ShoalDiverSA
Contributor
Stirling:I didn't get the impression that the diver was complaining:
Sorry, I see I didn't state my case too well (in hindsight).
I'm not really too concerned about the diver's take on the incident. It is the media that I am not happy with. (Though I must say that he is taking full advantage of the limelight. A simple admission by him that this is part of the "fun" of cage diving would go some way to quiet the media down.)
The press have taken the usual line of the-mean-killer-shark-that-took-a-pot-shot-at-the-poor-innocent-person-who-was-totally-not-expecting-it-and-certainly-did-not-deserve-it. Their embellishments don't do sharks any good at all. While they should be going overboard doing all they can to save sharks from being wiped out, the media is doing its level best to make them out as Enemy No.1.
I just don't see this level of sensationalism with land animals/predators. When someone gets injured by a lion, it gets a sideline article. When a shark bites a cage near someone who put themselves in the situation, it is headline news.
Maybe it's the combination of the Jaws syndrome and fear of the sea itself - not knowing what's going on below the surface.
It will be interesting to see if anyone is actually sued in the end. Difficult one to fight/prove, I would think.
Cheers,
Andrew