Shark attack, Egypt, Brothers islands

[InTheDrink]

Gloves are not allowed unless a wreck never mind a reef hook

 

[InTheDrink]

The shark seems agitated, its not behaving normally.

I'm hardly an expert but when i was in Shark El Sheik about a month ago and finally got to see a white tipped shark i was shocked at the amount of divers (around 30) from various groups chasing it down to get a closer look / better picture, I can only assume this will antagonize the shark and maybe provoke him to attack.

The area is also known for attracting sharks using bait (Not all dive operators do it but a lot of them do) which might help the sharks link between humans and food.

Not to mention the fact that before the attack itself, when the shark started getting too close for comfort, instead of pulling away or canceling the dive they just kept surrounding it and some of them are trashing around... probably did not help the situation.

P.S. The diver in question is alive but the shark took a pretty big chunk of his leg as a souvenir .

I’ve a photo of his leg. Or what’s left of it. A lot of damage. He’s lucky to be alive altho that won’t be a lot of consolation to him.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

I’ve a photo of his leg. Or what’s left of it. A lot of damage. He’s lucky to be alive altho that won’t be a lot of consolation to him.

Yeah, I've seen the photo... gnarly.
Poor guy

 

[HalcyonDaze]

It’s totally illegal in Egyptian marine parks altho it clearly does happen. Boats (liveaboards) tend to be pretty strict about this - clearly with some exceptions - and serve as the most effective way of protecting illegal shark fishing.

One boat was caught a few years ago with a guest holding a dead hammerhead that turned up on FB with boat recognizable. They got a decent fine, were kept out of the water for a while and had to do some volunteer work.

Egypt may be a basket case in many ways but it manages the marine parks relatively well altho could probably look at limiting the number of boats at certain sites. Was pretty crowded at Daedalus the other week - 24 boats from my count, maybe more.

The other thing they could and should do is increase the experience requirements for these sites. Obviously they all want and need to make money but some of these sights and some of the fauna aren’t the ideal place for people with 10 dives.

However the marine parks remain among my favorite dives on the planet and I would encourage anyone to go there. No chumming (unless accidental), just experiencing natural in all her beauty. Never know what you’re going to get. Generally tho, a lot

It would be interesting to compare diving with OWs in the Red Sea to other locations. I know that there are photography expeditions that chum for them off Cat Island in the Bahamas and a friend of mine who runs humpback tours out of Moorea cautions that one needs to keep an eye out for them during the whale season.

Diving with Oceanic Whitetip Sharks and Silky and Dusky Sharks at Cat Island Island, Bahamas.

The experience requirement suggestion was also brought up in regards to the Cocos Islands liveaboards given the increase in tiger shark encounters out there. While I've never dove the Red Sea, I agree that from what I've heard the remote location and currents are far bigger hazards than the sharks. The worst stories I've heard are when the current drops down off the reef and pulls divers way past their planned depth, which is something that would scare me.

 

[Dan]

It would be interesting to compare diving with OWs in the Red Sea to other locations. I know that there are photography expeditions that chum for them off Cat Island in the Bahamas and a friend of mine who runs humpback tours out of Moorea cautions that one needs to keep an eye out for them during the whale season.

Diving with Oceanic Whitetip Sharks and Silky and Dusky Sharks at Cat Island Island, Bahamas.

The experience requirement suggestion was also brought up in regards to the Cocos Islands liveaboards given the increase in tiger shark encounters out there. While I've never dove the Red Sea, I agree that from what I've heard the remote location and currents are far bigger hazards than the sharks. The worst stories I've heard are when the current drops down off the reef and pulls divers way past their planned depth, which is something that would scare me.

I was in Cocos in September (2 months ago) and saw no Tiger shark, nor turtle. We speculated that the Tiger sharks that were seen back in August, had wiped out the turtles in the area & migrated elsewhere.

 

[divinh]

I was in Cocos in September (2 months ago) and saw no Tiger shark, nor turtle. We speculated that the Tiger sharks that were seen back in August, had wiped out the turtles in the area & migrated elsewhere.

The Tiger sharks need to hold a turtle conservation symposium...

 

[HalcyonDaze]

More likely it just wasn't peak season for the majority of the species: Sea Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica | Volunteer Vacations | SEEtheWILD

 

[BlueTrin]

Just seen an update on another forum which confirms the thought that the sharks were being fed by boats - which might account for the change from their normal behaviour to the aggressive behaviour in the video.

I believe that at least one boat has been handed a ban from the area with financial penalties being handed down as well.

I think financial penalties should definitely be brought but the law should be changed to make it a criminal conviction.

 

[Scott from LongIsland]

The worst stories I've heard are when the current drops down off the reef and pulls divers way past their planned depth, which is something that would scare me.

We did hit some vertical currents that were rather interesting. On a few dives the currents were changing directions both vertically and horizontally in the middle of a dive. It was a rough week when we were out there and getting back on the mother ship was challenging at times. The mothership slammed down on the RIB one time and popped a panel. After that happened...on future dives, we left all of our gear in the RIB, kept mask and fins and jumped out for the granny line which was then pulled in rapidly by the crew as you also pulled in yourself. It worked quite well. We had many people that sat out half to more than half of the dives due to the conditions

We saw many OWT without incident...they came up close and friendly. bumping cameras and such. We did not have any issues of course

 

[Altamira]

We did hit some vertical currents that were rather interesting. On a few dives the currents were changing directions both vertically and horizontally in the middle of a dive. It was a rough week when we were out there and getting back on the mother ship was challenging at times. The mothership slammed down on the RIB one time and popped a panel. After that happened...on future dives, we left all of our gear in the RIB, kept mask and fins and jumped out for the granny line which was then pulled in rapidly by the crew as you also pulled in yourself. It worked quite well. We had many people that sat out half to more than half of the dives due to the conditions

We saw many OWT without incident...they came up close and friendly. bumping cameras and such. We did not have any issues of course

It is probably a mistake to view an OWT, or any other apex predator, as "friendly." Bumping can often be a precursor to a bite. Of course, I would rather have a shark bump my camera than my leg, but neither action would make me feel less at risk.