Molest any wildlife lately?

[evensplit]

http://www.southernoffshoreadventures.com/whaleshark.htm

 

[jefffalcone]

What a moron. In belize this behavior will cost you $10,000.

 

[archman]

There will come a day when people will be smart enough not to document their inane actions and then post them to the internet... for all to witness.

I fear that such a day is not in the foreseeable future.

What was the dive charter staff doing this whole time, giving pointers? How exasperating.

*new edit*
From the pics:
1. At least seven snorkelers
2. In very close proximity to the animal
3. Noisily splashing about (possibly hooting and yelling as well)
4. Grabbing the animal
5. More than 1 snorkeler at a time grabbing the animal

 

[alcina]

What is the compulsion some have to touch every thing and creature they see? Drives me batty. I'm not surprised - seems no one has any respect for much of anything.

Pathetic, each and every one of them. There's no excuse.

 

[Mako Mark]

Hard to tell if this was molestation.

In my experience, whalesharks dont mind being touched, they are used to it being floating apartment blocks for suckerfish, what they dont like is being held onto by the fin as nothing else does that to them and it freaks them out.

If a whaleshark feels like it is being molested, it wont hang around very long, if they feel comfortable, they can be curious critters and keep coming back to hang around and check you out.

 

[RoyN]

If people don't like getting poked at by animals or even an insect small as an ant, I don't think an animal 4 times bigger then a human would like getting poked at. Every diver has a duty to protect and defend the ocean. Too bad PADI, NAUI, or SSI doesn't have rules against that otherwise, they should take the C-cards and rip it apart.

 

[underwasser bolt]

If anybody doesn't like an ant, spider, or any creature crawling on their skin, then they got no business touching animals like that. All divers are supposed to be underwater naturalist because after all, we're diving in their world, not ours. Too bad PADI, NAUI, or SSI doesn't have rules against that otherwise, they should take the C-cards and rip it apart.

Their world, not ours??? Which planet do you come from? I generally dont mind creatures crawling on me, unless they hurt me. If I find a spider on my arm, I find him a new home. So by your logic, I am good to go to touch whatever??? I got bit on the ear last weekend by a fish. when it came back for a closer look, I swatted it away. My ear hurt like hell, the fish lived, and if it had not, I could have always had a nice dinner. Too much of anything is a negative, including too green. The People's Republic of California needs to get a grip.

 

[alcina]

Too bad PADI, NAUI, or SSI doesn't have rules against that otherwise, they should take the C-cards and rip it apart.

This has little to do with agency - there are no agency police out there and monitoring divers is not what they are for. These are training agencies. Once you've trained it's up to you to behave responsibly.

Not to mention that these were snorkellers, not divers

 

[Missdirected]

Can anyone make out what is in the upper left corner of this particular pic?

http://www.southernoffshoreadventures.com/images/070107 Whale Shark 107.jpg

 

[archman]

Can anyone make out what is in the upper left corner of this particular pic?

http://www.southernoffshoreadventures.com/images/070107 Whale Shark 107.jpg

That's another snorkeler's shoulder.

Check out the big knife on the center snorkeler's leg. I guess he needs that to cut his way out of the whale shark's stomach if it inhales him.