Diver Killed by Shark

[rubber chicken]

Snake,
Sharkshields are fairly common over here in Oz. I know a few people who have them. Oddly, a lot of folks buy them, do a few dives with them and then don't bother with them again. The units just sit in the garage or are advertised for sale.
One reported problem seems to be, unwanted shocks from the cable, especially when kneeling on the bottom or ferreting around in a cave. There also seems to be a bit of, "I never see any sharks anyway so why am I carrying this bit of extra kit ?".
The manufacturers site seems to contain some quite impressive footage of the units working as advertised, (But, then, I wouldn't expect to see anything else on a manufacturers website! ), but I have never heard of anybody actually using one 'in anger'.
Of course, they do say that the shark you need to fear is the one you can't see!

[Papa Bear]

It's not about "Shark Shields" or Cages! It is about personal choice and responsibility! If you don't want to do it then don't, but if you do you should be able to!

The sharks doesn't know it is being chummed, whether from fisherman cleaning their catch or a fishing boat, they just know there is new opportunity! Sharks associate food from behavior, if you act like food then they will test to see if you are!

[littleleemur]

Sharks associate food from behavior, if you act like food then they will test to see if you are!

Portly old ladies wearing flowery swim-bonnets & elaborately sequined swimsuits swim daily at 5am & at sunset in a bay in Hong Kong's NE. Every few years or so one of them gets picked-off by something (a Shark?) and a media frenzy begins. The government officials are pressured into hiring some Australian Shark "Hunter" who catches nothing for 3-months and then eats some street food, gets sick and is sent back home.

Here in the Sound, flyfishermen are out at dawn and dusk too, standing in their waders or floating in a tube in these murky waters. I wouldn't say they are being too smart either.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...010&hasJS=true

[seasnake]

Yeh, I must admit I don't know if I would like that dangly thing hanging from my leg either, but I suppose it must be necessary for the device to work. Although I guess some would see it as a way to tempt fate and do shark feeding dives and poke at great whites with sticks and not get hurt, I got the impression the device is more for those unexpected nibbles that people get. So surfers or swimmers or divers could wear them as extra insurance that even if they are mistaken for food, the shark won't approach. Interesting that you say people end up leaving them in their garage (guess that means you could get 'em cheap on e-bay ). I guess it's like car insurance though. Some people pay for it their entire lives and never use it. I don't think you would ever need one around our waters here, either. Sightings of sharks while diving are extremely rare.

Snake,
Sharkshields are fairly common over here in Oz. I know a few people who have them. Oddly, a lot of folks buy them, do a few dives with them and then don't bother with them again. The units just sit in the garage or are advertised for sale.
One reported problem seems to be, unwanted shocks from the cable, especially when kneeling on the bottom or ferreting around in a cave. There also seems to be a bit of, "I never see any sharks anyway so why am I carrying this bit of extra kit ?".
The manufacturers site seems to contain some quite impressive footage of the units working as advertised, (But, then, I wouldn't expect to see anything else on a manufacturers website! ), but I have never heard of anybody actually using one 'in anger'.
Of course, they do say that the shark you need to fear is the one you can't see!

[bottlefish]

The government officials are pressured into hiring some Australian Shark "Hunter" who catches nothing for 3-months and then eats some street food, gets sick and is sent back home.

That would be Vic Hislop, self acclaimed shark hunter extrodinaire and protector of the water inclined amongst us. He's a classic character, has a "museum" of shark exhibits just off Arlie Beach in Oz, displaying teeth and info from his kills and some what one sided "facts" about why all sharks should should be destroyed.

[Conrad]

sorry, have not logged in for awhile

IF Anyone is on Facebook, Join the "save the sharks" cause and spread the word. The world would miss these appex predators. The forum has some interesting points of view on this topic.

I am not saying that people should not do it, It's a personal choice. I am not slamming anyone that wants to or thinks they want to try this. I'm just stating my opinion ( same as you )

I do believe that seeing sharks in the wild is inspiring, although all I've managed so far is nurse sharks.

