How many fatal shark attacks to stop you diving

[MMM]

I wonder how how one would know if they were "man-eaters" or maybe just some old vegan "white pointer" that has foresworn eating men as a lifestyle choice?:blinking:

Do they have little tags or have some secret handshake? Or do they attend MA meetings (Man-eaters Annonymous) where they admit to their habit and try really really hard until someone throws temptation in their way by dumping chum into the water with those men?

I am pretty sure that while capable of doing so, other individuals in the wildlife kingdom don't get this label affixed to him/her until that individual has actually eaten a man, woman or child. In other words, this sounds like hyperbole.

Would you jump in with scuba gear and no shark protection (ie. outside the cage) behind a boat with cage divers with a number of big, hungry, man-eating white pointers milling around?

 

[Foxfish]

No, I would not jump in behind a boat of cage divers. However, this does not prove your point. This violates your original assumptions of no shark feeding occurring. The water has been chummed for the cage divers and the sharks are coming hungry and looking for food. This is not typical shark behavior. I do not want to do a cage dive, but I'd love to run into a great white in the ocean that just happened to be there and was not drawn there by the scent of food. The equation has changed completely once you start tossing large amounts of blood and food overboard for the sharks.

Yet if we believe those who claim they don't care how high they risks were they'd dive regardless. Will be interesting to hear Netdoc's response.

 

[scubastingray]

Yet if we believe those who claim they don't care how high they risks were they'd dive regardless. Will be interesting to hear Netdoc's response.

I don't think anyone's saying they don't care how high the risks are, I think we're in disagreement about those risks. Yes there are hot spots with low viz where great whites tend to feed, but barring that I don't think anyone assesses the risks as present or the slightest bit noteworthy.

 

[PSUSCUBA1313]

If someone did have an unfortunate shark encounter given your new set of rules (diving with no cage in chummed waters with great whites and cage divers around), I would not blame the shark for testing things in the water to see if they are in fact food. I would blame the person for setting up this scenario. You and I can use our hands to feel things to figure out what they are, sharks have their teeth.

 

[boulderjohn]

Maybe test out your 'scuba gear is an invincibility shield' theory next time you are out on a cage dive with white pointers. You'll be the one swimming outside the cage. Be careful if you try it with the white pointers in Western Australia. No one has them about your theory.

Then again, maybe better to just stick to your lakes John.

First of all, take a look around your office and see if there is anyone there who reads English. Have them go through the things I wrote and explain to you that I never said a single word related to "scuba gear is an invincibility shield." I said sharks have extremely little history of attacking divers, especially divers who are not engaged in some form of hunting and thus competing with them for food. It is apparently because we are down in the water with them rather than up on the surface where their normal food is. It has nothing to do with our gear. Shark attacks on divers are incredibly rare occurrences, which is why we don't fear them.

Yes, I live in Colorado, but I rarely dive there. If your profile is correct, I have at least 200 more ocean dives than you have total dives--check my profile and see where.

---------- Post added March 3rd, 2014 at 07:02 AM ----------

I wonder how how one would know if they were "man-eaters" or maybe just some old vegan "white pointer" that has foresworn eating men as a lifestyle choice?:blinking:

I wonder if there is any such thing as a "man-eating shark."

Yes, there are shark attacks on humans, and yes, we see some horrible pictures of the aftermath. But do we have any historical record of a man or woman actually being eaten? If they are man-eating sharks, why are they taking big bites and then going away? It would be like a human setting the table, putting the newly cooked food on it, and then leaving town.

 

[PSUSCUBA1313]

Here's a man eating shark...

 

[The Chairman]

Sharks, just wanna have fun:

High Finning a Shark!

​

Okay I'll get back to those comments Netdoc, but first you still haven't responded to my questions back at post #360.

