How many fatal shark attacks to stop you diving

[The Chairman]

but the poll certainly forced your hand on the matter.

Whose hand was forced and what was accomplished by this hand?

Pssst, I see the last two options are quickly becoming the poll's favorites. If you voted and find that you want to change your vote, just PM me with what needs to be changed. Oh, I forgot to add, that I limited the poll to just thirty days. A year long poll was over the top.

 

[ferris213]

Foxfish, I'm interested to know how many shark attacks it would take to keep you out of the water?

You seem to be an active diver, yet you claim there is an insatiable mass of teeming man eaters circling every boat waiting for their lunch to jump in.

Are you willing to accept the current level of risk to enjoy our pastime? At what stage will you hang up your fins?

 

[nimoh]

'I don't care', suggests you'd be willing to jump into shark infested water regardless of the consequences. I don't accept that as a valid or rational response. If nothing else, excluding it from the poll is in keeping with the forums policy not to promote or sanction unsafe diving practices.

This is not what it suggests. There is a difference between the number of sharks in the water while diving, and the number of historical shark attacks in an area.

I wouldn't dive if 30 great white sharks were circling the boat, but if 30 great white shark attacks occurred in an area where I'm diving over the past 100 years, it wouldn't sway me. The fundamental flaw with your poll is that it is not realistic....there is nowhere in the world that sees weekly fatal shark attacks.

 

[Skittl1321]

I've added a couple of new options to the poll. It sounds as if a number of you don't think the poll was comprehensive enough for you.

But now there are two good choices and I can only pick one!

---------- Post added February 20th, 2014 at 08:22 AM ----------

The only way shark attacks would keep me out of the water would be if I was the one attacked... How long I was out of the water would depend on how severe the attack was.

Well, the scenario presented was a fatal attack, so returning to scuba diving would be difficult indeed.

---------- Post added February 20th, 2014 at 08:25 AM ----------

As explained before, the range of options provided were more than adequate to cover level headed responses.

I really hope statistics and measurement is not a field you work in often, if you think that this poll was sound.

 

[iluvtheocean]

there was an article posted this week that said shark attacks are down overall but up in Florida.

There doesn't seem to be any lack of divers wanting to go on a shark dive from the # of dives set up just for shark diving.

would i prefer to be wearing chain maile down there? yup... but i love chain maile and i'd be able to figure it into my weight use. too bad i can't bring my sword too

 

[fjpatrum]

The OP and the poll were intended to gauge how divers perceive the risk of attack from sharks. As explained before, the range of options provided were more than adequate to cover level headed responses. I believe the topic is appropriate for the Basic forum. If people don't like the thread the obvious solution is to avoid posting on it. If they don't think that the poll is accurate, there is nothing to stop them starting their own.

Your latest additions are:



'I don't care', suggests you'd be willing to jump into shark infested water regardless of the consequences. I don't accept that as a valid or rational response. If nothing else, excluding it from the poll is in keeping with the forums policy not to promote or sanction unsafe diving practices.

The statement that 'shark culling or finning is morally wrong' has nothing to do with the topic of the poll and OP. It is an inappropriate discussion for the Basic forum and extending the discussion to include those topics will only serve to inflame an already difficult discussion.



Evidently the thread and the poll are considered appropriate for this forum. In the region where we live this kind of assessment is very real and is being done consciously or unconsciously by many divers. I know of people who have been avid divers for much of their life and in the wake of our latest fatal attacks in our area now refuse to dive. Everyone has to decide at which point they will draw the line. Raising it as a poll on the forum seemed a reasonable and useful thing to do. It gives divers a chance to compare their assessment with others and discuss the factors that influenced how they arrived at that assessment.

Clearly I was being overly optimistic. If nothing else the thread to date serves to highlight how difficult it is to have a sensible, level headed conversation on the topic.

The problem with your poll (as originally put forth, and as it stands right now, in my opinion) is that it doesn't allow "everyone to decide at which point they will draw the line." You've drawn the line for them based on what YOU think is rational and acceptable. I'm completely baffled that you don't see this.

 

[The Chairman]

But now there are two good choices and I can only pick one!

Life is full of choices, my friend.

there was an article posted this week that said shark attacks are down overall but up in Florida.

We're number one in Basketball right now as well as Gator attacks!

We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!We're number ONE!

Go UF!
​

 

[ajduplessis]

....there is nowhere in the world that sees weekly fatal shark attacks.

Not true. Sharks around here "attack" fish on a daily basis

This thread is beyond pathetic IMO

 

[The Chairman]

When man tries to kiss a shark!



Now, this is actually listed as a "shark attack" but nothing could be further from the truth. This happened by the City of Washington here in Key Largo. File this under the "I bet he don't do this again!" department. Talk about a hickey!

 

[Tigerman]

...
there is nowhere in the world that sees weekly fatal shark attacks.

For an extended period of time, probably not.
In Sharm El Sheikh there was one or more (some claim only one, called Matilda) oceanic whitetip that attacked 5 people in a week, killing one and seriously injured 4 others. They where all reefwalkers and not scuba divers though...

Oh yeah, and the egyptian minister of tourism claimed it was specially trained israeli sharks, sent to ruin the egyptian tourism of course...

---------- Post added February 20th, 2014 at 06:36 PM ----------

...
Now, this is actually listed as a "shark attack" but nothing could be further from the truth. This happened by the City of Washington here in Key Largo. File this under the "I bet he don't do this again!" department. Talk about a hickey!

Is it mean to laugh?