Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By Juliet Benning
ne of the most horrifying scenarios yacht crew can face The website of one notorious dive expedition owner (who
Despite this there has been a worrying trend toward attacks Dr Burgess asserts that cage diving is the safest way of seeing
in specific areas that dive schools target for their baiting sharks underwater. He said that divers swimming without a
operations. There are several examples of this happening cage with the larger, more aggressive species of shark, such
in recent months. In March a shark that may have been as tiger sharks, bull sharks and great whites, were foolish and
manipulated by local scuba diving operators to associate lacked common sense. He stated that any diver keen to attempt
humans with food attacked and killed a teen surfer in St Johns, dangerous non-cage dives should fully accept that the outcome
South Africa. Many South African surfers blame scuba diving could be serious injury or death. Repercussions would not solely
operators who bait sharks on the increase in shark attacks. In be restricted to one individual, as there would be a serious
February 2008 a European dive tourist on holiday in the Bahamas backlash within the local community where tourist levels would
died after being attacked by a shark that was antagonised with drop with prospective visitors becoming frightened of swimming
fish bait by reckless scuba divers. in the area. In the aftermath sharks would continue to be
indicted as bloodthirsty killers.
Another high profile attack was that of the US daredevil stuntman
Erich Ritter in the Bahamas in 2002. Ritter is famous for hand feeding
bull sharks and swimming outside the cage with great white sharks. Any diver keen to attempt
During a shoot for the documentary he was making about how
unlikely sharks bites are, he was standing in shallow water when
dangerous non-cage dives should
a chummed-in bull shark decided to take a chunk out of his calf. fully accept that the outcome
Unsurprisingly the baited and hungry shark was indiscriminate in
his food choice. The incident took place at Walkers Cay, a popular
could be serious injury or death.
shark-feeding site that goes by the alternative description of shark
conservation and education centre. Sharks should be appreciated and admired as the powerful
and beautiful wild beasts they are, but seeing them in their
One of the most dangerous tactics employed by divers is free natural environment is extremely rare. Divers who happen upon
chumming, where fish parts are scattered from dive boats to them without baiting them are seeing them in their true form.
attract sharks. Other methods used by divers include baiting Dive tourists who are paying large amounts of cash to swim
sharks with frozen blocks of fish scraps that thaw slowly, in a chummed feeding ground are witnessing an underwater
releasing only minimal amounts of bait. Some operations use moneymaking spectacle. It is time to leave the sharks to get on
a chain-suited shark wrangler who is solely responsible for with what they do best: cruising the oceans as the natural apex
distributing bait at a substantial distance from the divers. predator.
It is not only humans who are endangered by shark feeding;
the sharks themselves learn behaviour that could effect their Image courtesy of Sharkwater.