Shark diving

[Dan]

So watch out for Oceanic Whitetip Sharks (Carcharhinus Longimanus). They are unpredictable. Red Sea DM once told me, that we need to go vertical and keep eyes on them. If they are more than 2, thumb the dive, get the hell out of the water.

 

[Joneill]

Sharks in my experience are not interested in divers even during a feed dive.

Great… but, unfortunately, others have had much a different experience. Take this guy, for one example:

 

[Joneill]

So watch out for Oceanic Whitetip Sharks (Carcharhinus Longimanus). They are unpredictable. Red Sea DM once told me, that We need to go vertical and keep eyes on them. If they are more than 2, thumb the dive, get the hell out of the water.

For sure:


More details here:
Shark attack, Egypt, Brothers islands

 

[johndiver999]

What were they doing when they got bitten? ...
...
So when you say you know a lot of people who've been bitten by sharks, my question is, were they spear fishing or shark feeding?

Generally either of those activities was involved, but sometimes they were not actively spearfishing or had a fish with them or on a line or on a stringer, rather, spearfishing had occured recently in the vicinity.

Of course, the discussion seems to be about "shark diving" which I assume now connotes a baited or feeding dive, so I don't discount those incidences as irrelevant. In fact, I suspect that people look at ALL DIVES and find that the incidence of attacks is EXTREMELY low on divers and then they (mistakenly I think) apply this denominator to risk assessment for baited/feeding shark dives.

I didn't envision this thread to become a compilation of shark bite videos, I thought the tiny nurse shark was amusing and the second blue shark video, just popped up as a suggestion from YT after I viewed the previous one.

It is my gut feeling that a lot of divers over-estimate the ability of shark dive operators to control the situation and think this causes them to underestimate the actual risks involved.

I'm not trying to propose that people dive in their bathtub, but these dives are very much a "trust-me" dive. Something that is commonly denounced on SB for other diving situations and environments.

Hey, I get it, if you are from Iowa and get to dive 10 times a year in sharky, salty water, what is the chance you are going to get hit on the annual "shark dive" or two that you do every year?

 

[Dan]

Great… but, unfortunately, others have had much a different experience. Take this guy, for one example:

Another Fiji’s Tiger Shark near miss.

 

[Satrekker]

I had three night dives at Cocos, I understand they are no longer done, For anyone who has recently been there, is that the case?

Really? That's sad. I also had 3 night dives on my Cocos trip, and they were among my most favorite dives.

 

[Dan]

Those Tiger Sharks are pretty sneaky. Even in marine park like Cocos island, where shark feeding is not allowed, you need to keep your head on a swivel as they may come out of no where, like these juvenile & big mama Tiger Sharks that I spotted with corner of my eyes.

 

[tarponchik]

Great… but, unfortunately, others have had much a different experience. Take this guy, for one example:

We did this dive later, in November 2019. Will do it again if I have a chance.

 

[Satrekker]

Those Tiger Sharks are pretty sneaky. Even in marine park like Cocos island, where shark feeding is not allowed, you need to keep your head on a swivel as they may come out of no where, like these juvenile & big mama Tiger Sharks that I spotted with corner of my eyes.

Liz, one of the feeders for Emerald, mentioned that tigers are like teething puppies, and when they show up, you pretty much ignore the other sharks and keep your head on a swivel. You don't take your eyes off them.

I've never dove in a feeding situation with a tiger shark, but the largest I've ever seen was a good 16' at 117' in Cocos, and I can tell you that before she showed up, everything got spooky still. It was very weird, and I was wondering WTH, and then she swam by me not more than 20' away. She was impressive to say the least.

 

[Joneill]

We did this dive later, in November 2019. Will do it again if I have a chance.

Not me - I’ll be in Fiji in August (hopefully) and steered clear of hitting this area as I’m not a fan of baited dives, but have fun… and keep your head on a swivel.