Discovery Channel

[Spectre]

I've watched 'cudas slowly move up to people from underneath; nip their fins, then dart away as the diver looks down.

I've also fallen asleep once on a hang [well, maybe zoned for 5 minutes with my eyes closed]. Opened 'em and there was a 'cuda about 1 ft from my mask, checking me out.

At Wreckmania II, I blew off some classtime to try and out stare a barracuda, that I affectionately named Bob. I won; but I think Dennis scared him.

 

[greg somers]

Apparently you are supposed to watch it and discover what is true and what isn't. So many unfounded and unproven scientific theories that make the most sensational claims end up being shown for ratings purposes and are shown a s being true. After all, who would watch the "I think it went like this show"
The latest stuff in Australasia is the "Extreme Archaeology"
I like history like the next guy, but all these dangerous holes with archaeologists in them that are appearing around the world must be pointing to a global hole conspiracy...

Gasman

 

[mempilot]

This Primal Scream show on Disco right now has me in Primal Laughter! What a friggin stupid show. Uh, good thing Val was diving in the Galopagos, since she's a definate candidate for the Darwin Award. 30lb weight belt and camera housing, dropped neither, but rather swims 2 miles to shore while being 'chased' by sharks. Now's she's taking kick boxing lessons from a 'has been' 3rd rate trainer to develop 'skills' to go back and face the sharks! I'm on the edge of my seat. I hope the sharks get her and the producers of this crap this time.

 

[Kriterian]

This Primal Scream show on Disco right now has me in Primal Laughter! What a friggin stupid show. Uh, good thing Val was diving in the Galopagos, since she's a definate candidate for the Darwin Award. 30lb weight belt and camera housing, dropped neither, but rather swims 2 miles to shore while being 'chased' by sharks. Now's she's taking kick boxing lessons from a 'has been' 3rd rate trainer to develop 'skills' to go back and face the sharks! I'm on the edge of my seat. I hope the sharks get her and the producers of this crap this time.

They explained the weight belt. She was wearing a very thick wetsuit and although she wanted to drop it, she needed to be able to sink below the surface. Otherwise, the current that carried her away from the boat would have kept her from swimming to safety.

They also explained the training. She wasn't going to "box" the sharks, she was just going to get in shape. It was also designed to give her confidence, which obviously worked since she hadn't been back in the water in 10 years.

 

[mempilot]

And the reading of "The Little Train That Could". Comeon, that was junk tv to put drama in our minds about the killer sharks in the water. What's the first thing you do when you are stranded at the surface for an extended period? You get bouyant. You drop your weights and accessory equipment. Please don't defend her keeping 30lbs of weight on her belt and dragging her camera equipment for 2 miles. It won't fly.

 

[Kriterian]

And the reading of "The Little Train That Could". Comeon, that was junk tv to put drama in our minds about the killer sharks in the water. What's the first thing you do when you are stranded at the surface for an extended period? You get bouyant. You drop your weights and accessory equipment. Please don't defend her keeping 30lbs of weight on her belt and dragging her camera equipment for 2 miles. It won't fly.

I'm not defending any thing about her, just the fact that you attacked two points. They were explained in the show, and although I don't personally agree with keeping the belt there was a good reason for it.

She did drop all her gear eventually, although they never explained the camera. Also, she lived, showing there is a time and place for following rules or altering them depending on the situation.

 

[mempilot]

She didn't alter the rules. She didn't know the rules or procedures. She flailed at the surface for sometime before realizing she could swim towards shore. She didn't decide to keep her weight and camera to help save her life later when she calmed down.

Don't get too caught up in all the cinematography. The audio of her screaming was real, probably more from the stress of being stranded. You can't scream continuously like she did and keep your face underwater to watch the sharks. The footage from the camera of the sharks swimming below her was real. Put the two together and you get hysteria based on footage from a camera, but not from reality. 99% of what they showed was an actress and a production for the show. She was paid for her story, as it was the basis for the movie 'Open Water' and the Discovery Channel show. The show was scripted and acted out, in other words, it was a production no different than Many's adventure with Mako's in the Gulf.

