PROS & CONS: Should this be considered a "bad idea" or not?

[AfterDark]

No big deal just push it away and turn it over! Geezh!

Amazing unprotected Free Diver touches Great White's Snout - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QQQPmni8Rs&feature=related

 

[BVickery]

When people think of a GWS they think of the documentaries that have baited them in to feed (tons of blood, oil, meat in the water) and then the editors going for the most fearsome shots of the creature to 'draw' people in.

Absent the blood and guts in the water its pretty reasonable to believe they would act normally and not in this 'scary' way. Besides, there are MUCH more aggressive sharks than the GWS (Bull and Tiger) in the ocean.

 

[drrich2]

Yyyyyyyyeaaahhhh... Pretty sure if that'd been me with my hand on its nose, when it opened its mouth I'd have decorated my undies. A Great White opening its mouth at me in close quarters is not something I'm eager to experience.

Richard.

 

[Bratface]

I don't think the public should be feeding any wild animal. That said, people can do whatever they want to as long as it doesn't interfere with my life. I just know that finding half a diver would ruin my day.

 

[jimthediver]

I have been in the water (cage diving) with Great Whites at both Guadalupe Island and Gansbai S.A. While in Guadalupe we had the chance to go down in a cage dropped twenty feet or so below the boat. The cage was open at the top so we were able to sit on the top as the GWS cruised around. The visibility was very good and even though there was bait in the water the shark's behaviour was very relaxed. I never felt the least bit threatened. We even had a little accident and my wife and I ended up with a 9-10 footer briefly inside one of the surface cages with us. He came in and got stuck in the viewing port on one end, knocking me down. He eventually (in seconds) forced his way through the opening and made his own exit out the other side. It made for some amazing video! It was just an accident, he had no interest in us what so ever. He was just fighting for his life trying to get free. I wouldn't be afraid to be in the open water with them at Guadalupe. However, Gansbai is something entirely different. The visibility is poor, so you can't see them coming until suddenly they are there. The sharks we saw there, at the time we were there (February 2012), were generally smaller but they seemed significantly more aggressive. No way I'm going to go in the open water with them there!

 

[pterantula]

Maybe next thing you know, they WILL be freediving with whitetips to show how "non-aggressive to humans" they are.

I and my friends & colleagues have been freediving with oceanic whitetips, and it's fine. (Check out EpicDiving.com)

I feel much more threatened by walking across the street to my office and being hit by some idiot driver on their phone than by ANY shark I've dived with (23 species and couting). (More people are injured & killed by hit & run drivers in my coastal region than by sharks.)

Just because something contains an inherent element of danger (e.g., freediving with sharks, riding a motorcycle, swimming in a pool, walking down stairs) doesn't necessarily mean the people who do it are crazy or stupid.

---------- Post Merged at 12:01 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 11:59 AM ----------

I don't think the public should be feeding any wild animal. That said, people can do whatever they want to as long as it doesn't interfere with my life. I just know that finding half a diver would ruin my day.

.... but, you are a diver, no? Aren't you literally surrounded by wild animals?

 

[pezgrande]

I am always a believer that a positive encounter with a species labeled as a killer can only help promote it's conservation!

Freediving with Great White Sharks - Ocean Encounters - YouTube

Seriously.... why wouldn't the odds favor any of these people be looked at by at least one GWS as a potential meal... as a wounded seal? Is this a lot different from Russian Roulette?

I'm not paranoid, but I'm definitely cautious.... it's called human nature. (i.e. You shouldn't just f-around with things that are 1) almost always looking for food, and 2) Have the ability to eat us.)

In other words, how is this different than thinking you can intermingle with a lion pride in the Serengeti or with grizzlies in a salmon stream? We're not their "natural prey" either, but nobody does it, regardless.

 

[robbcayman]

I agree that there is risk involved with doing it. I think the mistake most humans make is they want to categorize everything as the same. For example, we all know aggressive dog breeds, but there are plenty of "aggressive dogs" that have a laid back disposition that are harmless. On the other hand, you have aggressive dog breeds that truly are dangerous. I think it's vital to understand that just because you see a GWS doesn't make it a cold blooded killer, but obviously some are more dangerous than others. Like in all animals there are a variety of personalities in that species i.e. shy, curious, aggressive, laid back etc... If you are in the water with a white shark and they start acting aggressive or overly curious then it's time to leave.

I will admit that you only have to be wrong once for it to be game over. However, how many GWS have attacked divers? If you aren't on the surface and are actively blowing bubbles while scuba diving then they lose the element of surprise. They also see the bubbles going and you're less likely to get a case of mistaken identity for say a seal. Most white sharks are cautious and don't want to be injured trying to get a meal, so they lose the element of surprise if you can see them. You are in much more danger with white sharks on the surface in low visibility i.e. surfing, swimming etc...

 

[Brockman1]

The people that swim with the large sharks do not start with them. I am friends with a person that swims with lots of sharks of all "danger" levels. He knows how much I like tiger sharks and would love to swim with them. To see the beauty with my own eyes and not through a video is a major dream of mine. Well having talked to him about heading out and hitting the water for my kitty hunt. I got my first swim with sharks. He told me it takes time before I can safely swim with the large sharks. I need to learn the how to interact with sharks before I jump in with one that can have the aggression take a massive bite out of me. Swimming with sharks takes lots of understanding and awareness to interact with them. To use an example that you might relate too. People who ride motorcycles don't start off with the biggest and fastest one made. We start out with the small ones that give you plenty of time to react when situations come about. As we get better at riding, our bikes get bigger and more dangerous. People don't upgrade to the big bikes because it's dangerous, they do it because of the beauty and the experience is more pronounced. So goes swimming with the big sharks, People learn on the small ones and as skill grows so does the shark. To swim with a GWS or tiger is not about a risk factor. Swimming with them allows the person to see more beauty and enjoy that more pronounced experience.