Shark Attack - Fact

[MauiScubaSteve]

Many new divers get to take their check out dives at Molokini here off Maui. The instructor will brief that there is a high likelihood of seeing White Tip or Gray Reef Sharks on the dives and I will add that if we are able to we will try to see them better when that happens.

Some tricks for getting closer are to approach tangentially and try not to look directly at the shark. If you swim straight at them with your mask and or camera pointed straight at them they will flee much quicker.

The next time I see a Tiger Shark underwater I will try to heed my own advise. Launching myself off the bottom directly at the shark with camera outstretched towards it caused it to disappear in less than 3 seconds

 

[Blowin' Bubbles]

I don't like when people automatically say that you will never see a shark or that you'll never come across one because they haven't.

For one, I have around 150 dives and in about 15-20 of those dives I have seen sharks or been by sharks. For two or three it was because we had purposefully attracted the sharks, but the others are purely accidental sightings. With that said, you will usually see smaller sharks that should not threaten you. It is also a very rare but amazing thing to see more than one shark at a time.

Also, when instructors take their first-timers out, they take them to shallower water (generally) that is less likely to be "shark-infested."

 

[Tomahawk]

In South Africa there's been only 1 Shark attack on a scuba diver, as far as I know.

It was at Seal Island - the diver swam approx. 100m on surface to the boat...something you should never attempt at a place like Seal Island, and was attacked by a Great White.
Needles to say the diver was fine during the dive.

In retrospect a Shark Cage Diving boat capsized near Seal Island, with approx. 10people onboard. They were trapped underneath the boat, in the water, for a good 30minutes, and witnessed several Great Whites beneath them...not 1 human was attacked.

Protea Banks is one of the best shark dives in the world. Our DM has done 1000's of dives with Hammerheads, Raggies, Bull and Great Whites...with 0 shark attack incidents. This should give you a better picture.

I've personally dived with several Raggies and a Bull Shark, and I can honestly say I didn't once feel threatened in any way.

I would recommend doing a Shark Awareness course (PADI in South Africa), this helped me come over my fears of sharks. The sad part is that we as humans are the real sharks as depicted in the movie Jaws...we slaughter millions of sharks every year.

Take if from someone that had a huge fear of sharks - there are other smaller things in the ocean to be concerned about, and offcourse your own stupidity.

 

[Karel26]

I live in South Africa as well. . It is commen to have sharks on our first dive's (depend what time of the year and what dive site ) . . On my first dive my instrucror told me if we see like a tiger shark or black tip we must just go down on our knees and check them out. .

I dived numerouise dive with ragget tooth / sand tiger shark and they came so close to me that if i reached pout it would have been possible to touch her, but that would have been stupid because that would have led to an attack then. .

I even had a oceanic white tip swam half a meter( 2f ) over me, i didn't even realised it untill my buddy came and showed me then she was already 3m ( 9f) infront of me, and if she wanted to attack me she could have, and according to who evers studies the oceanic white tip is a aggressive shark towardsdiver, but i disagree. .

I belive if you not threatning or provoke a shark, then the shark will leave you and just kaap passing by. .

Live to dive and dive to live. . . .:burnout:

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

My first ocean dives in Freeport, Bahamas had numerous reef and nurse sharks. I was the happiest diver in the world at that moment and have cherished that first experience! It was not a feed dive in any way, and it truly was the dive that "hooked" me to these amazing fish!

Carolyn:shark2:

 

[baggysalls]

I agree with u being angry at the type of replies you have been getting from instructors etc...I see your need for a direct answer? If a shark is coming at me while im at the surface should i dive under? should i try to roll over him? Its obvious if i have a spear gun poke it in the eyes or gills but what if my gun is not accessible at the time? or just shot a fish. And its pretty crazy to me that someone could go out spearfishing 10+ times and never see a shark. I see sharks almost everytime I go spearfishing. The last 5 times i have speared behind Elliot Key in miami I have seen a shark everytime. In Dania also. Bulls and Lemons. Nurse sharks shouldnt even be considered dangerous.

 

[DCBC]

In 45 years of diving (almost 40 of these professionally), I haven't had many problems with sharks. I've taken my welding torch to a large tiger that got too close to me for his own good, but have only been involved in one situation where I felt that it could have been considered an attack.

I had just finished a dive with a large number of bull sharks. There were 3 teams of divers that went into the water. I had just finished the dive and was on the surface at the stern of the boat waiting for my buddy to climb the ladder, when someone pulled me down by my left fin. I turned around with a smile on my face to joke with the "attacking diver" but no one was there. I took off my fins and climbed the ladder and was told that I was the last one out of the water.

I still sometimes wear the fins I was wearing on that day. They bear vertical scrape marks in the graphite that have been covered by other marks over time. It's nice somehow to have a souvenir. Since then, I'm especially careful when I approach the surface and pay more attention when I'm at the ladder. My buddy's have commented that I don't loiter much on the surface near the boat. LOL

 

[rickdean]

I'm so glad I found this thread! I love shark diving.

Maybe the real issue here is someone's PERCEPTION of a shark and what it will likely do vs. what it really IS and most often does.

That was my personal case a few years ago. For me, education was key. I went from being terrified of sharks, to being involved with days of being near the center of Caribbean Reef shark feeds to going on 2 Great White expeditions and being outside the cages. . . all within about a 3 month period. I now dive with Bulls or whatever??? on a regular basis. (I had explained this in detail, but my stupid computer suddenly lost all my info and I have to start over. . .GRRRR).

Anyway, I think addressing the shark issue is important, right up front. Some things you can say are:

1. Tell them to "pray" they have the RARE opportunity to see a shark. Many divers dive their whole life and NEVER get that wonderful opportunity!

2. Tell them if they still feel apprehensive that it would likely be only a Nurse or Reef or ??? shark and just to stay close to their buddy, if that makes them feel better, although there is really no need to.

3. Tell them sharks are afraid of bubbles and will likely RUN from them if they try to swim TOWARD the shark. That the shark is more afraid of them than they are of it.

4. Since I am in U/W photography, I tell them if they see a shark, let ME go after it and get the photo and they stay "put". That usually eases tension and they laugh, realizing that I am REALLY hoping to see a shark.

 

[baggysalls]

This has been the most interesting thread ever. Thanks a million everyone

 

[lemondiver]

There are shark awareness classes you can take that will educate you on the behavior and safety of sharks. I have dove in FL for 7 years and have never seen a shark. However I do shark dive. Don't look like food-prey is good but not help to a new diver. Don't flop around on the surface, don't grab the shark, don't HIT the shark unless it's got you in it's mouth-that is an extremely aggressive behavior if it comes close and you smack it you will probably get bit. Try, even as a new diver, not to make sudden movements, blow a heavy stream of bubbles and you can take your reg out and hit the purge. Another thing is wear gloves and a hood if you're really concerned. Most of all stay CALM! Sharks are more afraid of you anyways. All in all I agree with one of the posts that if I see a shark I am grateful and thrilled. Don't know where you're diving but if you're interested in doing shark dives I can give you some great operators to go out with.