Shark Attack - Fact

[Walter]

I personally feel diving with sharks and putting food in the water is nothing short of pathetically stupid ....................................Attacks are usually broken down by two status's; provoked and unprovoked.

If attacked while on a shark feeding dive, it's listed as provoked.

 

[bsee65]

No matter your opinion on the question, this certainly is neither an accident nor a near miss. Shouldn't this be on the basic questions or considering diving boards? Anywhere but here...

 

[vladimir]

No matter your opinion on the question, this certainly is neither an accident nor a near miss. Shouldn't this be on the basic questions or considering diving boards? Anywhere but here...

This is a direct offshoot of the discussion about the French diver who was killed by an oceanic white tip in the Red Sea. This is the appropriate forum, in my opinion.

 

[H2Andy]

this certainly is neither an accident nor a near miss.

ahem


the name of the forum is Accidents and Incidents

and i think getting chewed on by a shark constitutes both

 

[stevejaz]

This thread and some of the conversation reminded me of this picture I took in the Bahamas (Exuma) this last November. I don't even think anyone new this guy was learking below. I believe it's a black tipped reef shark, somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[vladimir]

Don't confuse a blacktip shark with a blacktip reef shark--they are distinct species. I think the shark in your picture is Carcharhinus limbatus, the blacktip shark, and it is certainly not C. melanopterus, the blacktip reef shark indigenous to the Indo-Pacific. C. limbatus is a relatively more dangerous shark.

 

[Bjtros]

Sharks are very cautious animinals unless food is envolved. When you introduce food int their enviroment they become very aggressive. I have been on two controlled shark dives and recently dove with over 50 sharks at Rocko Partido in the Socorro islands Mexico, White tip reef sharks, silky sharks, and hammerheads. When totally surounded by sharks only one young silky shark was interested enough to swim into our group and make a quick inspection and quickly swam away. We must be very scary looking to them. In the Bahamas the sharks are not afraid of us and will swim along side you or into your group to see what available. The are used to being fed and are literally looing for hand out. Also anytime you are kicking up sand on the bottom they will come to check it out. The most frequent shark seen while diving is the nurse shark. They are very timid. Do not touch even the smallest shark, they may feel threatened and bite. I for one am not afraid of sharks but still respect their power and unperdictable nature especially when food is in their evirorment. If you are interested take the PADI shark diver speciality course or visit Sturts cove and do the shark dive. Both will dispell the fears that the movie industry coungered up to sell movies. Also check out discovery channel during shark week. They have excellent documentries.

 

[bsee65]

This is a direct offshoot of the discussion about the French diver who was killed by an oceanic white tip in the Red Sea. This is the appropriate forum, in my opinion.

Not to get into a big deal about this, but if I asked you what sort of fins she was wearing when she was attacked, would the fin discussion that resulted belong here as well?

ahem


the name of the forum is Accidents and Incidents

and i think getting chewed on by a shark constitutes both

Yes, getting chewed on by a shark would be an accident/incident, but we're not talking about that. We're discussing whether it is reasonable to be afraid of shark attack and how one might minimize the risk. If the OP said that he ran into a shark and panicked, but got away untouched, you might have a case for near misses.

I'll leave it at that, I'm sure you guys know best. It's really not important.

 

[InTheDrink]

Sharks are very cautious animinals unless food is envolved.

Whilst I'd agree with a lot of what you said, I think generalising too much about shark behaviour is probably a bit silly. I can assure you that Oceanic White Tips are anything but cautious. They cruise right up to you to see whether you're dinner or not. Mostly they seem to think not, but it would seem not always. Hammerheads tend to be shy, but again, can be surprisingly curious. Grey reef sharks are autistic, or certainly appear so, and basically couldn't give a flying ****** about you. You appear totally irrelevant to them and you might as well not exist. This can bve quite bruising for the sensitive diver ego

So different shark species have different general behaviours. Inside the species different individuals can have very different personalities, some curious, some less so.

So I wouldn't make very broad statements about their behaviour, personally. I am absolutely no expert, but even in my limited exposure to them underwater they all act differently and some may well get aggressive without any food in the water. Unless of course you consider yourself the food, in which case I might agree

J

 

[george w]

Hi If you look at the picture I have here you can see the sharks around us. (that is my wife and I) They were less interested in us than we were. I have the same concerns about sharks went I first started. By learning about sharks you will feel ok with them. It seems to me when underwater for the most part everything seems to me that all the fish just do there own thing. People can learn alot from fish. Sharks to me a very cool creatures and I wish more people would learn about them so they wont be as hatered by so many people.