Shark kills Diver

[Lake Muroc Diver]

Fuzz Mutton, cool name by the way. You are correct in your analysis of some of the roughness of some replies. This is not the most "PC" group, SCUBA divers I mean.
As a comparison, I used to ride crotch rockets through California rush hour traffic. When one of my two wheelin brothers got smashed in traffic there was a true feeling of a loss to the group. However there was also a underlying acknowledgement of the "play with fire you get burned" sentiment also. If We wanted safety we would be driving a Volvo Sedan with a 1.8 L.
If the Shark divers were concerned about personal safety, they might have been diving in a pool.
My analysis is we as a group realise that the thrill seekers want to have the brush with death for whatever reason. If occasionally one in the thrill seekers does not get killed or mutilated by the source of the danger then that behavior has lost its appeal. This poor soul rolled the dice and lost. Sorry for his family,indeed, did they know his foolhardy choice? He did, like I did when I flew through traffic splitting lanes on a sportbike. I doubt that the fool in the Volvo I might have run into would have shared my choice. The poor shark community is an innocent bystander sucked into the accident by instinct. Lawyers would get involved.

 

[deco_martini]

Driving a motorcycle doesn't possibly affect much more than the person driving it. These apples/oranges personal liberty comparisons don't really withstand much critical thought.

 

[Fuzzmutton]

The conversations about whether or not the guy ought to have been doing what he was doing, whether or not it was safe, blah blah, roll right off my back. I personally don't like to have my freedoms restricted (not saying I would go on a shark feeding dive, either) but a lot of people are bringing up good points for discussion. It's all good, as they say. It's the callous joking remarks about the guy's death that I objected to. I put my .02 in, so I'll drop it.

I understand your comparison BTW.

 

[peterbj7]

Driving a motorcycle doesn't possibly affect much more than the person driving it

I'm with quite a lot of what you've been saying, but not this. A serious motorcycle accident that doesn't directly involve others is in the minority, and it always involves lots of other people - rescue services, the people who have to clean up the road, even just the people who see the aftermath and wish they hadn't.

Even if there's no accident, weaving in and out of traffic creates a stressful and maybe dangerous environment for every road user nearby.

I've never so far had a serious m/c accident but I ride fast bikes fast, and bicycles, and I have a car. So I've seen it from every angle.

No man is an island.

 

[deco_martini]

I'm with quite a lot of what you've been saying, but not this. A serious motorcycle accident that doesn't directly involve others is in the minority, and it always involves lots of other people - rescue services, the people who have to clean up the road, even just the people who see the aftermath and wish they hadn't.

Even if there's no accident, weaving in and out of traffic creates a stressful and maybe dangerous environment for every road user nearby.

I've never so far had a serious m/c accident but I ride fast bikes fast, and bicycles, and I have a car. So I've seen it from every angle.

No man is an island.

I do understand this and I also understand that this is why helmet laws exist. The burden on emergency services from unhelmeted motorcycle accidents was not trivial. It could be said that the helmet law is the balance between the freedom to ride a bike on public roads and the responsibility you have for doing it.

 

[8thElementDiver]

I fully agree that people need to be more accountable about their personal actions. However, there also need to be checks and balances.

How many baited-water cage-free shark dives had this diver done before--0, 5? If he had done so few (which is likely the case since he was not a professional photographer or videographer), how can he possibly be expected to be able to judge whether he is capable of handling the experience? What about the operator--they've done hundreds of these dives, and that means they are the ones who have the experience necessary to make the call whether or not someone is ready for that type of diving. Simply having divers sign waivers and liability releases (standard practices for any dive) does not absolve the operator of responsibility.

Likewise, no sane dive operator would allow someone with 20 dives and a single Al-80 dive the Andria Doria (even if the diver vehemently protested they believed they had enough experience to do the dive); if they did let such a person dive, and that person died, the dive operator would be skewered by the dive community (and rightly so).

