Divers Riding Whale Shark

[dlofting]

I get that - but I never touch a puppy/dog unless the owner says it's OK or if it runs up and jumps on me, etc., - just because we may want to do something doesn't mean it's OK. Just my opinion/philosophy on the subject (unless it's against the law, then it's more than that - as was the case here)

Definitely my philosophy too and something I appreciate from others when I'm walking my dog.

 

[RyanT]

Without rapid, repeated exposure, I don't believe it would cause the animal any harm.

And this is precisely the issue. There are far more human impacts on the ocean than ever before in history. It is simply a consequence of a growing human population. 50 years ago, a whale shark encountering a human in a particular place was probably a very rare event. Today, there are so many more people in the water that any whale shark entering a marine park will experience a higher probability of encountering humans. If the whale sharks are congregating in a particular area because it's a good feeding or mating resource (as they do), and humans figure this out (as we have), then the sharks are experiencing repeated exposures. Of course we can argue whether or not whale sharks at this particular Indonesian park are experiencing high rates of human exposures, but the basic fact is that there are more people in the water today and more chances for encounters. So, back to @Sh0rtBus's original quote, I agree, one encounter, even with divers riding a shark, probably isn't going to matter much. But with more people in the water, encounter rates go up. For terrestrial systems, volumes have been written about the impacts of increased human activities on plant and animal populations. For example, this: A systematic assessment of threats affecting the rare plants of the United States - ScienceDirect. Sadly, the research on marine systems is far behind the terrestrial work. Until research shows that increased encounter rates with whale sharks and other charismatic mega fauna don't have a negative impact, I'll err on the side of caution.

 

[Jay]

1. ...but simply touching a whale shark I don't believe is going to do it any harm. I'm not saying go poke it to death or give it a hug. But running your hand along its back or sides I doubt is going to hurt
....
I just believe that there can be responsible interaction with this majestic creature

[highlighting is mine].

It doesn't matter what you (or I etc) believe, think, feel ....

3. ...If it can be proven that this is seriously a problem and does the animal harm then I will rescind this statement.

Nope, the burden of proof belongs the other way around.

You (one) has to consider why is one diving in the first place. Is it to observe, to be fascinated, to explore etc, or is it to use amateur opinions or beliefs to initiate interaction with marine life. As @caydiver said, and you'll feel the vibe of this forum, its for reasons of/aligned to the former and not the latter. I too would not want to be anywhere near an amateur diver who believed in the latter.

Maybe there should be a separate certification for certain types of marine life. Something beyond Underwater Naturalist. And maybe with the right studies and data that can become a possibility with whale sharks.

Perhaps questions prior to that might be (for a different OP / topic) are 'under that circumstances, conditions, etc do qualified marine scientists interact with marine life when they are not conducting scientific experiments'? I have a feeling that their mandate would say 'not permitted' / don't etc.

When a curious manta swims towards me, I don't regard that as a sign of it wishing me to interact with it. I'm just there to observe.

 

[Sea Buddy]

I personally do not touch marine life. But I have to agree with some of you stating that interactions with marine animals might not cause any harm. There’s no evidence they won’t enjoy harmless interactions with humans like playing with a dog. It might seem cruel when you pull the toy ball from a doggies mouth. It enjoys the fight. Dogs are so common so most ppl think it’s an acceptable behavior. There are not many whales around. I think this comes down to "perception". How people perceive an incident through their objective perceptions. IMHO the divers dont look too ridiculous. May be it’s a group of them holding onto the whale. Everything might seem fine if it’s jut one diver holding onto the whale.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I'd like to point out that for all the folks saying there is "no evidence" it harms them that there is equally "no evidence" it doesnt harm them.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

Hi, @Sh0rtBus.

For a moment, let’s assume it’s actually fine to graze our fingers on them as they are passing. My guess is that if we start telling people it’s okay to touch, it becomes a slippery slope. Divers will have different interpretations of what is permissible and/or it will create a situation of “give an inch, they take a foot”. Someone will then start petting it, swimming towards it (chasing) to do it, crowd them to accomplish it, etc. It is sometimes easier to just say don’t touch in order to ensure no one starts going down that path. Same with the DPV. Imagine if you could keep up with a whale shark for a while, almost an entire dive, and swim alongside it with a DPV. Now imagine that with a group of divers, perhaps 8 or so, possibly chasing it around. I imagine the divers’ formation, behavior, and darting around the whale shark is difficult to regulate to ensure any malfunctions or sounds/actions with a DPV would not hurt or disturb the whale shark, respectively. This also may circle back to the idea of we know so little, if we're not sure whether it does or doesn't affect them, we should err on the side of caution and conservatism. The suggestion for DPV may be the same as the no touching in this instance. It’s just easier to say no...

That is exactly the issue here (to me) and I would put money on it that is why their law is the way is it. If you tell ten people that it's ok to "touch" them...five out of ten are going to interpret "touch" to mean literally touch only, three are going to interpret that to mean grabbing/groping are ok, and two are going to interpret that to mean that riding the animal is ok. Once mob mentality takes over (people see one or more people acting badly)...the others in the group are going to say "ooh, ooh....I was to ride it too!"

To me...this type of thing/peoples behavior falls into the category of "that is why we can't have nice things." I think it would be awesome just to be able to touch one. However, I'm willing to forego that privilege if it means deterring people from riding one.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I'd like to point out that for all the folks saying there is "no evidence" it harms them that there is equally "no evidence" it doesnt harm them.

As such, we should err on the side of caution and just not touch if we are not sure of either.

 

[WeRtheOcean]

Humans ride horses and nobody minds. I don't see how that's any different from riding a whale shark, except that the whale shark being not in captivity could avoid it if it wanted, whereas horses are whipped into captivity and submission.

Divers regularly snatch marine life from their local habitats and kill them to eat (lobster).

Fisherman also catch and eat fish. If you're ok with killing marine life, why aren't you ok with people merely playing and sharing a bond with it?

People hunt and kill deer and elk etc...why is it that their lives don't matter, but merely touching a shark is wrong?

We touch and pet dolphins and nobody seems to have a problem with that. Many people have known to swim with dolphins including Robin Williams.

You were mistaken from the first sentence. Specifically, you were mistaken when you used the word "nobody." There are plenty of people who, indeed, have a problem with all of these behaviors. Of course, the mainstream dismisses such people as extremists, presumably in order to continue engaging in these behaviors...