CT-Rich
Contributor
Foxfish, you say you are trying to gauge diver's ability to assess risk? well you seem to be expecting that we all agree that swimming with sharks is a high risk endeavor. Dude, got news for you: we don't. Yes in Western Australia there have been a few shark related deaths, but you failing to connect the dots on this.
A) Divers aren't the ones dying, most great white deaths occur to surfers, who, when viewed from below, appear to have the profile of the White's primary food, seal and sea lion. Whites attack from below, take a bite and let the seal bleed out and then finish them off once they are dead from blood loss.
B) Sharks are seldom finishing their meals. I have never heard of a shark leaving half a seal laying around, but I most shark attack victims are recovered intact (although not necessarily alive). That would indicate that once they have bitten into the Surfer/surf board combo, they realize they are biting into the wrong food and leave it at that.
C) Most of the divers here do not live in Western Australia. Being a yank, I seldom have the opportunity to see a big shark amble by in a random encounter, so I might not look at the likelihood of being killed as being very high. If you don't want my opinion, don't ask for it. If you think I am being stupid with my life, not crapping my suit at the very thought of a great white, again think it to yourself, don't bitch about it to me (I am an idiot, remember?)
D) I obviously know nothing about the subject because, hey, I grew up on the water, have a degree in Zoology, spent 12 years as a science educator and have been a certified SCUBA diver for over 30 years, my opinion pales like the new moon next to your enlightened brilliance...
Do I want to die diving? Not really, but you are assuming that the base standard for risk assessment is that diving with sharks is inherently dangerous. Would I sh*t a brick if a Great white swam at me out of the blue? Most likely, but on reflection, that is my problem, not the sharks. A shark has infinitely better senses than I do underwater. He can sense the magnetic fields created by my metal dive gear. He can taste the urea in my perspiration and the hundred chemicals leaching off my body and out of gear as he goes by. he can see me through eyes that are more sensitive than my with a much larger range of view. He can swim 10x faster and I pose virtually no threat to him underwater.
Could he kill me? Absolutely. But, is he LIKELY to kill me?
No
I most likely am not going to be perceived as a prey item, but I might warrant an investigation.
Lastly, in one or two posts, you intimated that you are some sort of government type that has some sort of responsibility for the response to shark attacks ( I seriously doubt this, otherwise your overtly biased and leading poll would be better constructed). I think in that case it just goes to show that the USA doesn't have a complete monopoly of ignorant politicians. My guess is you are just a troll (spelt with a small "t")
PS: The animal that really does scare the Sh*t out of me is the box jellyfish.
A) Divers aren't the ones dying, most great white deaths occur to surfers, who, when viewed from below, appear to have the profile of the White's primary food, seal and sea lion. Whites attack from below, take a bite and let the seal bleed out and then finish them off once they are dead from blood loss.
B) Sharks are seldom finishing their meals. I have never heard of a shark leaving half a seal laying around, but I most shark attack victims are recovered intact (although not necessarily alive). That would indicate that once they have bitten into the Surfer/surf board combo, they realize they are biting into the wrong food and leave it at that.
C) Most of the divers here do not live in Western Australia. Being a yank, I seldom have the opportunity to see a big shark amble by in a random encounter, so I might not look at the likelihood of being killed as being very high. If you don't want my opinion, don't ask for it. If you think I am being stupid with my life, not crapping my suit at the very thought of a great white, again think it to yourself, don't bitch about it to me (I am an idiot, remember?)
D) I obviously know nothing about the subject because, hey, I grew up on the water, have a degree in Zoology, spent 12 years as a science educator and have been a certified SCUBA diver for over 30 years, my opinion pales like the new moon next to your enlightened brilliance...
Do I want to die diving? Not really, but you are assuming that the base standard for risk assessment is that diving with sharks is inherently dangerous. Would I sh*t a brick if a Great white swam at me out of the blue? Most likely, but on reflection, that is my problem, not the sharks. A shark has infinitely better senses than I do underwater. He can sense the magnetic fields created by my metal dive gear. He can taste the urea in my perspiration and the hundred chemicals leaching off my body and out of gear as he goes by. he can see me through eyes that are more sensitive than my with a much larger range of view. He can swim 10x faster and I pose virtually no threat to him underwater.
Could he kill me? Absolutely. But, is he LIKELY to kill me?
No
I most likely am not going to be perceived as a prey item, but I might warrant an investigation.
Lastly, in one or two posts, you intimated that you are some sort of government type that has some sort of responsibility for the response to shark attacks ( I seriously doubt this, otherwise your overtly biased and leading poll would be better constructed). I think in that case it just goes to show that the USA doesn't have a complete monopoly of ignorant politicians. My guess is you are just a troll (spelt with a small "t")
PS: The animal that really does scare the Sh*t out of me is the box jellyfish.
