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Snorkeler Killed by Sharks in the Bahamas
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a couple small ops were doing on the sly, because CIWA and gov were very against.
Not to stir the pot or create angry responses.
As a neutral party and someone that has done many dives ( non feeding) with sharks, I was surprised how aggressive and vicious the attacks were in the Cocos Island incident and in the Bahamas Incident. Both were on women, both were Tiger Sharks and both victims seem to have been targeted. There were other people in the water in the Bahamas incident but the shark went after the young girl and in the Cocos incident ( from what I have read) the shark kept coming after the victim even with the divemaster trying to push the shark off ( he also was bitten once...I believe). Not going after the menstrual, premenstrual, hormone thing.......but were there any similarities? Are experts looking at this?One was snorkeling and the other one diving ( I think I read at safety stop) so hard today it was surface activity.
I have lived, fished and suba dived in Florida and the Bahamas my whole life. I can say with confidence that at least in the Ábacos, over the years, there has been a change in shark behavior. Maybe 25 yrs back you could spear a fish and occasionally a shark would cruise in the distance. Now you get in the water with your spear and the sharks show up and follow you around. If you spear a fish they frequently will come and try to get it. Several bites have occurred in the last few years on people bringing their catch to the boat.
As a neutral party and someone that has done many dives ( non feeding) with sharks, I was surprised how aggressive and vicious the attacks were in the Cocos Island incident and in the Bahamas Incident. Both were on women, both were Tiger Sharks and both victims seem to have been targeted. There were other people in the water in the Bahamas incident but the shark went after the young girl and in the Cocos incident ( from what I have read) the shark kept coming after the victim even with the divemaster trying to push the shark off ( he also was bitten once...I believe). Not going after the menstrual, premenstrual, hormone thing.......but were there any similarities? Are experts looking at this?One was snorkeling and the other one diving ( I think I read at safety stop) so hard today it was surface activity.
I have lived, fished and suba dived in Florida and the Bahamas my whole life. I can say with confidence that at least in the Ábacos, over the years, there has been a change in shark behavior. Maybe 25 yrs back you could spear a fish and occasionally a shark would cruise in the distance. Now you get in the water with your spear and the sharks show up and follow you around. If you spear a fish they frequently will come and try to get it. Several bites have occurred in the last few years on people bringing their catch to the boat.
FullThrottle
Contributor
I'll be very interested if more authoritative information comes out that there actually were THREE tiger sharks involved in the attack, as opposed to a more likely single tiger and other more common sharks having simply been sighted in the area. Clearly this is an unusual incident; for one thing tigers are not that common.
As for the likelihood of shark feeding operations having anything to do with increased probability of sharks approaching people common sense would imply that it's true. Why is it that feeding wild alligators and bears is a bad idea but feeding sharks is OK? The Sharm al Sheikh attacks are believed to have been likely caused by shark feeding.
Illegal feeding thought to be among reasons for Egypt's shark attack
And feeding of tigers at Tiger Beach is definitely taking place, although it's a bit removed from Rose Island.
It isn't impossible that shark feeding, including tigers, is taking place near Rose Island. And certainly shark feeding is taking place in nearby Nassau, although I've never heard of tigers showing up there.
As for the relationship between shark population and shark attacks, that's been well established and is the very reason they use shark nets in Australia, and they have been very effective.
Shark net - Wikipedia
As for the likelihood of shark feeding operations having anything to do with increased probability of sharks approaching people common sense would imply that it's true. Why is it that feeding wild alligators and bears is a bad idea but feeding sharks is OK? The Sharm al Sheikh attacks are believed to have been likely caused by shark feeding.
Illegal feeding thought to be among reasons for Egypt's shark attack
And feeding of tigers at Tiger Beach is definitely taking place, although it's a bit removed from Rose Island.
It isn't impossible that shark feeding, including tigers, is taking place near Rose Island. And certainly shark feeding is taking place in nearby Nassau, although I've never heard of tigers showing up there.
As for the relationship between shark population and shark attacks, that's been well established and is the very reason they use shark nets in Australia, and they have been very effective.
Shark net - Wikipedia
tarponchik
Contributor
The media reports I've seen since Friday says that it's now believed to be a single tiger, which is also what the Bahamian government is saying according the the reports. They've even shown a video of the shark believed to be responsible for the attack. I think that video is included in the link I posted above IIRC.
Let me say I'm sincerely sorry for the young lady and her family - it is a tragedy.
I posted the research paper. It referenced studies that sharks are intelligent animals and I'd agree that its reasonable to assume that feeding will change their behaviour. BUT there is NO evidence that I can find (and apparently anyone else) that outside of the feeding situation the sharks are more likely to attack.
I come from Australia and we have netted our beaches for many decades, How effective they are is debatable but they do reassure beach goers ( the net is short compared to the beach). In the 1960's in Australia we blamed Grey Nurse sharks for attacks and they were hunted to near extinction. We now know that they could not have been responsible.
I'm keen to understand if there is a way to prevent shark attacks such as this. From what I've read in these posts we seem to be no closer in understanding how to do this...
Griffo
Contributor
FullThrottle
Contributor
Lack of conclusive indisputable evidence that shark feeding causes attacks doesn't mean shark feeding is a good idea, or even justifiable.
And shark nets apparently work quite well by simply thinning the population of large sharks.
"In the years from 1900 to 1937, 13 people were killed off New South Wales surf beaches by sharks; over the next 72 years, the death rate fell to eight, only one of which was at a meshed beach. This in a period when the New South Wales human population rose from 1.4 million to seven million — and when more people began going to the beach."
Shark net - Wikipedia
And shark nets apparently work quite well by simply thinning the population of large sharks.
"In the years from 1900 to 1937, 13 people were killed off New South Wales surf beaches by sharks; over the next 72 years, the death rate fell to eight, only one of which was at a meshed beach. This in a period when the New South Wales human population rose from 1.4 million to seven million — and when more people began going to the beach."
Shark net - Wikipedia
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