Finally, if you want a cage-free shark dive there are safe ways to do--by using chain mail, for example, and going where sharks naturally congregate, rather than baiting them. But this operator offered no chain mail. Why? Because it's expensive and time-consuming to work with.

This dive operator was interested in one thing only--making a ton of money from ignorant divers with money to throw at "adventure excursions".

In the process of blindly following their greed they have:
- harmed the image of scuba divng.
- added to the irrational sensationism surrounding sharks.
- harmed the enviroment through unnatural feeding.
- harmed the tourism image of the Bahamas.
- killed a man.

And that's why I hope they go bankrupt or are otherwise driven out of business.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

And that's why I hope they go bankrupt or are otherwise driven out of business.

Nice! You've got more than the media reports of this incident and some forum banter to go on I hope! :mooner:

As was stated before, the thrill of a dangerous shark cage-less experience would not be so thrilling if it was safe. Remember, even negative publicity is still publicity.

I am a third generation Sierra Clubber; Greenpeace and Seasheperd supporter, as well as shark conservationist/photographer. If I could afford it, I would go with this operator!

 

[8thElementDiver]

Nice! You've got more than the media reports of this incident and some forum banter to go on I hope!

How about a letter written in 2007 from Neal Watson, president of the Bahamas Diving Association, which asked all dive operations to cease and desist conducting open-water non-cage shark diving experiences. The letter states, "We have become aware that some dive operators have chosen to disregard standard safe-diving practices as it relates to interactions with Tiger Sharks and other potentially dangerous species of Sharks".

You can read more about it (including the letter) here:
UnderwaterTimes | 'Cowboy' Shark Dive Operator Warned Over Safety Before Fatal Attack; 'Accident Waiting To Happen'
with more info here:
Shark encounters criticized after diver dies in attack -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

If you don't believe the media, contact Mr. Watson or the Bahamas Diving Association directly:

Neal@NealWatson.com
800-327-8150

Bahamas Diving Association, US Chapter
P.O. Box 21707
Fort Lauderdale , FL 33335
Phone: 954-236-9292
Fax: 954-236-9282
Toll-Free: 1-800-866-DIVE
bda@clinegroup.net


The fact remains that this dive operator had to leave Florida because of his practices, that the Bahamas Diving Association (which represents most dive operations in that country) asked him to stop his unsafe practices, and that the Bahamian government is investigating the dive operator's responsibility in this incident.

There are smart, safe, and ecologically-friendly ways to interact with sharks on a dive; this operator has chosen to ignore those methods, despite repeated warnings from others. And if the operator isn't driven out of business by this tragedy, I hope the readers of this board learn to understand why it's important not to give these types of operations our business.

 

[Divergirl4U]

I have done a shark dive in shark alley in Lucuya Bahamas, but the water was not chummed and the feed was very controlled. This allowed the feeder to bring the sharks in close to us … it was amazing.
But the thought of diving in waters fresh with blood and food seems silly.

 

[seaducer]

That being said, I think there are some people reading this thread that don't realize this is a specialized dive operator marketing shark feeds with tiger and bull sharks. 2 breeds of sharks recognized as being aggressive, dangerous and large.

Ok, this seems to be a popular idea on the various threads, that the reason this dive and this operator are worse is because these are tiger and bull sharks, not reef sharks. (I know the post I am quoting doesn't blame the operator, I chose this sentence to make a point...)

The reason that bulls and tigers are implicated in more attacks than almost any other species, is because they frequent warm turbid nearshore waters where there happen to be alot of bathers.

Once you get them out into clear water they are no more likely to bite then any other species. If you add food to the water, the shark will look for something to eat. That something is not a diver. There are no man-eating sharks. Occaisionally a shark, a rogue individual, will consume parts of a human, but that is an exception. We are not on the menu of any species and when bitten as food are promptly let go.

There is a reason that so many people have done similar dives and not had any incidents.

RE camera's being taken away... have you not noticed that when a shark cruises past a diver, they shove the camera out to get a good close up shot? I have seen video's of this and the diver is practically shoving the camera into their mouths. No wonder some get snatched.