Diving with the Bull sharks

[tight rope walker]

diverken374, I for one am glad you did, because I have learned alot. Both pro and con

 

[tight rope walker]

No, I have a old hanimex 35mm amphipian. Pretty old huh?

 

[ggunn]

doesn't the capacitor have to charge to produce a flash?

Yes, but it's not the capacitor per se that you hear. To make the very high voltage that a flash needs from a 1.5 or 3 volt battery, the flash apparatus incorporates a DC to DC conversion and a charge pump which stores the high voltage in the capacitor. This has an AC intermediate step, which is that ascending high frequency whine that you hear when it's charging up. Whether or not a shark might find that interesting is a question for someone else.

 

[Mike]

Whether or not a shark might find that interesting is a question for someone else.

Sounds like something for the mythbusters to tackle

 

[tight rope walker]

I guess the point I was trying to make was, if I noticed a flash, that meant the capacitor must have previously charged, and to that end, in the video, I did not notice the shark react to the capacitor charging inorder to produce the flash.oooyyyyyyyyyyy.

 

[H20Bubbles]

Looks to be footage from the same dive op.... YouTube - 2009 Playa Del Carmen Shark Dive With Camera Bite!

No thanks.

 

[BTravlin]

That would explain a lot.

Did they intentionally leave out the footage that would show them feeding them?

Again though, these videos do nothing to defend against my point of how this 'dive site' is like the wild west with everybody doing whatever they want in the name of making a fast buck.

If 2 are feeding regularly and 20 are not what is the end result?

Can anyone tell if this is a feeding dive?

YouTube - Bull Shark Dive with Yucatek Divers in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

These sharks are not keeping the distance that I would consider natural for sharks either.

Now see, I might consider the dive if I knew it was going to be like this one but you just never know. I'd still have to think long and hard before doing the dive. I've been around the regular reef sharks but they're much smaller and not so cocky as the bulls.

 

[JFS]

Those sharks were totally being fed! I have dove many many times in Playa and the sharks were never chummed! They do not react like that in their natural ways! So sad to see that crap and one day someone is going to get hurt. If you have plans to dive with the sharks, ask if they feed them before you book the dive. These arent reef sharks here, things could get real scary underwater quick with this unpredictable animal!

 

[DandyDon]

Sharks are not as deadly overall as deer on the US hiways or falling coconuts, but tempting has its consequences...

Austrian dies of shark bite on Bahamas trip | Reuters

A French diver bled to death after the shark attack in the Red Sea

 

[docmartin]

So learning that keeping the stick vertical is interesting. I don't suppose you have a picture of your PVC stick? Mine was about 2ft long, and maybe 1/2 inch wide.

check out this video on youtube. you can see the stick in action although this was not quite a bump but close. you get the idea and it has worked with much peskier sharks. my "wingman" is filming with the nice camera, I am wielding the stick and filming the clip with my digital point-and-shoot.

YouTube - Tiger Shark - Bahamas 2008

Just another observation and one of the main reasons why I question the rational of blindly believing since nothing has happened, nothing will happen on these dives...
The one common factor in every one of these sightings is everyone of them has been at a great distance. I can't think of any shark (beyond a nurse shark) or a 'tame' shark from a feeding dive, that I have witnessed that didn't keep it's distance. Most of these sightings involve seeing one so far away you wish you were closer.

in the 11 pages that this thread has gone not one person has stated anything coming close to a "rationale of blindly believing since nothing has happened, nothing will happen on these dives." you just keep making things up as you go.

as far as the distance between sharks and humans there are a number of factors that come into play: different species are known to have different comfort zones e.g. bulls or oceanic white tips like to come close while tigers keep their distance. obviously, any shark will come closer than normal when food is involved. also, sharks that are used to divers will be less cautious and come closer. another factor is noise. when snorkeling with bull sharks, I have had them come right up to me on their first approach even when there is no food involved. when someone is blowing bubbles they are much more cautious.

Interestingly, in my experience size is not a factor. one might think that a large shark will feel more confident and come closer. however, if anything I have seen the opposite. larger is also older and maybe smarter.

Clearly, the bulls in playa are pretty comfortable around divers. in a feeding situation you want to make sure that you do not get in their way. if they see you as competing with them for the food you are asking for trouble. the shark will usually approach the food following the scent trail i.e. upcurrent. you do not want to move in the same direction in proximity to an approaching shark.

also, since a bull does not mind coming right up to you when food is involved you will want to watch your back and be particularly mindful of not exposing any skin. with the scent of dead fish in the water, they will often look for fish scraps in the sand. fish scraps are typically light colored and they do not move. the non moving, white, exposed calf of a diver kneeling in the sand or erich ritter standing in shallow water surrounded by fish bits while filming for the discovery channel can invite an investigative bite. that's what got him and also caused the only known fatality on an organized shark dive. as i mentioned in my previous post, this happened last year and it was a bull that took the bite.

Yes, but it's not the capacitor per se that you hear. To make the very high voltage that a flash needs from a 1.5 or 3 volt battery, the flash apparatus incorporates a DC to DC conversion and a charge pump which stores the high voltage in the capacitor. This has an AC intermediate step, which is that ascending high frequency whine that you hear when it's charging up. Whether or not a shark might find that interesting is a question for someone else.

that many sharks are curious about electric currents is well documented. professional underwater photographers using high powered strobes know this all too well. Jim Abernathy, who runs shark trips for photo and video professionals, will tell you that it is a fairly normal occurrence for a tiger to take someone's photo rig. usually, the equipment can be recovered since the sharks will typically not carry it too far before dropping it. the sharks will also frequently bump the rigs and try to "bite" them. that can lead to nasty and costly scratches in the dome ports which is why shark photographers usually bring extra dome ports.

Finally, if maybe a moderator could move this thread from the cozumel subforum to mexico since this bull shark dive takes place in playa...