Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS) Wetsuits?

[doctormike]

When a dog bites, it's usually provoked. When a shark bites, it's always unprovoked.

When a dog bites, it usually leaves a small scar. When a shark bites, it usually results in amputation of a limb.

Dogs don't consider humans a potential source of food. Sharks sometimes do.

Most dogs weigh less than me and would not be capable of killing me. Most sharks weigh more than me, and could very easily kill me.

Dogs are territorial, and their territory can be avoided by staying out of their owners territory. Sharks exist in the territory that I go into for recreation, but dogs do not.

Call me crazy, but for those reasons, when I jump into a shark infested waters, I'm going to be more worried about sharks than dogs!

If I ever decide to jump naked into a pit of wild dogs (ie, wolves), I will be looking for a wolf proof suit

I was just responding to the fact that you had responded to a statistic about the number of fatal attacks with one about attacks in general.

Yes, all of the above is true. And yet the average person in the US is still 66 times as likely to be actually killed by a dog (not just ending up a small scar) than by a shark in any given year. Of course, your actual risk depends on your exposure to each animal, but the point is that of all the things to worry about when scuba diving, it seems like shark attacks are pretty far down on the list of things that can kill you.

Anyone have those stats? Here's my 5 minute research, happy to read more.

I googled "scuba diver killed by shark". I got SEVEN PAGES of google results. EVERY link was to an article about the 20 year old in Australia this past July. If this was common, you would think that at least one other hit would show up. And you know what? If you look at the later links about that death in July, the reporting was subsequently corrected to say that he was actually free diving and spearfishing.

 

[Ukmc]

Call me crazy, but for those ...

Yes , you are crazy. Time to either take a shark ecology class or get out of the water...

 

[davehicks]

I have paid a LOT of money over the years for the privilege of jumping into Shark Infested Waters.

 

[doctormike]

I like my dog infested city...

 

[WetSEAL]

I was just responding to the fact that you had responded to a statistic about the number of fatal attacks with one about attacks in general.

Yes, all of the above is true. And yet the average person in the US is still 66 times as likely to be actually killed by a dog (not just ending up a small scar) than by a shark in any given year. Of course, your actual risk depends on your exposure to each animal, but the point is that of all the things to worry about when scuba diving, it seems like shark attacks are pretty far down on the list of things that can kill you.

Anyone have those stats? Here's my 5 minute research, happy to read more.

I googled "scuba diver killed by shark". I got SEVEN PAGES of google results. EVERY link was to an article about the 20 year old in Australia this past July. If this was common, you would think that at least one other hit would show up. And you know what? If you look at the later links about that death in July, the reporting was subsequently corrected to say that he was actually free diving and spearfishing.

There are many dangers to worry about when scuba diving. Pulmonary embolism, decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, drowning, being taken by current, etc are all statistically much more likely to occur on a pure population basis...but all of those risks are under the direct control of the diver. Other than avoiding shark infested waters, a shark attack is not under the direct control of the diver.

 

[davehicks]

There are many dangers to worry about when scuba diving. Pulmonary embolism, decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, drowning, being taken by current, etc are all statistically much more likely to occur on a pure population basis...but all of those risks are under the direct control of the diver. Other than avoiding shark infested waters, a shark attack is not under the direct control of the diver.

Have you actually seen sharks while diving? I'm not going to say they are always soft and cuddly puppies, but there are few occasions where a diver should feel threatened. It's nearly always an amazing, majestic, and peaceful experience.

 

[doctormike]

There are many dangers to worry about when scuba diving. Pulmonary embolism, decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, drowning, being taken by current, etc are all statistically much more likely to occur on a pure population basis...but all of those risks are under the direct control of the diver. Other than avoiding shark infested waters, a shark attack is not under the direct control of the diver.

How about being killed by a drunk driver on the way to the dive site? No control over that, and probably more likely.

 

[WetSEAL]

Have you actually seen sharks while diving? I'm not going to say they are always soft and cuddly puppies, but there are few occasions where a diver should feel threatened. It's nearly always an amazing, majestic, and peaceful experience.

I've never dove in water that had high frequency of shark attacks before, but I'm moving to hawaii where and plan to go diving in waters with a high shark population on a frequent basis, so I'm looking into ways that I can reduce my risk to counterbalance the increased exposure

 

[davehicks]

I've never dove in water that had high frequency of shark attacks before, but I'm moving to hawaii where and plan to go diving in waters with a high shark population on a frequent basis, so I'm looking into ways that I can reduce my risk to counterbalance the increased exposure

So you have never seen a shark.

 

[flyboy08]

A women in Maine was killed by a Bull last week...