Shark Bite risk

[Peter_C]

Stay away from shark-infested waters and you'll be OK.

Umm...Bill, his wife, and myself are supposed to go diving next week in the Red Triangle, named for the fact that it is one of the highest concentrations of Great White sharks and known shark bites. Depending on conditions we may be diving exactly where a scuba diver was bitten.

With that said most people do not actually die, and of all the people bitten I believe it is only ONE scuba diver (Heavily laden with electronic equipment), a few free divers, one urchin diver at the surface, some swimmers, and a whole lot of surfers and body boarders, of which one was my neighbor.

The reality is if you get to see the Landlord, call it a special moment, and then you have a story to tell to everyone. We have a couple of free divers that have seen them, and one got followed to the surface. Took him around 20 minutes to swim back into the cove, and he now has a great story to tell of swimming the wrong direction and living to tell about it after the Landlord paid him a visit.

The statistics show you are more likely to drown for other reasons, and continuing to practice drills and ensure you follow safety protocols are far more important than worrying about sea life.

I have been to a shark feed in the past and will not be participating in another one on principle. I would still like to dive with the bull sharks in Play Del Carmen and see sharks in their natural surroundings all over the world.

 

[Nemrod]

I did not do so good on these shots, this was two camera rigs before my current Canon. No RAW capability hurts.

N

 

[Steve_C]

Fish including sharks are very good at identifying food sources. They do learn. In a quarry we dive in some times the bass will follow divers up a shallow road exit. Right at the shore there are minnows which scatter from the exiting divers. You can hear the carnage behind you. Have had a big cuda hang 6 inches off my dive buddy's back while we were hunting around on the bottom. Waiting for him to stir up some food. I could give lots more examples.

 

[Steve_C]

In NC during the summer we have sharks on every dive. Mostly sand tigers but some sandbar and others.,

 

[muzikbiz22]

Sharks are great !! Even had a Great White encounter in the wild this past year. He swam by, and continued on. Was nothing short of amazing

 

[theduckguru]

Only one shark attack a year in the US? I guess Hawaii doesn't count. When I was there about 8 years ago there were 2 in one week.

The Facts Behind Shark Attacks in Hawaii

 

[chillyinCanada]

1 in 119 suicides!?!? What the . . .? As for the poster who has survived a number of things on the list, certainly needn't worry. If bitten by a shark you are likely to survive that too. By the way, do you buy lottery tickets?

I agree that at a minimum sharks come to recognize that the sound of a boat motor can mean feeding. What I don't know is how long that association lasts.

 

[Adobo]

Still, I do question whether it is a good idea to engage in shark feeds while diving.

Even though these dives are presumably relatively safe, I never personally understood the appeal of shark feed/dives. I prefer seeing a shark (the kind that don't bite) under more "natural" circumstances.

 

[TMHeimer]

This thread surfaces fairly often with the usual views and statistics. Your chances of going down in a plane compared to getting killed driving are........ But IF your plane goes down you're helpless (you MAY be able to do something in a car). You can drowned a number of ways, but in many cases you can prevent it. If that ONE shark that has vision problems, age problems (too old to catch it's natural prey, so heads to the beach), is injured physically or mentally, hasn't found a nice meal for 34 days---is headed your way, you're SOL. Not something to dwell on. But I'm also not afraid at all of flying, yet know that anytime I step onto a plane the worst CAN happen. THAT'S why I only like sharks on the Discovery Channel.

 

[muzikbiz22]

Even though these dives are presumably relatively safe, I never personally understood the appeal of shark feed/dives. I prefer seeing a shark under more "natural" circumstances (the kind that don't bite).

I can appreciate "to each his own". We all dive for different reasons, etc. While I am not so much a thrill seeker, it is nothing short of amazing and breathtaking to "rub shoulders" and go eye to eye with these stunningly beautiful animals. It never gets old