This is why cage diving with sharks is bad!

[LIVES4SHARKS]

When you dive with sharks in chummed waters you know and understand that risk. Anything can happen, and it is up to each diver to educate themselves in order to react in accordance to that animal's behavior. Each of us knows we take a risk and each of us will face the consequences of that risk. The wealth of information I gathered on my last shark dive was used by the agencies that are fighting for their conservation. For me it's more than just a "shark rodeo"...it is an opportunity to study and learn more about these amazing creatures. I am lucky to have had such experiences so far in my short diving career.

Carolyn:shark2:

 

[DAVID ENGINE]

When you dive with sharks in chummed waters you know and understand that risk. Anything can happen, and it is up to each diver to educate themselves in order to react in accordance to that animal's behavior. Each of us knows we take a risk and each of us will face the consequences of that risk. The wealth of information I gathered on my last shark dive was used by the agencies that are fighting for their conservation. For me it's more than just a "shark rodeo"...it is an opportunity to study and learn more about these amazing creatures. I am lucky to have had such experiences so far in my short diving career.

Carolyn:shark2:

I agree to an extent but I do feel the best research on sharks is undertaken in natural conditions without the use of chum. The Shark feeds only really highlight the behaviour exhibited in the "pecking order" and how they respond to an unnatural array of stimuli. However, those of us who have studied and dived with sharks for any great length of time have long accepted that you don't find sharks...they find you, hence bait is often required.

Carolyn, great to see another pro-shark diver

 

[pterantula]

Thanks for all of your posts! I have to say that I have absolutely no vested interest in selling books, I already have a very good job. The book "Devil's Teeth" gives the reader an entirely different perspective on these magnificent animals, and how cage diving (in particular, chumming) screws up a lot of things. As for the non-cage dives, it is a matter of common sense and classic conditioning. Chum the water, then throw in divers. Hmmm... divers = food! It is amazing that more accidents don't happen. But I wonder how many near-misses there are that do not get reported?

It's funny, I dive all the time, and non-dives often ask if I am afraid of sharks. Or, what is the scariest thing I have ever seen under the water? The answer is, another diver!

See you at the clean-up, Dr. Bill.
Island Ecology

heather

I've been out to TB with Jim, and will continue to go for as long as I can afford to make the trip - Jim and his crew are fantastic, and few people know more about the behavior of the local animals.
I dive with sharks whenever and wherever I can; swimming among sharks no more makes you food than it does every other creature in the water - we're just crappier swimmers. Know how to behave around them, and know when the dive is over - which comes from diving with reputable professionals. Just do your research (and in Jim's case, you'll see that almost all of his detractors are his COMPETITORS in the region.)

CDNN is well-known for their anti-shark garbage, and nothing they report should be taken as stated.

 

[jefffalcone]

Only data I've ever seen suggests that baiting sharks has very little effect on their behavior. I wish I had the link, but I read the study a long time ago. In the study great white were tagged. It was observed that over time sharks stopped comming to the shark boats. This is exactly the opposite of the common belief that baiting sharks makes them associate the boats with food and leads to more shark attacks as well as making the sharks more vulnerable to fishermen.

Also contradicts the article posted by them op, which doesn't provide any references.

 

[ScubaSteve]

CDNN is well-known for their garbage

Fixed that for ya

 

[Green_Manelishi]

Here is one video....

YouTube - Shark busts through shark cage

Maybe sharks prefer fresh, or canned, food to rotting bits of meat floating around in a blood slick?
IMNSHO, baiting for sharks makes as much sense as jumping into the polar bear pond for a swim, or the primate enclosure because you think you spotted a relative.

 

[spoolin01]

Here's a study of white sharks in South Africa. You can judge the quality and objectivity of the work for yourselves. The authors conclude that some positive conditioning was shown. Other data they gathered failed to show any positive conditioning impact, and may have shown negative conditioning, in their interpretation.

http://www.sampla.org/downloads/16.pdf

 

[jefffalcone]

Here's a study of white sharks in South Africa. You can judge the quality and objectivity of the work for yourselves. The authors conclude that some positive conditioning was shown. Other data they gathered failed to show any positive conditioning impact, and may have shown negative conditioning, in their interpretation.

http://www.sampla.org/downloads/16.pdf

Thanks. This is the study I was talking about. I forgot about the 4 sharks that seemed to display positive conditioning. If you reread the study, the vast majority of the data was in the possible negative conditioning catagory.

As far as I know this is the best available data, and I think it is a pretty good start. What I really get from it is that these sharks are pretty smart and they are learning. But human arrogance dictates that animals don't learn, instead they are only capable of conditioning. Either way, data clearly shows that the assumptions of the anti-cage diving lobby have no basis and much more data needs to be collected before we really know how the sharks are affected.

The anti-cage diving lobby seems to be using observed behavior of bears to justify their claims about sharks.

Just to be clear, I am not a fan of cage diving, but I am a fan of science and I hate it when people make **** up and pretend it is fact.

Thanks again for finding the study.

 

[MikeSK]

So what exactly is the problem with Abernathy??? Was that point ever made?

Both Abernathy and Isla Guadalupe are in my top five destinations to do in the next couple years. I've heard/read only GOOD things about both locations

Obviously, some conditioning happens. And its probably NOT a good thing. But overall..doubt its that much. I would prefer non-cage myself, but not the first time. At least not with Whites.

 

[spoolin01]

Thanks. This is the study I was talking about. I forgot about the 4 sharks that seemed to display positive conditioning. If you reread the study, the vast majority of the data was in the possible negative conditioning catagory.

As far as I know this is the best available data, and I think it is a pretty good start. What I really get from it is that these sharks are pretty smart and they are learning. But human arrogance dictates that animals don't learn, instead they are only capable of conditioning. Either way, data clearly shows that the assumptions of the anti-cage diving lobby have no basis and much more data needs to be collected before we really know how the sharks are affected.

The anti-cage diving lobby seems to be using observed behavior of bears to justify their claims about sharks.

Just to be clear, I am not a fan of cage diving, but I am a fan of science and I hate it when people make **** up and pretend it is fact.

Thanks again for finding the study.

I thought it was an interesting few datapoints of possible (or not) relation to the question of shark feeding consequences. Much of it read like an opinion piece I thought - 'what I would think/do if I were a shark'.