Sharks vs Squid...

[gonetobaja]

I am doing a little bit of research. Based on the current perceptions would you rather encounter a shark while diving or a Giant Humboldt Squid. :06:

If you where looking for an encounter what would you rather see.....

If you werent looking for an encounter what would you rather see.....

We are about to make a major investment in gear and would like to know what the opinion of the Scubaboard members is.

Sharks=cages$$$$$

Squid=body armor sets$$$$$

Decisions, decisions......

All opinions and advice are welcome. What is the future of ocean animal encounters, is a change comming or is the ole standby for cage diving got a choke hold on all the other animals?

GTB
www.sea-wolves.com

 

[H2Andy]

boy, you guys have done some damage already.... sorry to say

"dancing with the demons?"

sigh... personally, i wouldn't pay a penny to go out with you guys, mostly
due to the bad publicity you've brought upon yourselves

you asked =)

 

[Jeff Toorish]

And so it begins.

*smile*

 

[gonetobaja]

Thanks.....

Please elaborate on our bad publicity. We have done two presentations now one for www.ncups.org and one for www.ocups.org. Both are conservation minded groups after photos not calimari fillets. Both liked the presentation very much.

Maybe you have some experience diving with the Humboldt squid and you could tell me why "Dancing with Demons" for our promotional clip is such a bad name. The locals call the big ones "Demonio Rojo" It means Red Demon. The underwater movement of the squid can be compared to a dance.........And there you have the name of the clip. Dont take the bait on the Discovery Channel program where they claimed the Humboldt Squid is a missunderstood gentle animal that is not really the apex predator that we claim it too be. Be wary of getting too much of your info on TV. It seems like its the " IN " thing to claim that dangerous animals are really gentle...:06:

Id also be very interested in the damage we are doing. For every panga we hire out of the fishing fleet we are saving about 100 animals per boat per night. From my angle (and I am biased) I think that eco-tourism that replaces the mass killing of animals would be a good thing. Maybe you did not know that the panga fleet in one area is capable of harvesting (killing) thousands of Humboldt Squid every night. At the moment there is no type of conservation program for this animal, and thats what this is about. Unless you think we are getting rich by doing this and our motivation is money.

There are alot of people out there that are hearing about our work and this thread is designed to bring out exactly this type of opinion sharing.

I would be very interested in hearing how we could possibly adapt our operation to somehow answer these concerns, once I know what they are. How do you feel about shark diving operations:06:

Thanks for your input.

GTB
www.sea-wolves.com

 

[pablovi]

I'm sorry, I've never heard of your store, company or what ever you call it, but the intro on your page says "survive the dive" and has a video of a giant squid aproaching the camera, which implies being attacked by giant Squids and I don't see that as conservationist at all, it seems a lot more as adventure diving, and to me it seem like a Pamplonada! Going to a place to be chased or attacked by wild animals! And I dont think that's a good thing for the enviroment or these animals!

 

[Mike Veitch]

I'd dive with the squids with you!

Need another HD cameraman?!?!

 

[archman]

I think cage diving will be with us for a long time. It's simple, and it's (mostly) foolproof. Unfortunately, cages are primarily designed with sharks in mind, not squishy cephalopods that can unscrew things with their arms, or reach inside cages with those arms and rip off masks and hoses.

The general diving community for the most part mirrors the general public. Which is still enamoured with sharks. Sharks are the bomb, and dominate the media. Humboldt squid, on the other hand, are still very much unknown to most recreational divers. This makes them a fringe element from a current marketing perspective (although with the species' intrusion into southern california waters, this may rapidly change).

Speaking for my dive students, I'd say that as a whole, they prefer fish encounters vs. ones with invertebrates. Even octopi or cuttlefish. Chalk it off as a backbone animal affinity. Sea turtles and marine mammals get even higher preferences. Whenever a dolphin strays into a dive site, I know my lesson plan's shot to heck.

Personally, I think there's a solid niche market for those Baja squid dives that'll probably see continued growth. But if you don't already have a shark encounter-type trip established, and the area suits having one, I'd definitely consider diversifying to encompass that market.

Humboldt squid populations are on the upswing, while shark populations are still very low. If you have a shark-rich area, that's an asset to the dive operator.

 

[pablovi]

BTW, there is diving with large schools of Hammerhead sharks that doesn't require a cage in The sea of Cortez.

 

[archman]

Here's a good informational thread about the Baja dive ops. Nice pics too.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=114261&highlight=humboldt+squid

Their website IS overly dramatic, but that's to cater to the adventure-type divers that live for unusual stuff like this. Cephalopod biologists don't seem to object to their operation; on the contrary, their video footage provides for an excellent way to educate the public. The squid aren't injured, minus the occasional lost arm. That's the squid's fault.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Squid pop on the upswing Arch?

Call me cynical but i find it had to believe that us humans aren't wiping out each and every viable fishery.....

I know you are a ceph guy so you would know, and if its true that is great to hear....

Not often we don't overfish something...