sharks were mainly curious and sometimes a little playful. In French Polynesia almost every dive is a shark dive. It was fairly normal for sharks to circle us when we entered the water and then become bored and swim off after a few minutes. Occasionally a few would stay with us for the entire dive. I can only think of one instance where a shark was a bit of a pain when he kept trying to flank me and I had to bump his nose with my camera a few times, but he never took an aggressive posture. I think he was more interested in my focus light or the sound of the strobes recharging. For most shark encounters, a blast of bubbles from your regulator is an adequate deterrent. If you ever have a chance to dive a rebreather you would hear how annoying a stream of bubbles sounds underwater, and how far the sound travels.

As for tips, don't try to reach out and pet them. They are not dogs, and because some people feed them, they may mistake your hand for food. Having your back to the reef really helps prevent sneak attacks. If you are in a group on a shark dive avoid being at the end of the line (see above flanking maneuver). I prefer the end of the line for better photo opportunities, but if you are nervous about sharks it's not a good place for you. If a shark swims uncomfortably close to you, bubbles and noise will startle them. They can clearly hear you scream underwater (as can anyone using a rebreather). If you are attacked, hit their snout/face as hard and often as possible. If someone in your group is attacked, be glad it wasn't you and be ready to assist them to the surface and render first aid. Following the initial attack, most sharks you encounter will not come back for seconds; note most, there are exceptions.

If you really want a tame shark diving experience, Shark Ray Alley in Belize is pretty fun. It is primarily nurse sharks that act more like puppies. You can roll them on their backs, rub their bellies, pet them, etc. I'm not overly enthusiastic about situations where people feed sharks, but this is probably the exception. Nurse sharks are fairly harmless and judging by the hundreds that swarm the boat when you pull up, it doesn't seem to have resulted in any harm to the local population within the marine park.

 

[flyin01]

Don't buddy up with a guy named Chumley