Sharks vs Lightning

[archiebald]

Here are a couple more I liked....

 

[lozadora]

I am really not sure what you are talking about here. Unless we are talking about a different set of statistics, we are talking about total numbers, so why would any of those things matter?

And by the way, the shark fatalities do not generally involve divers. They are usually swimmers, snorkelers, and surfers. Almost all such attacks occur on the surface. The only diver attacks I know were also on the surface. If you can find numbers for divers killed while actually on a dive, I would like to see them. I don't think there have been many at all.

I've been giving this some thought too, because when you see statistics about the NUMBER of heart attacks, road accidents etc compared to shark attacks, it could be meaningless and you need to thing about either:
1) The percentage of people who go in the ocean that are attacked by sharks;
2) The percentage of divers that are attacked by sharks; or
3) The percentage of divers who see a shark and are subsequently attacked.

Obviously the percentages will then be higher, but I bet it's still incredibly low given the absolute number of shark attacks and the number of dives (think about a seasoned instructor who could log 1,000+ dives a year).

 

[Tigerman]

I know quite a few DMs that log 500-1500 dives a year in locations thats known to have both stripy sharks and the pelagic type with whit tips on their fins, but the stories of them feeling threatened is few and far between, unlike the number of stories about snorklers being tasted by them..

 

[g1138]

If Spielberg really had a conscience, he should use some of his personal fortune to distribute a major documentary on the oceans and what man is doing to them, with a focus on barbaric shark finning. I am thinking something like Deep Blue.


On the subject of statistics, I quite like this little image...

View attachment 133653

It's hard to make a grabbing and interesting film, especially when you know nothing about the topic or have to rely on others to deliver the messages.
Most shark experts are in fact not experts, because not much is known about most sharks. That's not to say they're not very knowledgeable, but you can have one expert give his opinion on a shark in the media and several other experts within the same state will have no idea who that person is. And shark experts don't exactly come in the dozen.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

At the rate humans have been wiping out sharks around the world, I think it won't be many more years until we no longer have to worry about shark "attacks" ... once again proving that the most dangerous animal in the ocean is us ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[adurso]

Everybody worries about sharks, but not dolphins.....dolphins leave no remains.....

 

[Tigerman]

And dolphins are evil bullies that play with their prey for hours before eating it too. Atleast with the shark its reasonably quick, should you be so unfortunate

 

[boulderjohn]

I know quite a few DMs that log 500-1500 dives a year in locations thats known to have both stripy sharks and the pelagic type with whit tips on their fins, but the stories of them feeling threatened is few and far between, unlike the number of stories about snorklers being tasted by them..

In 2010, there were several Oceanic White Tip attacks in the same area of the Re Sea within a matter of days. It turned out later that they were being attracted to people in the area of the shore by illegal feeding of the sharks.

But that's not my point.

At the height of the resulting local fear, I read the ScubaBoard Red Sea forum regularly to see what was going. Most of the people posting were the people who worked there as as instructors and DMs. In one very telling post, the writer said that when he was leading a dive, he was wary and a little worried on the surface, but once they were fully submerged, he felt they were safe.

 

[koozemani]

Besides the Red Sea Cases and Shark feeding cases, the only fatality of a diver under water that I can remember reading about on SB was off of Africa somewhere during the sardine run. The diver was in the thick of it, et voila mistaken for the largest sardine ever.

 

[Tigerman]

That would have been in Sharm El Sheikh and it would be dead smack in the hotel district and all attacks where on tourists puddeling about on the surface, so I guess they where right to be worried at the surface.
Also the reason wasnt quite as clear as it might seem from some people. Ive not ever seen or talked to any diver who has actually been on one of those "feeding trips". What I do know however is that the boat crews down there live on the boat and I know where I put fish guts and stuff when I cook on a boat. Theres also suspicions of cattleboats (litrally) that was dumping dead livestock overboard in the area.
Not to forget that the Egyptian minister of Tourism blamed the israelis - the shark apparently where specop sharks sent by them..

Whatever the reason was (It probably was all of the above, sans mossad sharks), the point still is - If youre wasting your vacation on the surface, youre a sitting duck - or as the sharks would see you - a struggling seal.