Hawaii woman hitches ride on Great White shark

[drbill]

I never thought looking like a seal and swimming with great whites was a good idea.

Wow... if you think she looks like a seal, I may have to spend more time diving around our sea lion hauling grounds.

 

[AfterDark]

A publicity stunt that is best ignored. Shark probably thought she was a oversized remora. It must be human nature to molest, fondle and harass animals trying to exist. They aren't our friends and most probably don't even like us. I guess the phrase look but don't touch doesn't apply to some people. Cheers

This look but don't touch stuff is overdone. They touche ach other by biting, ramming and who knows what else. If what she is doing is trying to do is show people that GW's aren't the monsters that people think they are,then good for her. Touching a GW is a lot better than hooking, landing and killing one becaause someone thinks they are killing a monster. She thinks it requires touching to get it done fine, she is a pro,been doing this stuff since she was 14 years old. I use all my senses when I dive and touch is one of them. That's why in the summer I use fingertipless sailing gloves so I can have bare fingtips when I touch something and really feel it.

 

[chillyinCanada]

All I've got to say is: Timothy Treadwell "Grizzly Man"

 

[vincent54]

Actually the look but no touch rule is for the benefit of the human and the animals. Corals of course are damaged,sponges and jellies are destroyed, fish get stressed, etc. I've even seen a diver grab a Porcupine fish to try to get it to blow up, probably no harm, but the stress to the animal must be high. From the human point, certain cuttlefish and octopus, sea kraits, fish,corals and worms possess venoms/poisons/irritants that common sense says to leave alone. No need for molesting, gloves aren't even allowed in most marine preserves. Treat our Oceans like the National Parks, enjoy the visit and leave without damage. Let our future divers have something to enjoy.

There is already an awareness among informed people that Sharks are beneficial. The ones that don't care will not give a crap that a White
Shark can be ridden. The fishing industry ,worldwide, has to change it's old school attitude and start to manage the fisheries with more responsibility. It will be a long road but not impossible. I still like the idea of keeping some Ocean areas totally free of diving or fishing, sanctuaries that are human free. Cheers

 

[TONY CHANEY]

Seems to me that she was promoting the GoPro more than shark conservation.

 

[CT-Rich]

Actually the look but no touch rule is for the benefit of the human and the animals. Corals of course are damaged,sponges and jellies are destroyed, fish get stressed, etc. I've even seen a diver grab a Porcupine fish to try to get it to blow up, probably no harm, but the stress to the animal must be high. From the human point, certain cuttlefish and octopus, sea kraits, fish,corals and worms possess venoms/poisons/irritants that common sense says to leave alone. No need for molesting, gloves aren't even allowed in most marine preserves. Treat our Oceans like the National Parks, enjoy the visit and leave without damage. Let our future divers have something to enjoy.

There is already an awareness among informed people that Sharks are beneficial. The ones that don't care will not give a crap that a White
Shark can be ridden. The fishing industry ,worldwide, has to change it's old school attitude and start to manage the fisheries with more responsibility. It will be a long road but not impossible. I still like the idea of keeping some Ocean areas totally free of diving or fishing, sanctuaries that are human free. Cheers

In fairness, the no touch rule needn't be applied as a blanket on every dive site. Afterdark and I dive in the NE US. many organisms are seasonal, we aren't diving in areas where cattle boats are unloading hundreds of divers a day. I would say we much of our diving is considerable less invasive than much of what we see occurring through spearfishing , boating, rod and real fishing and a bunch of other recreational activities.

Just the noise pollution created by surface boats and ships must wreak havoc on marine mammals for hundreds of miles, not to mention military testing. Also chemicals that wash into our waterways like birthcontrol medicine and antidepressants that we expel in urine find their way into the water, plus fertilizers, fuels of all types and lets not forget the synthetic chemicals from manufacturing. Those things cause much greater damage to the food chain (Starting at the very bottom and getting worse as it moves up) than some woman hitching a ride on a shark. That shark is loaded with 20 years of mercury and PCBs. You can see the girl, but really, is she the worst thing that humans have done to this animal?

If her riding a shark for a few seconds adds to peoples awareness of the human impact on the environment makes people think more about how we fit into the ecosystem with an amazing animal, then I think it is worth the trade off.

 

[AfterDark]

Seems to me that she was promoting the GoPro more than shark conservation.

Well, it seems to me she taking advantage of someone wanting to promote GOPro. But then I look for the good in people most times.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

And in a related story, sharks were spotted in the ocean around Hawaii today!!:shocked2:

Sharks spotted in Kaneohe Bay - NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News, Weather, Traffic & Sports

 

[vincent54]

At some point we will hit the critical point where pollution becomes an irreversible problem, we may have already reached it. By the same token, the selfish approach to do whatever you want in the Ocean creates a death by a thousand cuts scenario. I assume most divers are competent enough to not crash, crawl, grab or otherwise terrorize the area they dive. That includes the wreck divers who have pilfered the wrecks around the world for their personal gain. In Michigan, we had to protect the wrecks in the Great Lakes because the divers couldn't control themselves. The reason we created National Parks and Marine Preserves was in response to exploitation. Why not treat all areas like this?

Giving this girl who rode the shark any credit, reinforces the attitude that the Ocean exists only for our own personal use and enjoyment. It is hard to justify an act of ignorance and impossible to defend.

After diving the Keys in the 60's seeing all the abundant life, then having it disappear in the 70's, made me realize it is a limited resource. Seeing Looe Key in the 90's, and the way it has rebounded, is a good example on how real conservation can work. No stunts or youtube videos. Even with the multitudes of divers the area seems to be recovering. Just need to keep boats from crashing into it. Cheers

 

[AfterDark]

Seems she's a real terror!

oceanramsey - YouTube