Great white charges at divers in cage... ends badly for the shark

[drrich2]

From what I've read in the past, the idea is to get the shark to pursue the fish chunk and make a close pass by the cage when doing so; the shark usually doesn't get the fish, though it happens (which ironically mimics natural predation; predators don't score a kill every time).

The recent big disaster with loss of life on the live-aboard Conception sparked a lot of inquiry and discussion into what may need to be done differently with dive boat design, amongst other things. Perhaps this incident will inspire a closer look at shark cage design. This is not the first time a great white has blundered partway into a cage.

Regardless of people's views on shark feed/baited diving, I think most everyone participating in the discussion values these animals as a majestic natural resource with limited numbers that we don't want harmed.

Richard.

 

[johndiver999]

Corrected that for you Richard at no extra charge ! Frankly , seeing that big hunk of meat waved in front of the cage first seconds into the video says it all . A forseeable and avoidable death of a marine creature . Absolutely horrific ( but sharks aint brightest of creatures ) and if people pay fr that crap I hope their cage collapses . Hope the Operator gets outed on here. K

You think the customers should pay for the accident by being killed?

 

[Steelyeyes]

https://www.researchgate.net/public...atened_species_around_Guadalupe_Island_Mexico

1. Cage diving is the most important activity for the sustainable use of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). However, information related to their behaviour during ecotourism is scarce. 2. This study provides useful information for monitoring C. carcharias during cage‐ diving activities around Guadalupe Island, Mexico. Surface behaviour of 106 white sharks was recorded for 87 days on‐board six cage‐diving boats in 2012, 2013, and 2014. 3. Of the observed sharks, 63% were immature specimens (n = 67) and 37% were considered mature (n = 39). Seventy‐one per cent were males (n = 75) and 29% were females (n = 31). 4. Interactions were classified into one of the 11 behaviours: parading, close inspection, horizontal attack, vertical attack, bait catching, feeding, not feeding, buoy catching, encounter, escape, and staying. 5. Parading, close inspections, and horizontal attacks were performed more often by mature males, whereas immature females performed more vertical attacks, with no differences between mature and immature males. 6. A total of 1,542 ethograms were registered. Each ethogram consisted on average of 6.3 ± 5.6 behaviours with a significant transitional pattern from horizontal attacks to parading and close inspections, and from vertical and horizontal attacks to bait being caught. 7. A pattern related to feeding in a simple stimulus response reflex was observed. The shark's length seems to play an important role in the efficiency of the attacks, presumably resulting from the experience of mature individuals. Intentional feeding should be avoided to prevent negative effects related to ecotourism. 8. This study constitutes a baseline for future research on white shark behaviour. It can be applied in other regions regardless of environmental conditions, quantity and size of the boats, and types of bait. Using this standard method could improve the monitoring, management, and conservation of this vulnerable species.

 

[Khrissi]

@johndiver999 i think those customers and the operator should pay the fine. Speilberg - after the Jaws film made him so much money - sinks some of it into Shark conservation. Is what i think. K

 

[FullThrottle]

I’ve been wanting to do my first shark dive here in south Florida but there are so many up and down stories on who’s good and reliable and who doesn’t bait etc.

Just go dive at Looe Key. The sharks there show up reliably without any compensation and they're friendly and photogenic. I've also seen sharks pretty often on Jupiter drift dives, but not nearly as reliably as Looe Key.
You don't need to go on a "shark dive" to see sharks.

 

[Steelyeyes]

Just go dive at Looe Key. The sharks there show up reliably without any compensation and they're friendly and photogenic. I've also seen sharks pretty often on Jupiter drift dives, but not nearly as reliably as Looe Key.
You don't need to go on a "shark dive" to see sharks.

Last time we did the Looe Key dive some hot dogs fell off of the boat. The grouper and the reef sharks seem to know in advance about this accident. I was in the water and the DM on the boat told me there was a reef shark 6 feet behind me. The visibility was so bad I still couldn't see him. This was not long after the direct hit on the middle keys by a hurricane. The reef was all covered with sand. It was a great low viz navigation training session but not the best dive on the planet.

I'd been there in crystal clear conditions before and it was a great shallow dive after the Adolphus Busch wreck.

 

[FullThrottle]

Last time we did the Looe Key dive some hot dogs fell off of the boat. The grouper and the reef sharks seem to know in advance about this accident. I was in the water and the DM on the boat told me there was a reef shark 6 feet behind me. The visibility was so bad I still couldn't see him. This was not long after the direct hit on the middle keys by a hurricane. The reef was all covered with sand. It was a great low viz navigation training session but not the best dive on the planet.

I'd been there in crystal clear conditions before and it was a great shallow dive after the Adolphus Busch wreck.

Looe Key is IMO the best reef in the keys. It's been a no take zone and has had mooring balls for 30 some years, since before the FKNMS was created. As a result the area has a great variety and number of residents, including reef sharks and Goliath groupers, and they seem quite comfortable with an endless stream of visitors.
Although it's a pretty shallow scuba site it's well worth seeing, and it's a great snorkel site.

 

[Dan]

If you want to see tigers out of Florida, I think you're going to either accept baited/feeding dives (e.g.: Emerald Charters (I dove with them, - trip report)), get very lucky, or let it go. On the Emerald trip we saw plenty of bulls, but not really large ones up close. A few years back I was talking with a Captain on a dive boat elsewhere who'd done the Bahamas Aggressor's Tiger Beach itinerary and I think he told me they used baiting (a triangle?) but not feeding. If that's of interest check and get current into.

I dove out of Morehead City, NC, to work my way up aiming for the tiger shark diving. Be aware not all tiger sharks are created equal; from researching for my trip, it was my understanding those seen out of Jupiter don't tend to be as large as some seen in the Bahamas (but the 2 near-10 foot females and slightly smaller male I dove with were big enough to kill ya, just say'in...).

There's another option for non-baited big shark diving that just sailed right over my mind for whatever reason, but may interest people who run across this thread. These are not cheap trips, but if you're willing to pony up for a bucket list trip, you could try:
1.) Socorros live-aboard - several to choose from, probably the cheapest option of these 4.
2.) Cocos Island live-aboard - you may see tiger sharks. 2017 And 2018 saw ‘issues’ with tiger sharks – one killed a woman and injured a guide Nov. 30, 2017 – Death in Cocos from shark attack – and on April 28, 2018 one possibly ‘test bit’ the BCD of a diver at the surface – German diver attacked by shark – Isla del Coco, Costa Rica – and Undersea Hunter live-aboard noted procedural changes due to risk concerns. Tiger sharks are a ‘feature’ of Cocos diving, but be aware.
3.) Malpelo - there is one active live-aboard boat, the Ferox.
4.) The Galapagos Islands out of Ecuador, South American. Multiple live-aboard options.

So if you want cageless big shark diving, you've got a range of options (and part of the year Emerald Charters and some other local providers could scratch your hammerhead itch, albeit baited), even if you want unbaited natural encounters.

5.) Red Sea - for Oceanic Whitetip (Carcharhinus Longimanus)