Proposed interactive shark diving in the Caymans

[Rhone Man]

Knowing how the ecology is viewed on GC, Turtle Farm, Dolphin Experience etc. undoubtedly the government will allow shark diving if proposed by a friend or relative of the party in power. Maybe I'm being too cynical, but my prediction is that it will be approved and go on until a tourist gets bitten badly.

If I was a better man I would go the other way. They are pretty rabid about their conservationist image. But time will tell.

I personally don't have a problem with shark feeding (although I have never done it). Looked at in broad terms, the Bahamas experience seems to indicate that shark feeding is pretty harmless overall.

---------- Post added October 9th, 2015 at 07:59 AM ----------

Sorry, just belatedly red the article - slightly amusing to hear the suggestion that Bahamas are making "millions" off shark diving...

But the more I think about it, it looks like a cynical attempt to cash in on the rising crimewave in Bahamas and try and deflect that tourist stream elsewhere.

Another Critical Crime Warning for Nassau, Bahamas : Cruise Law News

 

[vincent54]

The difficulty with having the shark feed is that Cayman reefs are close to shore. Usually less than 1/4 mile out. Short of blue water shark dives out in the abyss, there really isn't any place to go. I think its more exciting to come across them without the bait of food, but that's my opinion.

 

[scubadada]

A few years ago, my son and I did a great week with OF. We saw a few Reef Sharks on several of the dives. On a dive at Scuba Bowl, we had 3-5 Reef Sharks with us for much of the dive. After this great dive, one of the other divers, who had been diving with OF for many years, told us that Scuba Bowl had been a or the prior feeding site. No idea if this is accurate or not, perhaps someone who did the shark dives with OF can comment. Difficult to believe there could be a long-lasting effect

 

[AggieDiver]

Caribbean Reef sharks will often stay in a fairly small area for long periods of time. There is a tagged reef shark (#107) that we have seen for at least the last 3 years in a row along the end of the Jackson's Bight section of the marine park. If the sharks were already hanging around there anyway, it isn't unreasonable that they might cruise over to the old feeding site any time divers are in the water, just in case they can get a hand out like they used to.

 

[Alex777]

After this great dive, one of the other divers, who had been diving with OF for many years, told us that Scuba Bowl had been a or the prior feeding site. No idea if this is accurate or not, perhaps someone who did the shark dives with OF can comment.

Correct. On 1 shark dive there, a Reef Shark butted my buddy on the forehead which, as I understand things, is a pre-attack behaviour (?). We got it on film and had the image pasted onto a T-shirt. Personally, I am opposed to bring back shark feeding unless the evidence is clear (which it isn't) that it does not alter their behaviour towards humans.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Correct. On 1 shark dive there, a Reef Shark butted my buddy on the forehead which, as I understand things, is a pre-attack behaviour (?). We got it on film and had the image pasted onto a T-shirt. Personally, I am opposed to bring back shark feeding unless the evidence is clear (which it isn't) that it does not alter their behaviour towards humans.

If that was "pre-attack behavior," I know a few people who wouldn't need to visit the hat store. Sharks do bump people on occasion; sometimes it's investigatory and sometimes it's just because they don't really have brakes or a reverse gear. It's still a concern because the business end of the animal is a bit too close for comfort. When that happens to us, we usually redirect the animal somewhere else, with varying degrees of politeness.

A prerequisite of shark diving is that well, you need to have sharks. They don't just teleport in when the food hits the water; they have to be close enough for the smell to travel to them in a reasonable amount of time and for them to swim to the site relatively quickly. The smell is not going to reach them any faster than the water is moving. The spots we use are spearfishing locations where sharks have been sighted a lot, which makes sense - both spearfishers and sharks are after the same fish; they will end up occupying the same patches of water.

One of the things I've found interesting in our shark feeds off Jupiter is that we definitely get a lot of repeat customers; all of our regular tigers this year were ones that were around last year. Unlike the reefies however, they're gone for big chunks of the year - in fact this year it seems like they showed up and left at more or less the same time as they did last year. They also generally seemed to stick to their feeding area with some exceptions - only one of the Wreck Trek tigers ever showed up on the reef, the one tiger that hung out on the reef never turned up at the Wreck Trek, and with the exception of one Wreck Trek tiger it seems all the tigers Florida Shark Diving spotted on their snorkel trips were ones we never saw. I get the definite impression that certain individuals have seasonal home ranges and they stick to them regardless of whether or not there's a feeding station in the area. Likewise, the "Lemon Ladies" and their male counterparts also have a routine; most of the year the females are around the Wreck Trek and the males are on the reef to the south, with the girls going over to visit the boys in winter.

My earlier question regarding shark species and sightings was aimed in that direction; it appears that what's most likely would be a resumption of Caribbean reef shark feeds - and why do that in Cayman when there's already established reefie dives elsewhere in the region? You might nick a little bit of business from Roatan and the Bahamas, but you're not going to have an "only in Cayman" thing. And they won't have anything like Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, which is considered a bucket-list dive by a lot of people.

 

[scubadada]

So, Steve Broadbelt would like to add shark dives to the list of specialty dives offered by Ocean Frontiers. From my observation, it may not be difficult to resurrect this activity at Scuba Bowl. It would not surprise me at all if he is granted permission, given the track record of the Grand Cayman government.

Whether this attracts new divers from elsewhere, where shark dives are already established, like the Bahamas, remains to be determined. There is also a risk of alienating loyal customers and potential divers opposed to shark feeding.

We'll all see...

---------- Post added October 11th, 2015 at 08:29 AM ----------

Interesting articles from Undercurrent and Skin Diver Magazine from 2001 describing Ocean Frontiers' Shark Awareness Program. Sounds quite different from the shark feeding dives currently taking place in SE Florida.

Grand Cayman, the East End: Undercurrent 09/2001

http://cnso.nova.edu/forms/skin-diver-magazine-grand-cayman-gets-teeth.pdf

Other than Scuba Bowl, I have not had the opportunity to dive the other 4 sites where sharks are more commonly seen, Pat's Wall, Jack McKinney's Canyons, The Maze, and Lighthouse Wall. These 5 sites are in close continuity, don't know where the Shark Awareness Program actually took place.

---------- Post added October 11th, 2015 at 08:35 AM ----------

And another article from Sport Diver

Grand Cayman: Swirling Sharks | Sport Diver

Apparently, it was a PADI specialty course, Shark Awareness

 

[String]

Struggling to see how this concept is in any way different to Stingray city.

 

[tkaelin]

Struggling to see how this concept is in any way different to Stingray city.

In my opinion and as I posted, there is not much difference - an artificial and unnatural man made attraction. No struggle for me. They are similar to me. TK

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Struggling to see how this concept is in any way different to Stingray city.

If a tourist gets nibbled on, it's a lot more than a big hickey.