Shark kills Diver

[2Tours N Iraq`]

Unfortunately there is more bad press for sharks. This evening at 9:30 I noticed this was the headlining article for Yahoo.com: Shark Attacks on the Rise

I'm sorry for the sharks, I think the title should read "Sharks Are Not To Blame."


*Update* the accompanying video by ABC is terribly inaccurate. It attempts to link the annual shark migration off Boynton Beach, FL with the attack that is being discussed in this thread. Shame on ABC for allowing such gross negligence in reporting to be broadcast.

 

[Carribeandiver]

...BTW, the man who died from the shark attack was a lawyer...

A shark bit a lawyer? What ever happened to professional courtesy?

 

[Cudabait]

1. This is very unfortunate.

2.I have been an opponent too fish feeding for years.......it teaches them to associate food with humans.

3. As far as sueing (I used to own a company that was heavily involved in the conduct of international investigations) the vessel was operating on open seas (probably Bahamian waters), the vessel is probably a US registerd boat, a US licensed Captain, a lawyer passenger/diver who had probably signed a liability release, and THEN, unless someone pushed him into the water, entered the water on his own determination while sharks were activily frenzie feeding.

4. A nightmare to litigate.

5. Again, truly unfortunate situation. My heartfelt condolences to the loved ones left behind.

Regards,

 

[aquatiker]

Friends there´s a recent compiled information throuhg several news agencies here, as well as an instructive video to pass the message through, although being made by an amateur.

 

[triptrop]

Wow, that's too bad about the diver, but like everyone has mentioned there should have been some extra thinking and precautions that took place.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

3) Sharks IN GENERAL are not "man-eaters", particularly warm-water sharks in the gulf of mexico and caribean, even large sharks like tigers. Big mammals aren't part of their normal diet and barring a behavioral change influenced by chumming, they do not associate big mammals (US) as food, but as potential predators. Their immediate response to a diver is avoidance, except in special places, like the Flower Gardens, where other behaviors take precedence (halocline/thermocline gatherings in hammerheads and mating "requiems" in silkies. "Shark attacks" in the gulf/caribean are, by in large , dueto low-viz or "excitement" hits while these animals are feeding on other things, like baitfish or BAIT. Once they bite, however, their instinct to tear away a chunk no matter what it is, even if it's a chunk of someone's calf. That's why so many hits on swimmers along the Florida coast are "hit and runs". This does not hold true, however, in areas where big mammals are part of the diet, i.e., Hawaii, the West Coasts (US and Australia), etc.

Why would you say this does not hold true in Hawaii, etc? There are no known incidences of sharks feeding on living humans in Hawaii. Surfers, snorkelers and swimmers have been a mistaken or exploratory bite, occasionally causing death, but the only human consumption I'm aware of was people who were already dead (drowned). After tasting and realizing what they have bitten, sharks leave here just as you describe in Florida. Except for rare cases, I believe the same holds true even for Great White waters.

 

[peterbj7]

That's largely true, but when I was living in Cape Town in the '70s there were regular (weekly) instances of people being taken from Muizenberg beach, where the sand slopes very gently into the sea so there's a large expanse of shallow water. People were taken when they were waist deep or shallower, standing on the bottom. I never heard of any of those bodies being recovered, so it seems that they were eaten. I don't know what species of shark that was, but I'm pretty sure they weren't whites.

Further east, on the Protea Banks off Natal, I know people who've had close encounters with full grown whites when they (the people that is) have been diving. Never heard of any attacks there. Perhaps a local can post an update, because I haven't dived there in years.

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

While it's sad he died, how can anyone sue when he made the decision to get in the water that day knowing the possible risks. I've only been diving with sharks twice but you don't get in the water without being aware of the possibilities that could occur let alone the increased risk with food or blood in the water. I did a shark dive in an aquarium tank with Sand Tigers, Brown and Zebra sharks and a shark dive in Roatan with mostly Caribbean reef sharks (they did not chum on that dive but they place a fish bucket on the bottom which they open mid-way through). I understand the point about it not being a natural environment AND I've also heard that it can potentially affect the lifespan of the sharks that are continually fed like in Roatan/Bahamas, etc..

I also see the other side to the story (which was discussed on CNN after this guy died) in regards to people becoming more educated about sharks and more respectful of them. Most non-divers think they are just scary and could care less if they were killed. I used to think that way until I became a diver, after getting to see them up close like that and after watching the SharkWater documentary I have completly different perspective for them and I'm worried about their demise now. I look at it like either way, there are good and bad outcomes for sharks (Either people are afraid and don't care if they are killed in masses or people realize how vital they are and you have some unnatural feeding/diving situations). Regardless, if you get in the water with a shark anything can happen and it's up to the individual to take that risk/responsibility.

 

[Splitlip]

5) I take issue with the "shark" killing the diver. I've yet to read the examiner's report (is it out?), but would not be surprised to learn that his calf wound was survivable and that the cause of death was an embolism from a panic ascent.

Doctors: Diver Attacked By Shark Bled To Death - News - MSNBC.com

 

[highdesert]

The unfortunate and tragic result in this case is no different than the rogue circus elephant that runs amok, or a tiger mauling its handler in Las Vegas. They're bombs just waiting to be triggered. I don't attend those events, just as I've never seen a staged shark feeding, and plan on never doing so.