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I had a hunch that the shark threat was minor compared to our fellow man...
Suspension of all diving and watersports activities in Sharm el Sheikh
- Thread starter Red Sea Shadow
- Start date
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I long since stopped believing anything the BBC says, after riots and widespread looting were reported years ago in a town my brother was living in. I called him, he went outside onto the main street that was supposed to have an enormous crowd being fired on by armed police, and said "nothing's happening".
Is anyone aware of any shark attack that has taken place underwater?
Is anyone aware of any shark attack that has taken place underwater?
hg frogman
Contributor
Yes (apart from the fatalities that happened during feeding sessions).
In 1972, in the British Virgin Islands, one of the buddies of Bret Gilliam was killed underwater (quite deep) by two huge oceanic whitetips which repeatedly bit him and took him into the abysses. His body was never found. There had been no feeding of any kind before the accident. Sonic waves from a neighboring submarine may have excited the sharks.
There has probably been other fatalities underwater due to sharks, apart from feeding sessions (notably an Italian photographer in the Mediterranean Sea but I have no specific details).
There have also been non-fatal incidents with sharks, involving divers underwater, during baited dives. Once sharks begin to get used to divers and to associate them with food, like during baited dives or feeding sessions, it's clear that anything can happen, sooner or later, even if it's with a relatively small probability of happening - be it during the baited dive, or at another time. That's why most biologists I know condemn those practices of baiting and feeding. That's partly why I consider that baited dives, and any kind of feeding any fish, SUCK.
Size also matters - while underwater, an encounter with an oceanic whitetip shark is probably less dangerous when the shark is 1.80 meter/6 feet long than when it's 3.60 meter/12 feet long. It seems very likely that the smaller shark is less self-confident, more cautious, towards divers as big as itself.
People have been considering wolves as devils for many centuries, now some urban people consider wolves as inoffensive creatures. Truth is in-between.
Like wolves, sharks are neither angels nor devils - they are predators.
InTheDrink
Contributor
Froggie, your posts are always well balanced and this is no different.
There have been plenty of incidents with sharks underwater but most where no-one was seriously injured. Mostly they seem interested in our equipment (e.g. camera strobes) rather than us ourselves. They sometimes bump us to check us out and as a possible pre-cursor to working out whether we're edible and what if any our defence mechanisms are.
But broadly speaking, and I am absolutely no expert, it seems you're significantly safer as a diver than snorkeller or surfer. Essentially, you're safer not being at the surface.
But I would treat this like some hard and fast rule - as Froggie says: these guys are predators.
J
There have been plenty of incidents with sharks underwater but most where no-one was seriously injured. Mostly they seem interested in our equipment (e.g. camera strobes) rather than us ourselves. They sometimes bump us to check us out and as a possible pre-cursor to working out whether we're edible and what if any our defence mechanisms are.
But broadly speaking, and I am absolutely no expert, it seems you're significantly safer as a diver than snorkeller or surfer. Essentially, you're safer not being at the surface.
But I would treat this like some hard and fast rule - as Froggie says: these guys are predators.
J
tarponchik
Contributor
Interestingly, the database I gave a link to couple of days ago (and which nobody bothered to look at, it seems) mentions 27 cases of shark attacks on divers, excluding what they call "provoked incidents" (e.g., spearfishing, etc) and incidents where no injuries were sustained (e.g., the shark bit the tank). In 5 cases they specify that the diver was on the surface (#2040, 2108, 2538, 2539, and 2572), and in one case they claim the diver has been submerged (#2483). So things happen, I guess, though X-ing a street on foot in Washington DC is far more dangerous (~25 fatalities/yr; ~5,000 total fatalities in US on average/yr; 59,000 injured in 2009).
Oh I read the stat with great interest. Thank you !
It seems by far that the most dangerous activity is surfing. No surprise when we see on Discovery channel what Great Whites do to seals.
Diving seems very safe actually. And I guess this has to do with several factors as pointed out already. But I would also guess that the boubbels makes them careful among divers.
It seems by far that the most dangerous activity is surfing. No surprise when we see on Discovery channel what Great Whites do to seals.
