Shark Feeding Dives...Yes or No

[Ukmc]

Yes, reef sharks have the potential to become a serious issue for a lion fish hunter - see DAN's Alert Diver article, A Shark Tale. From the article:

"Art had just speared two lionfish and was heading back to the boat when he attracted the attention of a couple of 3- to 5-foot-long Caribbean reef sharks. They were drawn by the fish blood and dying movements of the fish on the end of the spear. One shark swam up under Art as he made his way toward the boat. As the shark opened its mouth and headed toward the fish, he encountered Art’s left hand instead. Art says it was sudden, unexpected and painful. He tucked his fist under his right armpit and continued to the boat, where he handed up his fish. Sue and Paula then helped him aboard, applied a pressure dressing and helped him remove his suit. There was a lot of blood. Art doesn’t remember any of this."

So far I have never attempted to spear lion fish. If I did consider it, I'd want to know about the likelihood of encountering sharks in the region I planned to do it, and what species were most likely to be seen.

So I have speared a bunch of lionfish. Most of them for ceviche. However, in one of the places (I think Bay Islands) we fed them to nurse sharks on a stick… Local explained to me that they are trying to create a natural predator for this invasive species that doesn’t otherwise have them in the Caribbean. They explained that sharks are immune to lion fish’s neurotoxin. Makes perfect sense. However, I have yet seen sharks attack lion fish in the wild. Have any of you??? The sharks that we fed got so smart, that as soon as we would jump in, they would come up and start looking inside of the zoo keeper… But there was a bunch of lion fish on the coral and not of them were getting swarmed by sharks Were we really helping the environment?

 

[scubadada]

Until now, I have resisted shark baiting and feeding dives. I dive in Jupiter, FL quite frequently.

So, now, I am going out with Dolphin Dream to Tiger Beach and Bimini March 11-19 to see Tiger Sharks and Great Hammerheads. I have over 2100 dives and would really like to see these apex predators. One of the shark wranglers, Dave Finch, is a good friend from years of diving off Narcosis in West Palm. So, maybe this is a sellout, I'm thinking of it a bit differently. You may criticize me as you please

Diving with my friend, @Dan who I met in Malpelo last July, Trip Report - The Magic of Malpelo, July 9-18, 2021 on the Ferox

 

[Johnoly]

You may criticize me as you please

No criticism from me Because you are PHYSICALLY attending the dive. The OP @jmcgilroy say he's never attended one, Only Just read about it.

How about if he trash talks COZUMEL because he read about it but NEVER attended/visited Cozumel. People would be jumping all over him and every other poster above who's never attended/visited. If you've never done a shark hand feeding dive and only watched video's or read an article then you are really just repeating what someone else wrote/produced. You haven't attended a feeding dive. If you have, post your dive report and please -- Flame Away that you hated it....Or love it.

Me being a Jupiter diver, I've been on plenty of shark hand feeding dives. I got nothing against them, but I'd rather go do something else in the ocean so they are not really for me. But I do encourage people who are passionate about it one way or the other to atleast go attend once and be in the water before you trash talk a dive or a town you've never attended/visited.

 

[johndiver999]

Shark feeding dives are the ultimate "trust me" dive. In almost any other diving situation, people are cautioned to avoid these types of dives.

However, some midwest diver (who probably doesn't even like salt on his french fries), is given all kinds of encouragement to experience the thrill and wonder of being present when sharks are being hand fed.

It is unnecessarily dangerous, irresponsible and also illegal in the State of Florida- for good reason I think.

 

[jmcgilroy]

No criticism from me Because you are PHYSICALLY attending the dive. The OP @jmcgilroy say he's never attended one, Only Just read about it.

How about if he trash talks COZUMEL because he read about it but NEVER attended/visited Cozumel. People would be jumping all over him and every other poster above who's never attended/visited. If you've never done a shark hand feeding dive and only watched video's or read an article then you are really just repeating what someone else wrote/produced. You haven't attended a feeding dive. If you have, post your dive report and please -- Flame Away that you hated it....Or love it.

Me being a Jupiter diver, I've been on plenty of shark hand feeding dives. I got nothing against them, but I'd rather go do something else in the ocean so they are not really for me. But I do encourage people who are passionate about it one way or the other to atleast go attend once and be in the water before you trash talk a dive or a town you've never attended/visited.

Gee John...a little grumpy today?

 

[drrich2]

It is unnecessarily dangerous, irresponsible and also illegal in the State of Florida- for good reason I think.

This is a point worth noting; IIRC, it's illegal within 3 miles of the coast. So shark feeders are to operate beyond that distance when near Florida.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Until now, I have resisted shark baiting and feeding dives. I dive in Jupiter, FL quite frequently.

So, now, I am going out with Dolphin Dream to Tiger Beach and Bimini March 11-19 to see Tiger Sharks and Great Hammerheads. I have over 2100 dives and would really like to see these apex predators. One of the shark wranglers, Dave Finch, is a good friend from years of diving off Narcosis in West Palm. So, maybe this is a sellout, I'm thinking of it a bit differently. You may criticize me as you please

Diving with my friend, @Dan who I met in Malpelo last July, Trip Report - The Magic of Malpelo, July 9-18, 2021 on the Ferox

I'll be interested to hear your take afterwards; I've known Dave since his Narcosis days as well and I've been to Tiger Beach twice (although not on Dolphin Dream yet). My first time up there was just lemon and reef sharks (the latter being a bit too rambunctious for my liking, while the former were about as laid-back a shark experience as one will get); the second we had at least three tigers (including "Hook"/"Tarantino" the infamous "Buttface") and a big hammer ("Scylla"/"Patches"). I'd been diving with tiger sharks before off Florida and Hawaii, but nothing over 10 ft at that point. The "Bahama Mamas" are in a whole other weight class; while you are well advised to be on guard they are fairly laid back. Compared to the tiger sharks I dove with near Tahiti they act like they've had a few marijuana bales.

I think you pointed out what attracts me to it; over the summer I was talking to another regular on the Jupiter charters and we both agreed it's sort of the "big game" aspect. I've somewhat scaled back my Jupiter trips to coincide with reports of tiger or hammerhead sightings, or in summer when you never quite know what's going to show up on the deep ledge (not just sharks; a blue marlin sighting two years back was a nice touch). I'm still game for bull sharks (I've found them fairly hard to get close-ups of), but they seem to be around all year in varying numbers. Lemons ... I've got gigs of pics and videos from point-blank range; it's fun to introduce new people to them but by now I've been there and done that. Reef sharks I'd actually rather not see in a baited setting; the times we do get them out on the deep ledge it's kind of a relief when the bulls show up to bounce them out. At least at Tiger Beach they generally seem to understand how far down the pecking order they are next to the heavyweights.

 

[scubaozy]

I am no longer participating in baited dives, it always felt wrong so I stopped doing it. I acknowledge the fact that monetization of the living sharks is better than the dead ones, so, I am not categorically against baited diving. But would probably vote against if the sharks were not in such threatened state.

 

[Centrals]

Did it once in Cod Hole(OZ) many yrs ago.

 

[scubadada]

I'll be interested to hear your take afterwards...

I will definitely report.

Though I have not participated in baited/feeding dives, I've seen a fair number of sharks in the Red Sea, Cocos, Galapagos, Revillagigedos, Malpelo, Turks & Caicos...

I have dived Deep Ledge, Lemon Drop, and the Wreck Trek/Esso Bonaire many times out of Jupiter. Though these were not baited/feeding dives, I don't pretend that many of the sharks I see are not a result of baiting/feeding at those same sites.