Open Water testing, Sharks, and a wife... oh my

[Toadie]

Ok, so my wife and I did the pool work today and did very well. No major issues, success on the first try for everything and now she's excited... which is great.. I want her to be, so I have two questions.


She is terrified of sharks... I've done my best to explain everything I can but what I'd like to know is this. I don't know of or remember ever hearing about a shark attack on a swimming diver.... can anyone?

My second question is this... The wife found out that our LDS is planning a dive trip to the Galapagos next year and of course she wants to go. Anyone ever been? What do you think?

 

[DBailey]

Help her become educated on sharks and shark attacks. A little knowledge will go a long way in easing her fears. Just a little bit of research will show that most sharks are after the "easy" meal, and a swimming diver is more difficult than most sharks will go after.

Regarding sharks attacks, don't rely on all the comparison statistics like, "You are more likely to be killed by flaming pajamas than killed by a shark". It just brings humor to someone's serious concerns. Break out the statistics, and you'll see a trend of provoked and/or spearfishing related attacks when talking about scuba divers.

Don't let Hollywood or the evening news be her only source of shark information.

 

[DeputyDan]

That would be considered an "advanced" dive trip.

She should probably start out somewhere else first.

DD

 

[StSomewhere]

Your wife will probably want to get comfortable with the idea of diving where sharks hang out before going on a dive trip to the Galapagos Islands. One of the reasons people go diving in the Galapagos is that they hope to see the hammerheads. Here is one random example (courtesy of Google.com).

 

[del_mo]

My wife and I had our first shark experience in Key Largo. We were very concerned about them. Not really sure why anyone would want to go looking for them.

The first one we never saw coming....came up from behind us....swam within 15 feet of us and never once gave us a second look. It was thrilling! After "he" swam by, we couldn't wait for our second "experience". It came on the next dive. Again, showing NO interest in us, he just cruised by. If you don't look like their food, you should be okie-doke.

 

[StSomewhere]

My first shark experience was in Key West when my assigned-on-the-boat dive buddy saw a shark and went into a full-on panic. Rocketed to the surface totally freaked out, the whole nine yards. Its amazing he didn't get an embolism or something. Skipped the second tank, wouldn't get back in the water, kept muttering about never diving again.

Different people react differently, make sure your wife wants to share the water with sharks before you pay thousands on a dive trip to the Galapagos. In the end, sharks have more to fear from humans than humans do of sharks. Maybe ask your LDS if they have any resources or video from previous dive trips that show how sharks interact with humans.

 

[Xanthro]

Simply put, humans are not food for costal sharks. There is so much food available that sharks only eat certain creatures. For example, Great Whites feast on seals.

The only time you are in danger, is if you appear to the shark as their favorite food. Such as looking like a seal to a great white. Scuba divers underwater don't look anything like food to a shark.

We don't even taste good, they spit us out on those rare occassions they confuse us as something else.

Tips to avoid being bitten by a shark.

1. Do not feed the shark.
2. Do not pet the shark.
3. Do not mimic shark food.
4. Do not dive in low visibility in shark feeding areas.

 

[mempilot]

My second question is this... The wife found out that our LDS is planning a dive trip to the Galapagos next year and of course she wants to go. Anyone ever been? What do you think?

There's lot's of sharks there.

But seriously, statistically speaking, divers don't get attacked by sharks. Freedivers and spearfishing divers are much more likely to have shark encounters. We see sharks down here quite often, but 'trying' to get them to come near is almost impossible unless you have some food they want. Tell her to consider herself very fourtuneate if she even sees a shark.

 

[ChrisA]

You will need to educate her about sharks. How they feed and when. When she understands this then she willknowwhy sharks don't go after divers. Then after she has been diving a while she won't thingk much abut it.

About Galapagos. How much diving do you expect to do between now and when the trip leaves? You don't want to go if you are still a beginner. I don't know the number but
it's likely about four dozen dives in varying coditions before you are out of the "beginner"
stage. Debatable number - depends on the diver

I went on a short livabord trip, and one of the other divers just souldn't have been there.
The first dive was 70 to 100ft in current, miles from shore and there was no "hard" bottom. Not a beginer dive. You would not want to go all the way there only to have to sit out most of the dives. The worst thing is to feel you are "forced" to exceed to training and experiance because you have spent $8,000 to get there.



QUOTE=Toadie]Ok, so my wife and I did the pool work today and did very well. No major issues, success on the first try for everything and now she's excited... which is great.. I want her to be, so I have two questions.


She is terrified of sharks... I've done my best to explain everything I can but what I'd like to know is this. I don't know of or remember ever hearing about a shark attack on a swimming diver.... can anyone?

My second question is this... The wife found out that our LDS is planning a dive trip to the Galapagos next year and of course she wants to go. Anyone ever been? What do you think?[/QUOTE]

 

[Toadie]

All excellent points and I've been talking to her about them. As far as the diving goes, the trip is in September of next year if I decide to go but I would guess that I might have about 30 dives under my belt by then.