Death in Cocos from shark attack

[curamax]

To put it bluntly, "taking away" sharks from a marine park which is intended to preserve a pristine marine environment for the sake of liveaboard bookings grossly perverts the whole purpose of marine conservation. Places like Cocos are a wilderness environment. Apex predators are a feature, not a bug.

Likewise, "taking away" apex predators is not going to "protect thousands of other animals;" that's an invitation to destabilize the ecosystem. I would advise looking up Dr. Michael Heithaus's research on the ecosystem effects of tiger shark predation in Shark Bay, Western Australia

Dr. Mario Espinoza, a former graduate school colleague of mine, is currently studying tiger sharks at Cocos (article in Spanish): Analizan comportamiento de tiburones de la Isla del Coco | Crhoy.com

I agree 100% with you !
Thanks for the Michael Heithaus' video.

When I mention “protect thousands of other animals;" I mean to protect those animals from illegal fishing ! Not from the tiger shark .

I just say, cocos needs a lot of money to be able to combat “illegal fishing” and part of that money comes from divers.

Its hard for me to writte the idea clear , so I apologize for any misunderstand

 

[Steelyeyes]

I agree 100% with you !
Thanks for the Michael Heithaus' video.

When I mention “protect thousands of other animals;" I mean to protect those animals from illegal fishing ! Not from the tiger shark .

I just say, cocos needs a lot of money to be able to combat “illegal fishing” and part of that money comes from divers.

Its hard for me to writte the idea clear , so I apologize for any misunderstand

Thanks for the first hand report. My wife and I are planning a trip to Cocos in the next year or so. We're still very much looking forward to the trip.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

I agree 100% with you !
Thanks for the Michael Heithaus' video.

When I mention “protect thousands of other animals;" I mean to protect those animals from illegal fishing ! Not from the tiger shark .

I just say, cocos needs a lot of money to be able to combat “illegal fishing” and part of that money comes from divers.

Its hard for me to writte the idea clear , so I apologize for any misunderstand

No need to apologize - rather, my apologies for misunderstanding your post and being harsh. Going back in this thread there have been a number of posts regarding culling sharks as a response to this incident. I don't feel that's an option that should be entertained; "managing" the wildlife at Cocos to reduce the risk to visiting divers would remove the very thing that makes it worth protecting. Humans are visitors to such places and should accommodate the wildlife, not the other way around.

That said, I do realize that the dive industry provides a lot of the funding for the protection of Cocos; hopefully any downturn is temporary.

I did have a brief discussion with Dr. Espinoza regarding the state of affairs at Cocos; I was provided with some additional details on the circumstances of the attack but unless otherwise directed I don't consider myself at liberty to discuss them in this forum. I was told that they are looking at recommended protocols for diver encounters with large sharks. Key ones may be maintaining visual contact with the shark and ascending as a group.

 

[Kay Dee]

Just resurecting this old thread to ask if anyone else has seen the Nat Geo doco on sharks arttacking other sharks, as one of the attacks shows three Orcas taking out a big tiger at Cocos. Dont know how old footage is, not too 'new' I think, but pretty gnarly!

Awesome doco, best I have ever seen of shark (and a couple of other big predators) on shark.

APOLOGIES if this has already been posted in this thread but was not about to go back through 44 pages to see while watching doco. Yes, lazy me.

 

[Dan]

It looks like they identified the Tiger shark.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

It looks like they identified the Tiger shark.

When that story first popped up last month I sent inquiries to a few people regarding how good that ID was; I haven't received a reply to date.

Scientist tags shark that killed United States tourist off Cocos Island

Not exactly sure I'd agree with the 14-ft size estimate there; once they get past about 11-12 ft (which is maturity for females) they bulk out significantly. The account I linked also seems pretty melodramatic.

 

[wgw04024]

So how exactly was this 'confirmed' to be the killer?

 

[Dan]

So how exactly was this 'confirmed' to be the killer?

From the link posted by @HalcyonDaze:
“According to a press release from the Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN), the scientist identified the shark through its unique scars and its aggressive behavior toward divers.

“It was showing no fear of the divers and was slowly and continuously circling us, closing its eyes, which is often a sign of a possible imminent attack,” Alfred Barroso, an underwater cameraman who was part of the expedition, said in the press release.”

A diver in August 2018 trip with Argo had a closed encounter of similar Tiger shark, as shown, below. It was ready to attack by rolling its eyes up.

I can see the same scar on its upper right jaw, below the right nostril.

 

[Dan]

DM pulled out his poker stick & called up everyone to gather.

 

[Dan]

Just resurecting this old thread to ask if anyone else has seen the Nat Geo doco on sharks arttacking other sharks, as one of the attacks shows three Orcas taking out a big tiger at Cocos. Dont know how old footage is, not too 'new' I think, but pretty gnarly!

Awesome doco, best I have ever seen of shark (and a couple of other big predators) on shark.

APOLOGIES if this has already been posted in this thread but was not about to go back through 44 pages to see while watching doco. Yes, lazy me.

Just resurecting this old thread to ask if anyone else has seen the Nat Geo doco on sharks arttacking other sharks, as one of the attacks shows three Orcas taking out a big tiger at Cocos. Dont know how old footage is, not too 'new' I think, but pretty gnarly!

Awesome doco, best I have ever seen of shark (and a couple of other big predators) on shark.

APOLOGIES if this has already been posted in this thread but was not about to go back through 44 pages to see while watching doco. Yes, lazy me.

I couldn’t find the Net Geo doco you are referring to. May be you can post the link?

I only found this video clip where 3 killer whales ganged up on a juvenile frighten tiger shark in Chatham Bay next to Cocos Island in September 2014.