Diving seems very safe actually. And I guess this has to do with several factors as pointed out already. But I would also guess that the boubbels makes them careful among divers.
bubbles01
Registered
Sorry Crowley I didn't realise you had posted about this before. Thank you very much for the clarification. Best wishes, Bubbles 
no worries bubbles - there's a lot of posts to read through!
C.
C.
macrobubble
Contributor
UPDATE
CDWS member update: 15 December 2010
22:00
On 14 December 2010 CDWS received Governor decree # 357 for year 2010 relating to the opening of some beaches and the restart of some marine excursions in Sharm el Sheikh.
This decree caused a lot of confusion and as a result, chairman of CDWS Mr Hesham Gabr, requested a meeting this evening with the Governor of South Sinai and the Egyptian coast guard in a bid to gain some clarification for CDWS members on which activities are allowed and which are not.
As a result of this meeting, CDWS can now confirm that the governor has ruled upon the following:
A: for certified divers with 50 dives or more:
Diving is allowed in all sites including shore sites.
B: for certified divers with less than 50 dives:
Diving is allowed where there are mooring lines only.
No drift dives are allowed.
The area north of Naama Bay to Ras Nasrasni remains closed to this category of diver - this applies until 21.12.2010
C: for beginners courses & intro dive activities:
Diving is allowed only in the following areas (this applies until 21.12.2010)
Sharm El Maya
Naama Bay
Sharks Bay (from the shore only)
South & North Lagoona in Tiran
Nabq Bay
D: other divers
For advanced training of divers with 50 dives or more, the same rules as category A applies.
For advanced training of divers with less than 50 dives, the same rules as category B applies.
Rescue training is temporarily not allowed for the following reasons :
to avoid prolonged time spent on the surface performing skills.
to avoid causing panic to tourists due to the simulated behaviour of the diver playing the role of a victim.
E: Snorkelling
Snorkelling excursions by boats are allowed in all areas of Tiran only.
No drift snorkelling is allowed.
Other areas remain banned - this applies until 21.12.2010
F: Glass bottom boats and semi-subs
Glass bottom boats & semi subs are working as usual.
G: Banana, tube and water ski
Activities of banana, tube and water ski remain banned until further notice.
A copy of the decree will be sent by email as soon as our office receives it tomorrow, Thursday 16 December.
CDWS will keep members informed as soon as we receive further updates from the Governor's office
CDWS member update: 15 December 2010
22:00
On 14 December 2010 CDWS received Governor decree # 357 for year 2010 relating to the opening of some beaches and the restart of some marine excursions in Sharm el Sheikh.
This decree caused a lot of confusion and as a result, chairman of CDWS Mr Hesham Gabr, requested a meeting this evening with the Governor of South Sinai and the Egyptian coast guard in a bid to gain some clarification for CDWS members on which activities are allowed and which are not.
As a result of this meeting, CDWS can now confirm that the governor has ruled upon the following:
A: for certified divers with 50 dives or more:
Diving is allowed in all sites including shore sites.
B: for certified divers with less than 50 dives:
Diving is allowed where there are mooring lines only.
No drift dives are allowed.
The area north of Naama Bay to Ras Nasrasni remains closed to this category of diver - this applies until 21.12.2010
C: for beginners courses & intro dive activities:
Diving is allowed only in the following areas (this applies until 21.12.2010)
Sharm El Maya
Naama Bay
Sharks Bay (from the shore only)
South & North Lagoona in Tiran
Nabq Bay
D: other divers
For advanced training of divers with 50 dives or more, the same rules as category A applies.
For advanced training of divers with less than 50 dives, the same rules as category B applies.
Rescue training is temporarily not allowed for the following reasons :
to avoid prolonged time spent on the surface performing skills.
to avoid causing panic to tourists due to the simulated behaviour of the diver playing the role of a victim.
E: Snorkelling
Snorkelling excursions by boats are allowed in all areas of Tiran only.
No drift snorkelling is allowed.
Other areas remain banned - this applies until 21.12.2010
F: Glass bottom boats and semi-subs
Glass bottom boats & semi subs are working as usual.
G: Banana, tube and water ski
Activities of banana, tube and water ski remain banned until further notice.
A copy of the decree will be sent by email as soon as our office receives it tomorrow, Thursday 16 December.
CDWS will keep members informed as soon as we receive further updates from the Governor's office
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