Feed Great White Sharks

[MNScubaSteve]

Anyone on here ever dove and fed great whites in South Africa? A friend of mine told me about it and I want to look into it. Does it require any special certificate? Anyone have any recommendations/advice?

 

[Kharon]

Wow. This sounds like an idea worthy of a Darwin. Recent research has identified the doubling of shark attacks in the Bahamas to shark feeding. Great idea to get the whites associating divers with food. Yep, great idea. Too many people on the planet anyway.

 

[diversteve]

You can do similar dives seasonally off Mexico's Guadalupe Island and save a bunch of money/travel time. Many are a flight to the boat in San Diego or a shuttle down to Ensenada from there. It's cage diving and in most cases just hookah diving near the surface - they float the cages off the back of the boat. They're not going to want you to leave the cage...

Here's some links - the first two may be booking one of these boats also - there's only about 5-6 boats that do the dives:

Great White Shark Diving at Guadalupe Island and Farallon Islands - Great White Shark Diving Expeditions
Cage Diver: Dive with Sharks in California, Bahamas, Mexico & South Africa - also does SA cage dives.

Great White Sharks of Guadalupe Island | Go face to face in crystal clear water using unique submersible cages resulting in natural interaction. Come dive with Nautilus Explorer & Belle Amie off the coast of Baja California, Mexico - this is a really nice boat.
Solmar V Luxury Live-Aboard
San Diego departures:
Great White Shark Expeditions - Horizon Charters
M/V Islander | Great white shark cage diving | Guadalupe Island

If your desire it to get up close and personal with big sharks try Tiger Beach off Grand Bahama. There's trips out there from Florida - JASA/Shearwater or the Bahamas Aggressor or the local ptions - Epic Diving or Reef Oasis Dive Club|Shark Diving|Grand Bahamas

It's shallow diving but uncaged so you may need to react accordingly when one "bumps" you or wants to use your camera. That sort of looks like this: http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/images/Articles/2014_10_06TB447sm.jpg

 

[RhodeDiver]

Wow. This sounds like an idea worthy of a Darwin. Recent research has identified the doubling of shark attacks in the Bahamas to shark feeding. Great idea to get the whites associating divers with food. Yep, great idea. Too many people on the planet anyway.

Could you post a link to this research? I would like to read about it.

 

[drrich2]

I recall in another, older thread, discussion about a Bahamas-based outspoken critic of U.S.-based operators taking divers to the Bahamas for shark diving, and I believe it was thought by some creating ill will toward competitors was a motivation. It would be interesting to see this 'research,' including who did it and how they came to such a conclusion.

Shark feed diving on Scuba Board is a perennially contentious topic already hashed out in a # of other threads; here's a list of some of them for those wishing to explore the topic in more depth.

Lemon Sharks of the shipwreck “Esso Bonaire III” with Emerald Charters - Lemon Sharks of the shipwreck "Esso Bonaire III" with Emerald Charters

2005 - Shark Dives vs Au Natural. shark dives vs au natural

2005 - Feeding Sharks. Feeding Sharks

2008 - Shark Bites Live-aboard Guest. Shark bites liveaboard guest

2009 - Shark Feeding. Shark Feeding

2010 - Shark Feeding Dives in USA? Why Not??? Shark feeding dives in USA? Why not???

2010 - Shark And Other Fish Feeding. shark and other fish feeding

2011 - Chumming/Baiting For Shark Dives. Chumming/Baiting for Shark Dives

2014 - Shark Divine…Florida? Bahamas? Shark Diving... Florida? Bahamas?

2015 - Jim Abernathy Baited Shark Dive. Jim Abernethy baited shark dive

2015 - Shark Court For Randy Emerald Charters Jupiter. Shark Court for Randy Emerald Charters Jupiter

2015 - Proposed interactive shark diving in the Caymans. Proposed interactive shark diving in the Caymans (this thread was noteworthy for broader discussion of locations & shark species).

Over the years, I believe the quality of discussion & experience has evolved, & I’ve even seen a couple of minds changed! So more recent discussions may have better content.

 

[Kharon]

The research was examined in a documentary on public broadcasting - and no it's wasn't part of shark week (weak). Don't know how you would find it.

 

[RhodeDiver]

The research was examined in a documentary on public broadcasting - and no it's wasn't part of shark week (weak). Don't know how you would find it.

So no evidence to back up your claim.

 

[tursiops]

So no evidence to back up your claim.

I find your attitude rather irritating. I'm out of town but when I get home I'll point you to the resesrch, which of course you will find some reason to reject.

 

[RhodeDiver]

I find your attitude rather irritating. I'm out of town but when I get home I'll point you to the resesrch, which of course you will find some reason to reject.

I am sorry you are irritated by someone asking for the research when someone said there was research done on the subject.

 

[Epic Diving]

Only research I know on this topic is to the contrary. It's summarized here:

Don’t bite the hand that feeds - Epic Diving

there is a link to the full publication by the folks at University of Miami Shark Research & Conservation Program.

(this specifically refers to the idea of shark feeding/provisioning in the Bahamas and has no bearing on feeding/diving with great white sharks)