Is Shark Phobia Dangerous?

[dmaziuk]

Hi all,
I am planning a diving holiday in Bonaire with my wife, we will take our OW certification a maybe do a few dives.
This holiday was her idea, actually, but now she is having second thoughts since she has a real phobia of sharks.

There's 99.99999999% chance you won't see any sharks on Bonaire. Go night diving on Bari/Buddy reef and watch tarpons hunt in your light; that and a couple of passing barracudas is all the predators you're likely to see. Plus if you look closely under rocks you should spot some small morays.

 

[DiverDownD3]

Who knows, I honestly wasn't sure how I would react the first time I saw a shark on a dive. Took about 8 dives, but I finally saw one and there was no fear I was actually very excited. I've seen one just about every dive since then. I have a whole new level of respect for them than before I started diving.

 

[drrich2]

If you night dive on Bonaire, make sure she knows about the tarpon. A 4 - 5 foot silvery fish rapidly making a pass by you close enough to touch can be a scary experience if you don't know what kind of fish it is.

The term 'shark' is far too broad. Many nurse sharks resting on the bottom look more like some sort of weird catfish than a shark. Many of the 'sharky sharks' people see are reef sharks; imagine a 3 - 5 feet skittish animal passing by and quickly leaving the scene (assuming you're not on a shark feed dive, or where they're conducted) while the guide tries to get the paying customers to see it before it's gone. Hardly caught to bolt.

All of which is far different from the videos you see of people diving with great whites in Guadalupe, Tiger Sharks near Tiger Beach, Oceanic White-tips near Cat Island, Bull Sharks at various places, etc...

If she's worried about seeing a Great White, they're a colder water shark from what I've read. Not something likely in Bonaire.

I've spent 8 1-week dive trips in Bonaire, well over 150 dives there, haven't seen a shark there yet. If I did, I'd expect a nurse shark or reef shark. The guy who does guided east coast shore diving, Bas Tol, once told me he'd seen a hammerhead shark at some point.

Any idea how she will react to green moray eels & great barracuda? You might see a big version of either.

Richard.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yes, I was wondering about morays & barracudas as well. I don't like the idea of anything big. But there is a difference between fear and phobia. Some videos of these other "bigs" may be of help.

 

[The Chairman]

Bubbles are your friend. Fish, and that includes sharks, have no idea how we continually fart out of our mouths. They don't like it. They don't like it at all. If you want to get rid of any pesky pesca, just take your octor and let 'em have it. Just don'e use all your air.

Truth: I used to be afraid of sharks. I stopped diving in the oceans for a long, long time after I saw Jaws. It's kind of embarrassing. I remember my first return to the ocean. As I was about to splash, the DM looked at me and asked: "Are you alright?" I was indeed, incredibly nervous. I took a deep breath and in I went. I descended down about 15 feet and looked around. What was I worried about??? I've never worried about a shark again. Here's my video from the Socorro Islands:

 

[SOFDiver]

Se'

I don't see the problem as sharks or possible panic caused by seeing a shark. The problem is the irrational fear being exhibited by your wife. It might be wise to explore if she really wants to learn to dive, or is just "going along" to humor you. If this is the case she will likely not be successful and develop other "fears" like removing her mask, regs, or others. Diving is not for everyone, and a real desire and positive attitude are critical to successfully completing certification. As everything else on this forum, JMO.

 

[TMHeimer]

I don't know enough about the person to conclude whether a fear of sharks translates to any other fear about diving, skills, water, etc. I've always figured a phobia is very specific (like mine of spiders, or my wife's claustrophobia or fear of snakes--even tiny ones that couldn't hurt you). I think we're getting into areas best analyzed by psychologists, etc. I'm not trying to just stir the pot, but I don't think that because I hope I never see a shark it means I too would have an irrational fear of them. They are big, threatening looking and can kill you--despite the miniscual chances of that. I agree with those advising to figure a plan should she see a shark in order to head off panic, and do what she can to lessen the phobia (if that's what it is). Googling "phobia" and "shark phobia" is interesting reading.

 

[DDI]

I found when I started and from what I have witnessed from students, is that it's all just fear of the unknown. One or two positive experiences and generally all is good, the only concern is that any sort of irrational behavior has no place in scuba.

 

[Neilwood]

My thoughts would be that any fear or phobia that could cause a panic reaction underwater is not good.

Any measures taken to alleviate this would be good. I wonder if you have any facilities such as Deep Sea World (link) where divers can spend time with them under specific circumstances without any issues might help qualm any fears

 

[george_austin]

You're far more likely to be bitten by a spider that a shark. I have been attacked by triggerfish in Cozumel and last summer I was "bitten" by a Garibaldi at Catalina. I've seen lots of sharks ( relatively ) while diving but most have been about 16 inches long at most. Maybe a 3 footer once in a while.
It's the ones you don't see but they see you that you should be concerned with I've had far more trouble with myoplasts or whatever those stinging invisible things are