Diving with the Bull sharks

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Note to feeding diver with bucket: If you have to use the bucket as a barrier, don't pour the rest of the chum out on yourself. :eek: I think the chumsicle in the middle of the circle would be the way to go.
 
To clarify Mike's post because he doesn't always list his sources:

The image is one of mine. It is of Chino the owner/feeder at Phantom Divers.
The dive review below it is from elasmodiver.com

The quote about taking procedures and standards being the safest appears to be from a different operator named SeaZoom. A quick scan of the seazoom site showed an image of another feeder (presumably theirs) also with no chainmail. Therefore Deco_Martini's joke still stands if you agree that not wearing mail while feeding is foolhardy.

Regarding no chumming equaling no shark encounters: It is not that you will never see a shark at Playa without chumming, but encounters with bulls, tigers, caribbean reefs and many others are few and far between. Without either chumming, or diving in a place where the sharks are used to being fed and may check you out to see if you have fish for them, you are very unlikely to have a close, sustained encounter.
Even large sharks are very wary of divers. Divers are alien, noisy and big.

I'm happy to expand on this further if I'm not being clear.
 
I understand that it's a case of different strokes for different folks. All I can relate is my personal experience. I just came back from an awesome Bull dive in Playa 1 week ago. There was no chumming and 8-15 bulls in the water. I had more problems with the Triggerfish going head to head with my wide angle dome port...:rofl3: then the bulls. 4 divers and an experience of a lifetime for me. Bottom line is as grown adults we make our own decisions, good and bad, right or wrong. What does bother me though is folks coming off self righteous about what I choose to do. Bottom line ... if you don't want to do it... THEN DON'T. Don't sit here and judge others who choose too.

I think we all have a grasp on the risks involved. If we don't...then shame on us. It's one thing to attempt to educate folks about something, it's another to be snarky and condescending about it.

Thanks to Jason at Fantasea dive for providing a fantastic chum free experience.:cool2: There's a couple shots from the dive in my slideshow below....including the pesky Cochi's! I saw that guy with the hook in the right side of his mouth too...he must be a local..hehe
 
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I saw that guy with the hook in the right side of his mouth too...he must be a local..hehe
I believe that they are quite territorial and that's part of why they are considered more dangerous. I don't recall anyone being critical of others for choosing to do the dive, but maybe I just skipped over it without registering as such happens on SB so much that I'm conditioned that way. It is insane to feed them by hand from a bucket, and without armor no less, I think - but it may be difficult to convey that info to the local divers who do it. I fear that a bad accident is imminent for one of them which will be a horrible experience for all on the dive & boat to be sure. As I said early here, I don't know how good the Cancun trauma centers are or how fast the local services can get a diver there but I am guessing that it won't go as well as the US Coasties plucking a diver off of a Bahamas boat and heading for Miami. The boat captain might do better when the time comes to just head for Cancun? I doubt that Cozumel or PDC clinics could do much for a severe cut.

It's interesting that the sharks came around without being chummed on that dive, but then my experience with sharks that blew us off when we did not feed were with Reef sharks, certainly a more timid animal I think. The triggers and cudas that respond to the chummed dives are not without risk either I don't think.

This is all arm chair quarterbacking I know, but an interesting discussion at times.
 
I understand that it's a case of different strokes for different folks. All I can relate is my personal experience. I just came back from an awesome Bull dive in Playa 1 week ago. There was no chumming and 8-15 bulls in the water. .... Bottom line is as grown adults we make our own decisions, good and bad, right or wrong. What does bother me though is folks coming off self righteous about what I choose to do. Bottom line ... if you don't want to do it... THEN DON'T. Don't sit here and judge others who choose too.

I think we all have a grasp on the risks involved. If we don't...then shame on us. It's one thing to attempt to educate folks about something, it's another to be snarky and condescending about it.

Well said!

It's also unhelpful to distort, exaggerate and just make up things to support your argument. If one needs to do that prove their point, then they probably need to rethink their position.

But dispite some of the rhetoric that's been thrown out into waters of this discussion like chum to the sharks, I think there have been some helpful and educational posts by those who've actually dove with these wonderful animals.
 
Bottom line is as grown adults we make our own decisions, good and bad, right or wrong. What does bother me though is folks coming off self righteous about what I choose to do. Bottom line ... if you don't want to do it... THEN DON'T. Don't sit here and judge others who choose too.
The only way that those "self-righteous" people were able to "judge" you or your actions, was that you posted on a public bulletin board. If you're not willing to get all manner of responses then don't post.

I've watched this thread, and honestly, I still don't know if it's a good/bad idea to chum, use bait balls, or bait tubes. Part of me says it is an accident waiting to happen. But, the other part of me enjoyed the hell out of playing with the eels and sharks last month in Belize when a bait tube was used. And I still have the same 10 fingers and 9 toes I started out with.:idk:
 
The only way that those "self-righteous" people were able to "judge" you or your actions, was that you posted on a public bulletin board. If you're not willing to get all manner of responses then don't post.

I've watched this thread, and honestly, I still don't know if it's a good/bad idea to chum, use bait balls, or bait tubes. Part of me says it is an accident waiting to happen. But, the other part of me enjoyed the hell out of playing with the eels and sharks last month in Belize when a bait tube was used. And I still have the same 10 fingers and 9 toes I started out with.:idk:

My point, which you seemed to saunter right on by, is that constructive feedback is fine, but the rest is just pot stirring and posturing. Which category was yours? Thanks for learning me on the dangers of posting on a public board :wink:

P.S.... I believe I said "Judge others" not Judge me :) If I didn't... mea culpa.
 
My point, which you seemed to saunter right on by, is that constructive feedback is fine, but the rest is just pot stirring and posturing. Which category was yours? Thanks for learning me on the dangers of posting on a public board :wink:

P.S.... I believe I said "Judge others" not Judge me :) If I didn't... mea culpa.
I like to think I strolled by, not sauntered (that's levity). If you want me to classify my post, I'd classify it as pointing out a simple statement of fact that's often overlooked, followed by a reasonable solution (being an answer you don't like doesn't automatically make it condescending, snide, stirring the pot, or posturing). . . You can wish for everyone to always be constructive and without negativity in their posts, but as you implied, it doesn't always happen.:coffee:
 
I like to think I strolled by, not sauntered (that's levity). If you want me to classify my post, I'd classify it as pointing out a simple statement of fact that's often overlooked, followed by a reasonable solution (being an answer you don't like doesn't automatically make it condescending, snide, stirring the pot, or posturing). . . You can wish for everyone to always be constructive and without negativity in their posts, but as you implied, it doesn't always happen.:coffee:


Agreed, it isn't always a negative. Like we both agree, there's constructive... and destructive feedback. Sorry to imply sauntering :D:rofl3:
 
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