Notice how once she started swimming, the camera didn't accidentally catch footage of sharks swimming at depth. She couldn't scream, because she calmed down and swam. The drama then ended quickly with the show and it was over. The footage of sharks was repeated at least 12 times. It's not like there was and hours worth of footage played at intervals.

I agree she had a traumatic experience. But the sharks weren't her biggest problem. Her lack following good emergency procedures would have lead to a quicker death from negative bouyancy, exhaustion, hypothermia, and induced stress than the curious reef sharks below.

 

[sdwho]

I've posted about this in another thread on the board. I thought the Primal Scream documentary was the pits. I found many of the re-created scenes simply unbelievable. If she had been thrashing around as much as the documentary suggested, she'd have worn herself out in no time flat. And what happened to the current that was carrying her away...did she swim against it for three hours? And if she really hadn't been in the water for nearly a decade, I have a hard time believing she would pick a drysuit dive in the galapagos as her reintroduction to the water. When we went to Galapagos in 2002 we dove Darwin 11 times. The Peter Hughes boat makes you wear a GPS locator. That probably wasnt' the case in 1995, but they also didn't mention it when they were discussing her strobes, etc. on her Aggressor dive. Anyone know whether the Aggressor uses GPS now?

Anyway, my wife and I both thought it was pretty lame. We were particularly p.o.'d at the description of whale sharks as "monsters" with "rows and rows of teeth" (even though they did subsequently acknowledge that they're plankton eaters).

She didn't alter the rules. She didn't know the rules or procedures. She flailed at the surface for sometime before realizing she could swim towards shore. She didn't decide to keep her weight and camera to help save her life later when she calmed down.

Don't get too caught up in all the cinematography. The audio of her screaming was real, probably more from the stress of being stranded. You can't scream continuously like she did and keep your face underwater to watch the sharks. The footage from the camera of the sharks swimming below her was real. Put the two together and you get hysteria based on footage from a camera, but not from reality. 99% of what they showed was an actress and a production for the show. She was paid for her story, as it was the basis for the movie 'Open Water' and the Discovery Channel show. The show was scripted and acted out, in other words, it was a production no different than Many's adventure with Mako's in the Gulf.

Notice how once she started swimming, the camera didn't accidentally catch footage of sharks swimming at depth. She couldn't scream, because she calmed down and swam. The drama then ended quickly with the show and it was over. The footage of sharks was repeated at least 12 times. It's not like there was and hours worth of footage played at intervals.

I agree she had a traumatic experience. But the sharks weren't her biggest problem. Her lack following good emergency procedures would have lead to a quicker death from negative bouyancy, exhaustion, hypothermia, and induced stress than the curious reef sharks below.

 

[sdwho]

I was always told that jewelry could attract a nip from a barracuda or another critter, but whether or not that's true, there are other reasons to be cautious in wearing jewelry. For example, I've seen women dive wearing their diamond engagement rings. Two risks: one, it may come off and its bye-bye ring; two, you could easily dislodge or damage the stone hitting it on (a) the reef (I know that should never happen); (b) your tank; (c) somebody else's tank or (d) the ladder or other part of the boat. As for necklaces: again, there is a risk you'll lose it or, depending on its size, it could get tangled up with your gear. Not saying its wrong to wear anything, just that folks should use common sense.

.

Same thing with the baracuda/jewlery thing...some of that stuff is the old timers yanking the newbies chain and somewhere the joke gets lost and the myth becomes a media fact....NOT.

 

[Wijbrandus]

I stopped wearing jewelry during such activities when I crunched my wedding ring in a turret hatch in the Army. Unfortunately, they had to cut it off to split my broken finger. I've also seen people hook their rings on things and slice open their fingers.

Since then, jewelry stays in the room when I'm diving. I'm less concerned about barracuda than I am of losing my ring to some unfortunate mishap of my own devise,.