Shark attacks diver

[CuzzA]

True, laws are broken.

I'm not sure how most spearos are taught to deal with sharks around the world while fishing, but I know in my area every one is adamant about not giving a shark your catch. Protect it and fight back. Who knows how well this is being executed.

Here's an article I mentioned about the Red Sea attacks due to shark experience dives. It's interesting that after going back and reading it they think the attacks were from Oceanic White Tips. I did not remember what type of shark it was earlier. Sharks Under Siege: Part I: Undercurrent 04/2011

I said I'm against shark feeding earlier and some of these operators in the article argue it helps to conserve the species through education. Well, aside from the objections in the article they are dead wrong. Sharks need to be scared of men. If not they are likely to get shot if they approach a fisherman with aggressive feeding behavior.

 

[Freewillow]

The Brothers are 40 miles out at sea and part of a natural reserve, with a few isolated soldiers/guards on the rocks. The bottom is at 1000 feet + and strong current is the norm. The video of the longimanus was taken @ 10/12 feet, very close to the boat with no current. The hammerheads were taken on Daedaleus reef @ +/- 140 feet.

I agree with you, to give food to sharks is something silly .

 

[drrich2]

On the subject of the red sea oceanic white tip attacks, I was thinking there was a different proposed explanation than shark experience dives, at least as a possibility, so I took a look at the Wikipedia entry today:

By late December 2010, the most plausible theory to emerge was that the dumping of sheep carcasses in the Red Sea by a livestock transport during the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adhahad attracted the sharks to the shore. Other theories focused on overfishing in the Red Sea or on the illegal or inadvertent feeding of sharks or smaller fish close to the shore, which produced scents that attracted more sharks.

The issue of whether shark feeding dives (which from what I understand tend to be closer inshore and target different species than oceanic white tips) encourage sharks to bother other divers not on shark feeding dives has been debated on other threads. But fishermen dump fish parts in the water, so the idea of sharks being drawn to boats would be no surprise.

Richard.

 

[Iralub]

Hope the guy is getting better. Now I am a bit scared @ what I videotaped a few weeks ago


hammerhead


Or this, longimanus

Wow, the hammerhead is gorgeous. The second video is awesome as well, but in a different way - if an oceanic white tip was doing that around me, I'd be getting pretty scared!

 

[Freewillow]

Don't worry Iralub, I did not like it at the end .

 

[mmmbelows]

Sorry, but I disagree with your evaluation of the second video. First, it's an Oceanic White Tip. These sharks inhabit the deep blue, far offshore where hardly anyone is spearfishing. Very few spearos are doing deep technical spearfishing dives where they would come into contact with that species. Furthermore, we know that species is not one to take lightly under any circumstance. They are flat out predators as evidence of the history of them eating crews who were treading water after their ships went down. In fact, IMO, I would characterize them more dangerous to dive with than Great Whites due to food being so scarce in the open ocean and "anything" is potentially a good meal, including a diver.

Don't forget I purposely said "usually". I think my description of that sharks behavior definitely could be labelled accurate as I described, it also could be labelled differently with more information such as being a 'man eater' species. Of course no less than 10 years ago nobody would dare free swim outside a cage with great whites due to them being known killers because of our little known history of them, of course we are learning otherwise and the great white's notorious reputation is being fleshed out and becoming a bit more complex. Could the Oceanic go the same way? I'd think it would possible. There is still a tremendous amount of miss-information about sharks even by those who should know better. I only have to point to any Jacques Cousteau film to be shocked at even a man who was trying to save the oceans and promote education about them and their creatures filmed and discussed killing every shark they find, calling them the devils of the ocean. We've come a long way but there is still much to learn.

 

[drrich2]

While it's a bit of a tangent, since oceanic white-tips & their perceived dangerousness have come up, it's worth noting people do paid excursions to dive with them cageless near Cat Island in the Bahamas.

 

[CuzzA]

While it's a bit of a tangent, since oceanic white-tips & their perceived dangerousness have come up, it's worth noting people do paid excursions to dive with them cageless near Cat Island in the Bahamas.

Stupid, IMO. But hey, it's all good until someone gets eaten or the now unafraid shark takes a powerhead to the gills while harassing a spearo.

I just happened to stumble upon this incredible, yet tragic story about an Oceanic White Tip attack that I thought was worth sharing for anyone who hasn't read this story. It's unrelated to feeding, but the author does talk about feeding Oceanics for film crews in another story. (Sharks/Wallet).

Shark Attack! | Gilliam

 

[Freak*Flag*Flyer]

Pretty rare.....would be a rattling experience!
Best wishes that he heals without complications.

Shark attacks Brazilian scuba diver during Unesco marine preserve dive | World news | The Guardian

I hope he will be okay. Are they sure it's a Hammerhead? It's rare for a HH to attack.

 

[Doc Harry]

Excluding those shark attacks on scuba divers who were carrying a string of fish - shark attacks on scuba divers are extremely rare. You should be more afraid of getting struck by lightning.