I do believe that chumming gives you a chance to get close to an apex preditor. I liken this to charging tourists to cover them in bacon fat and going to see the bears. ( a little homour ) I would rather see a shark by chance doing his thing by chance.

However
I believe that every one is entitled to live thier life, and take the risks they deem right for them.

Do I agree with chumming .... NO
Do I think it should be banned .... NO
Would I do it ...... NO

My condolences to his family

[Papa Bear]

Conrad, I really can't understand what is the big deal with chumming in the Ocean? Food is a natural thing! The Shark doesn't know what chum is and has no concept of the difference between a whale dying and being consumed than a guy with a bucket of chum? We have to stop putting our values onto the Sharks! The are Apex eating machines and thats what millions of years of finding dead, dying, and hurt things in the ocean has created! The are not bears! Their Brains a tinny in comparison and work more off stimulation as a lower animal! Bears are very intelligent and can solve complex problems, where sharks are reactionary and stimulated by the need to feed until the food is gone! It doesn't know or care where it is coming from, they only know it is food! I can't understand why introducing food into the environment will do anything other than trigger a natural and automatic response which makes it very natural, because it is what they do! They don't judge the source they just eat the result!

[BamaCaveDiver]

I can see both sides of the argument, so like most all I attempt to offer is my personal opinion (and we all know what has been said many time regarding personal opinions.) I am no biologist, so I have no idea how the brain mass compares, but I have seen conditioning happen with smaller fish species as snake alluded to and I'm living proof that the improbable can and does happen from time to time. My biggest concern from all of this is the bad rep that sharks end up getting; they really are beautiful creatures (and they taste pretty good grilled after being marinated in my secret sauce.)

I'll keep riding motorcycles sans a helmet and those who want to dive in chummed waters should be allowed the same freedoms to make their own choice in the matter.

[bottlefish]

Although chumming is done with a natural food source, I still can't think of it as being natural.

IMHO, we're taking their natural food stuff and utilising it in an unnatural way. The scent path isn't coming from a dead carcass, it's coming from a bucket on the back of a boat. We're doing this to manipulate their actions so as we can get what we want from them, we use the chum to get them to perform on demand. So yes, whilst the food stuff we're using is natural, as is their reaction to it, the event itself is completely human generated to satisfy human wishes.

I spent a few months diving in French Polynesia, in both the tuamotous and society islands. Shark populations there are high, shark sightings happened on pretty much every dive. We encountered plenty of black reef tip and white tip reefs, along with black tips and greys and a scattering of others. Sharks would tend to be inquisitive but stand off'ish, ie. they'd check you out but keep a respectful distance. I then did a dive in Morea where sharks were regularly fed by dive centres (I say were, I believe the practice has now been banned in the Society Islands), the minute the boat stopped the sharks, black tip reef, white tips reef and black tips were there circling, we almost hit them as we got in the water, they were bugging us the whole way down. The same species of shark, displaying completely different characeteristics. Interestingly, when we dropped in the water away from the regular feeding site the sharks didn't pay us too much attention. Only one experience to base my viewpoint on, however it would imply that those sharks in the feeding area were showing a conditioned response.

Again, to make it clear, I'm not saying shark feeding should be banned, it is just not something I will support, either by going on one myself or by recommending it anyone else who cares to ask for my opinion.

Just as a foot note, I've been in the water with a wide variety of sharks and never felt threatened. However if I saw a dead whale carcass with sharks having a good munch, I think I would develop a very dibilatating case of hydrophobia

[Conrad]

The difference with chumming and "natural chum" i.e whale carcass is that there is actually a food source at the end of the trail. And yes bears are smarter. When they find a food sent with no food at the end of it they do not waste anymore of their energy ( important to all wild creatures) trying to find what is not there.

And even though an animal has a small brain it can still be conditioned. There are records of fishermen conditioning barracuda to herd fish.

exactly like what happens at a reef where the fish are fed by snorkleing groups. You get in the water and there are fish all at the surface, knowing what is coming next.

I am not saying your opinion is wrong or condemimg it, just stating mine.