Re-post them if you want me to answer them. I'm not going backwards in this thread for anyone. Like I said, I'm not really trying to convince you... just those reading this thread trying to make a cogent decision.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I am reminded of an incident in Lake Denton, Florida. It had been a long time habit for dive masters and instructors to feed turtles those little canned Vienna sausages and they had become fairly aggressive. While I had never fed a turtle, I knew of their aggressive nature and cautioned my students to never ever point at a turtle. One such student was quite surprised when he lost the tip of his finger when he didn't follow my directions. His mother was livid that I would endanger her son by exposing him to aggressive wildlife. I believe she even wanted to sue me and I thought that my career as an instructor was coming to an end. Then dad showed up. He asked his son if I did tell him not to point at turtles. He admitted that I had. He then asked his son why he still pointed. He answered that he simply didn't believe me. He slapped the son on the back of his head, said something like "That's just more proof that you can't be mine" and escorted the family away. I got an apology from the son, and he finished his training when his finger healed.

Reminds me of an incident between our own Peter Guy and an unnamed wolf eel. Day Island Wall is a very popular dive site for spotting wolf eels. While they generally possess the personality of a golden retriever, they're imposing creatures that can reach a length of about 9 feet. Because they often just sit in their dens and stare out at you, many divers have taken to feeding them ... and their food of choice to lure these creatures out are herring and squid, which they pick up at the local market and bring out in mesh bags. One day we were scootering along the wall when a large, and apparently hungry female took an interest in Peter's hand. Peter at the time was wearing white dry gloves ... and to a hungry wolf eel, white dry gloves looks like five squid. He spent a good part of the dive fending the wolfie off with his scooter. His dive buddies spent that same part of the dive highly amused. Someone who didn't understand the nature of wolfies probably would've been frightened. Thank goodness we don't have any Foxfish in our area, or someone might have started a campaign to remove this "threat" from our local waters ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[KevWind]

The purpose of the thread was get divers perceptions on the question raised in the OP. I've avoided trying to influence the thread one way or the other except an attempt to restore a degree of rationality to the discussion - with limited success.

Actually the truth is the original purpose of the thread was fairly transparent and has become increasingly so. Which was to use a push poll as a facade to once agin reenforce your attempt to justify "culling" but unfortunately it blew up in your face when the real issue was exposed with the introduction of the two added questions. Your continued references to "community taking steps" also clearly reveal your motives

• I don't care and believe that shark finning or culling is morally wrong. 75...........42.13%

• I find this poll disturbing and hopelessly flawed. 47...........26.40%

The poll only actually shows that 69% understood your (unstated true motivation) or the flawed nature in the way your questions were posed or both.

Your assertion that "if we believe those who claim they don't care how high they risks were they'd dive regardless", is of course a total contrivance.
Because that is not what the poll actually indicates . What it actually says is that 42% Don't care about number of fatalities they think finning and culling is morally wrong.

It says nothing about not caring about the risk, you artificially introduced that contrived conclusion. The fact that many have since said, at some point if the risk was sufficiently high, they would continue to dive but do so in a cage, instead of reenforcing your absurd conclusion of ignoring risk, actually explodes it.

What you apparently can't accept is, the poll clearly indicates is that........ most are against culling no mater what.
The rest of the discussion is either BS or secondary to that glowing reality.

 

[drbill]

The island I live on has reasonably frequent sightings of great whites. In addition I have seen the bloated carcasses of sea lions that have been hit by a great white or large mako floating in the ocean offshore. Do these observations prevent me from diving here? Generally no. I have frequently dived sites where sightings have occurred. However, there are sites I will usually refrain from diving such as the East End wher the sea lion hauling ground is. That area tends to have low visibility and the presence of many usual menu items for great whites does increase the risk substantially. So, yes... I do weigh the risks.. but there are few places around this island I won't dive.

The island may be one of the most frequently dived sites in California since many divers come to dive our dive park and a number of boats, both commercial and private, bring people over from the mainland to dive our clearer waters. Given that and the fact there has not been a single fatality out here in at least 60 years says something about the overall "risk."