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ScubaSteve85
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Where's the fun in that though???
Using a camera on Stuart Cove's Shark Dive
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Hoag
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There is another option that might be worth considering.
During the shark feeding dive, they will want you over-weighted by quite a bit. This is to ensure that when you hit the bottom of the Shark Arena you stay put. You will basically just sit there for the dive and while it might be interesting to watch, it may or may not be worth the extra cost for a dive where you just sit there.
Not to far from the Shark Arena, though is a dive site known as Bahama Mama/Ray of Hope. Every time I have been on the Ray of Hope, there have been numerous Caribbean Reef Sharks at the site. Sometimes there have been 20+ sharks there. It is a dive site that they go to on a fairly regular basis and it should not be too hard to arrange for that to be one of the sites that you dive. You will see the sharks in a natural setting (not being fed) and there will be numerous photo ops with the sharks in the foreground and the wreck in the background.
I have done the shark feeding dive, and I have done the Ray of Hope. Given the choice, I actually prefer the Ray of Hope. There is no extra cost for it, there are just as many sharks as on the Shark Feeding dive and the interactions are much more natural.
Just a thought and another option to consider.
During the shark feeding dive, they will want you over-weighted by quite a bit. This is to ensure that when you hit the bottom of the Shark Arena you stay put. You will basically just sit there for the dive and while it might be interesting to watch, it may or may not be worth the extra cost for a dive where you just sit there.
Not to far from the Shark Arena, though is a dive site known as Bahama Mama/Ray of Hope. Every time I have been on the Ray of Hope, there have been numerous Caribbean Reef Sharks at the site. Sometimes there have been 20+ sharks there. It is a dive site that they go to on a fairly regular basis and it should not be too hard to arrange for that to be one of the sites that you dive. You will see the sharks in a natural setting (not being fed) and there will be numerous photo ops with the sharks in the foreground and the wreck in the background.
I have done the shark feeding dive, and I have done the Ray of Hope. Given the choice, I actually prefer the Ray of Hope. There is no extra cost for it, there are just as many sharks as on the Shark Feeding dive and the interactions are much more natural.
Just a thought and another option to consider.
Did the shark dive a few years ago with my HD video rig. No problems then
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ScubaSteve85
Contributor
OP
ScubaSteve85
Contributor
Don't get me wrong... the discussion is great! I did the dive a couple of times and I really liked it. I think that shark dives get kind of a bad rap. I do understand the concern about conditioning them to associate humans with food, but I also think - if done properly - they can make people actually care about sharks and conservation.
OP
ScubaSteve85
Contributor
I have the same moral reservations about it! On one hand I think it's great for people to spend time around sharks and share their positive experiences, plus it looks awesome and I want to do it! On the other hand, I can't help but think that conditioning sharks to associate divers with food is probably a bad idea. I do a lot of hiking in bear country and the one thing the rangers will always tell you, is to do everything in your power to prevent the bears from associating humans and food.
I have my own thoughts on this shark feeding, though I am no expert on sharks, or any part of this sport.
I have not dived Stuart Cove, but I have done the hammerhead dives off of Bimini with Neil Watson, and it was a spectacular experience, BUT I really have to question the entire concept of teaching predators to see us as any part of the food chain.
I have this same issue with the ongoing trend of trying to "teach" predators to eat invasive Lionfish, by spearing the pests, and then feeding injured or dead Lionfish to predators, hoping that they will begin to see Lionfish as a natural food source they can hunt.
From Cozumel to FL I have been seeing very aggressive Sharks, Morrey Eels, and even Triggerfish, that will demand or even grab your catch whether or not you are trying to give it to them.
My friends in both areas say that this problem has been on a sharp upward spike for several years now.
My observation is that even when we have been diving near sharks, except for certain obviously dangerous situations, we have traditionally been safe because humans have NOT been seen as any part of the food chain.
I fear that we are in the process of changing this dynamic. By feeding sharks, to bring them close, by feeding Lionfish to predators on the reef, we are teaching some very dangerous creatures that mankind is now a part of their food chain, and that may have a serious downside.
I truly do not want something that outweighs me, can exponentially outswim me, and is far better adapted to seeing and hunting in the underwater environment, to view me as somehow associated with his dinner.
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Anthony A.
Contributor
Couldnt agree more. But to be honest, I think we will decimate the shark population much sooner than they will adapt.
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