Chumming/Baiting for Shark Dives

[OfficetoOcean]

The ability to fish, hunt, kill and eat organsism from this earth is our right and it helps to bring us closer to nature and an understanding of the various species, especially if the consumer is the one who stalks, catches, kills and cleans the organism.

Habitat destruction, pollution and over popuation are threats to the marine ecosystem, a well managed and sustainable fishery is not.

You don't know what they did wrong? I thought you said it was "safe" unless you do it "wrong". The guy is an expert with an incredible amount of experience and looses a customer, gets bit twice himself. You are unaware of any mistakes made, but you want to stand by your, off the cuff comment that shark baiting and feeding for divers is "SAFE".

I think we have ample evidence that it is less safe than not baiting them and I KNOW it changes the behavoir of sharks.

Yeah, an "off the cuff" remark about shark diving based on years of independent study :eyes:

Killing something to get a better understanding or interacting with it, alive, in it's own environment, doesn't take a genius to figure out which provides a greater understanding...

I know when Jim got bit he was sorting out a problem with the bait so was right in the middle of it. Not something that other divers would be anywhere near so he took a risk and got bit, that's life. I wasn't there so I'm not gonne speculate, simple as that, like I said, I don't make statements without backing them up, maybe you might wanna take a leaf out of my book? You say you KNOW it changes shark behaviour, off you go then, tell us why...

There is ample evidence to prove that not crossing a road greatly reduces the risk of getting hit by a car but sometimes, crossing a road is worth doing...

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

It is the baiting and artificial aggregation and modification of their behavoir which endangers sharks and divers which I take issue with.

I think we have ample evidence that it is less safe than not baiting them and I KNOW it changes the behavoir of sharks.

Yes, I can see that a diver participating in a shark dive that includes feeding, chumming &/or baiting the sharks does increase the risk to the divers, but they are informed of the slightly elevated risk, are they not? They chose to put themselves in a little more risky situation. If a diver does not want to increase their risk of being bit by a shark, wouldn't that diver not got on such a shark dive?

And where is the ample evidence that such dives are endangering sharks? There has been shark cage snorkel tours off Oahu's North Shore for more than a decade. To my knowledge there has not been any evidence brought forth stating that surfers, snorkelers, divers or sharks are less safe now than they were before the tours started.

Quite the contrary in my opinion; I think sharks attacking people off the North Shore of Oahu has actually been less frequent than before the tours, and so there are less angry parents sending fishermen out to kill tiger sharks; sounds like win / win to me!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

sorry, double post.

 

[OfficetoOcean]

And where is the ample evidence that such dives are endangering sharks?

Exactly, there isn't any, nor is there any evidence to support the theory it increases the risk to bathers, in fact the facts actually show that as more people encounter sharks on feeding dives, shark attacks year on year are down. This year aside, there has been a greadual decrease in incidents of shark bite, the infamous "summer of the shark" actually had less attacks than the previous year...

 

[Arubandi07]

Have a question: Are there dive-ops specializing in Humpback, Whaleshark, or Manta Ray dives?

 

[OfficetoOcean]

Have a question: Are there dive-ops specializing in Humpback, Whaleshark, or Manta Ray dives?

Yes, definitely quite a few worldwide for the latter two and I'm pretty sure there are at least a couple of humpback operators in Tonga...

The two former animals though are more likely to be snorkel than scuba

 

[Arubandi07]

Yes, definitely quite a few worldwide for the latter two and I'm pretty sure there are at least a couple of humpback operators in Tonga...

The two former animals though are more likely to be snorkel than scuba

How do these ops deal with the aspect of custumer expecations re a "successful" dive? With these species, chumming/feeding is not an option, therefore no guarantee of an encounter.
I do have an opinion on all the aspects, you've been discussing so far, but that aside, in my view, when it comes to commercial shark dive operations, the practice serves no other purpose than achieving a higher rate of success and greater entertainment value/excitement, if you will.

I don't see a problem in shark dives per se, just in the way it's done.

 

[Hank49]

How do the sharks behave in the areas like the Bahamas, where they regularly feed them? Are they pretty passive, and come in slowly, grab a fish and swim off?
Or do they bolt around as fast as lightening, like when I have a fish on a spear? That's not fun. They're so damn fast.

As long as people know what they're getting into, why not? But it is increasing your risk of severe injury, no doubt. They are wild animals, used to getting what they want in the water, not friendly and have no conscience.

 

[OfficetoOcean]

How do these ops deal with the aspect of custumer expecations re a "successful" dive? With these species, chumming/feeding is not an option, therefore no guarantee of an encounter.
I do have an opinion on all the aspects, you've been discussing so far, but that aside, in my view, when it comes to commercial shark dive operations, the practice serves no other purpose than achieving a higher rate of success and greater entertainment value/excitement, if you will.

I don't see a problem in shark dives per se, just in the way it's done.

It's based on seasonal migration and mating aggregation in areas where baiting isn't needed due to the above seasonal aggregation, basically nature takes it's course and is usually undertaken in areas where take of these animals is prohibited or at least limited meaning enough numbers return although these numbers are often diminished as to what they should be.

How do the sharks behave in the areas like the Bahamas, where they regularly feed them? Are they pretty passive, and come in slowly, grab a fish and swim off?
Or do they bolt around as fast as lightening, like when I have a fish on a spear? That's not fun. They're so damn fast.

As long as people know what they're getting into, why not? But it is increasing your risk of severe injury, no doubt. They are wild animals, used to getting what they want in the water, not friendly and have no conscience.

The sharks I have witnessed on baited dives in the Bahamas behave, well, like sharks, it's exhilerating and fairly fast paced but with a typical social order that sharks exhibit in natural predation scenarios, that is the bigger, older sharks take precedence when they arrive, the smaller sharks are more frantic...It's all fairly normal really.

Larger shark species such as Bull, Tiger and Lemon are generally more measured and suspicious, often, the bigger the shark, the gentler the take of bait, it's pretty incredible really.

 

[Arubandi07]

It's based on seasonal migration and mating aggregation in areas where baiting isn't needed due to the above seasonal aggregation, basically nature takes it's course and is usually undertaken in areas where take of these animals is prohibited or at least limited meaning enough numbers return although these numbers are often diminished as to what they should be.

Thanks for responding. Would still like to get your thoughts on the second part of my post re the purpose of chumming/feeding. IMO, shark dives would be a great deal less controversial, as well as more educational, if carried out based on the parameters mentioned in your answer, rather than involving the use of stimuli.