Should out of cage scuba diving be allowed with great white sharks at Guadalupe Island?

[SeaweedDiver]

Only one operator at Guadalupe offers divers the chance to go scuba diving with great white sharks. Is this a good idea? Are the other guys chickens? Or are the other boat operators appropriately cautious??

http://biganimals.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/GWS-16-PDF-and-Application-Form-1-20-2016.pdf

 

[DustyC]

If the diver is aware of the danger, it's nobody else's business.

 

[drrich2]

Allowed? Based on what angle? If it's protecting fools (in your opinion) from themselves, it raises the question of liberty vs. safety; does the government own you, or should you as a free-willed adult of informed decisional capacity be master of your own choices?

On the other hand, if you are concerned people putting themselves in harm's way might teach great whites people are defenseless and edible (albeit not an optimal choice), leading to someone elsewhere getting attacked, that's another story, and the question becomes what is our best reasoned speculation on the risk (I cannot imagine we have scientific studies on it!)?

I'm not 'cheering for Darwin' to 'get' people doing things I consider dangerous, anymore than I take that attitude when people try to climb Everest, ski dangerous slopes, etc... Nor am I interested in tackling one to stop him, or calling police to intervene. Some problems in this world are not mine (or ours) to solve.

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

The other boats ikely pay much less in liability insurance..

Of course if I'm reading this correctly, you're paying most of that anyway. It doesn't cost almost double to do the same trip w/o the cage.

trip price $5,900 per person, in cage, plus $5,700 for cageless

This is probably a good idea also:

At no point do we ever follow the sharks into the blue...

 

[KeithG]

this is a great idea - we are running short on Darwin awards fro 2016?

 

[AZTinman]

As long as the operator follows the rules and regulations of the biosphere reserve surrounding Guadalupe Island, who cares?

It looks like the two cage breach incidents that were reported during the 2016 season were the result of both intentional and accidental failure to follow the biosphere rules and regulations.

Several operators have offered clients the opportunity to use a 'balcony feature' on their cages for a couple of years. This allowed divers to get on top of cages with simply a handrail between them and the sharks.

Shark diving trips to Guadalupe Island are a business enterprise. I suspect all of the operators engaged in this enterprise would have difficulty filling their trips if they charged $11,600.00 per person.

-AZTinman

 

[Stoo]

Stay tuned for "Killer Shark Maims Diver" vids on YouTube. Complete with warnings to viewers...

 

[gkrane]

My thoughts........Given enough time this excursion will end poorly for someone.

 

[flyboy08]

Sharks have too eat too.

 

[MaxBottomtime]