Dive boat operators face charges of illegally feeding sharks in state waters

[iluvtheocean]

bears and sharks never really had any fear of humans being top of the pyramid predators .... but can learn to associate them with easy food. Even a cat will respond to a Pavlovian cue and you can't really make a cat do anything it doesn't want to.

i like diving with sharks as much as anybody -- but i'd rather them just be there cause they're there, not due to being summoned by feeding or chum..

 

[MrChen]

Most sharks I've encountered swim away. Not the lemon on my last dive which stole the lionfish from someone's spear. It was swimming within feet of divers and had no intention of leaving. Again, no one felt threatened except the guy with the spear when he lost his fish, but no one else knew it took the lionfish from him. Also, not everyone knows how to identify every shark. I'm no shark expert. The first time I saw the lemon, I thought it was a nurse shark that was under a ledge I had seen 30 seconds prior. It was until I watched the video that I realized it wasn't the nurse shark. I like seeing sharks, but feel more comfortable when the swim away and keep their distance rather than swim among the divers for 50 minutes.

No matter what, Randy broke the law. His public comments about the publicity filling his boat should land him a bit harsher punishment.

 

[iluvtheocean]

Most sharks I've encountered swim away. Not the lemon on my last dive which stole the lionfish from someone's spear. It was swimming within feet of divers and had no intention of leaving. Again, no one felt threatened except the guy with the spear when he lost his fish, but no one else knew it took the lionfish from him. Also, not everyone knows how to identify every shark. I'm no shark expert. The first time I saw the lemon, I thought it was a nurse shark that was under a ledge I had seen 30 seconds prior. It was until I watched the video that I realized it wasn't the nurse shark. I like seeing sharks, but feel more comfortable when the swim away and keep their distance rather than swim among the divers for 50 minutes.

No matter what, Randy broke the law. His public comments about the publicity filling his boat should land him a bit harsher punishment.

i agree with you on all points here.... and less than 300 feet from federal waters? too easy to drift or be off on... i don't agree with the practice but if you have to be federal water, be damned sure that you're no where near the line...

he or anyone else directly involved shouldn't be posting anything about it -- since it can be used as evidence.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

I think it is good he is posting his honest thoughts. Common sense could not dissuade him. Now, illegality apparently cannot dissuade him. Since he has made that clear, it might help the authorities determine the best course of action . . .

 

[MrChen]

I think it is good he is posting his honest thoughts. Common sense could not dissuade him. Now, illegality apparently cannot dissuade him. Since he has made that clear, it might help the authorities determine the best course of action . . .

I knew you'd have a post in this thread (and I realize this isn't the first one). You've been very vocal against such activities. You dove Randy's boat for AOW, but that was the dive I got sick on and didn't make it to. I'm going to assume since there were students, you didn't witness any of this behavior.

 

[dkramer]

bears and sharks never really had any fear of humans being top of the pyramid predators .... but can learn to associate them with easy food. Even a cat will respond to a Pavlovian cue and you can't really make a cat do anything it doesn't want to.

i like diving with sharks as much as anybody -- but i'd rather them just be there cause they're there, not due to being summoned by feeding or chum..

Yes bears do have a natural fear of humans, which is why you are taught, when in bear country to make noise as you are moving through the woods. Tis the same with gators. I have canoed & kayaked these waters for over 20 yrs & I can tell you that a regular gator will sink down in the water & swim away from you as opposed to one that has been fed, who will swim towards you, back up out of the water.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Mr. Chen, No, no feeding on those dives, and in fact I liked Randy personally, I liked the layout of his boat and his general operation. Thanks to You Tube, however, I, like the rest of the world, have seen enough of the shark feeding to pass judgment on it. I have no criticism of Randy except for the way they conduct these shark feeds. Unfortunately, it seems to have become his main draw, main money maker and main source of publicity. He does, I am sure, a thriving trade with macho divers seeking the best You Tube or photos in dangerous situations for bragging rights.

I am not surprised that it is affecting shark behavior at other sites. I have seen lots of posts here about there being more, and more aggressive, sharks at other regular sites that did not used to have them. A year ago, sharks would stand off at places like Tunnels and Shark Canyon. You would see them, but at a distance and they were not interested in approach. In other words, behaving normally. Now, close approach is common and apparently the approaches can be fast and threatening. This coincides with the rising frequency of these shark feeds, which, it now seems, are being conducted closer to shore than they were saying. Might be coincidence, true, but I doubt it.

 

[tropicalson]

No matter what, Randy broke the law. His public comments about the publicity filling his boat should land him a bit harsher punishment.[/QUOTE]

Let's not lose sight of this. Regardless of how many feet he was away from being legal, HE VIOLATED THE LAW, a law which keeps us divers safer and is in the long-term best interest of the sharks. I've always heard negative comments about Randy, even though he has, what appears to be a cult-following. His glib remarks may just come back to bite him. It's simple. He should find a place that allows him to do whatever floats his boat, without breaking the law and endangering divers, and go there. He can then tout what a wonderful job he's doing. I'm sure the cult will follow him.

 

[danvolker]

Just visited Spearboard....the spearos are not happy at all over the feeding either...they are way more up an arms than the SB membership...
See Spearboard.com - The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Boating Social Media Forum - View Single Post - Emerald cited by FWC for feeding sharks in State waters

Though for some reason, Tony Grogan( owner/admin) keeps trying to defend Randy.... and to no avail .....

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Thanks for that link, Dan. Some of those posts are hysterical! Did not know spearboard was such a free-wheeling site, everything from Socrates and Plato to references to a**-hats!

Interesting that the majority of the spearos, who used to be Randy's primary trade, are so opposed to this and happy that it might be shut down.