Media Hype around shark incident
I have a google alert for tags on Great White Sharks and Shark cage diving. In the last two weeks, I have had about 50 alerts to a year old shark incident off Guadalupe Island, so I thought I would have my say as well.
Having seen the video footage, it is clear to me that there are two reasons why this incident occured.
Problem no 1. The Cage.-The viewing ports on that cage was too big for a normal commercial operation, where you have the average diver involved. Where you have a film crew involved and there is specialised filming equipment, yes, the ports are larger than normal, but those ports where far to large and thus the saftey of the diver was compromised.
Problem no 2. The bait handler. The bait handler has one of the most important jobs on the boat. His job is to use the bait to attract the shark to the cage, yet make sure the diver in the cage is safe.The bait should never be allowed to dangle in front of the cage unattended. The handler dragged the bait directly towards the cage, and the shark went straight for it and ended up with his whole body in the cage. ( The shark did not breach as reported. A breach is when a shark propels itself from the water).
Having dived in Guadalupe myself, there are some differences between our operations in False Bay, South Africa and theirs. One is the visibility. Guadalupe has excellent viz and so you should be able to see the shark from far off and thus handle your bait accordingly. We have sometimes only a few metres of vis and so our bait handlers must be quick on the mark, our aim is not feed them our baits. This takes skill and is not as easy as it looks,when it is done properly.
Saying all this,my post is not to have a dig at another operator. Merely to look at an incident and comment on it.
I had a great time in Guadalupe and was very happy with our operator. Rob
What urkes me is the way the media has portrayed this. Again as a "jaws hype". This sensationalism irritates me, using words like "man eater", "great white rips cage apart", and other such nonsense. Sensationalism does nothing to portray sharks in a positive light! Karen
Having seen the video footage, it is clear to me that there are two reasons why this incident occured.
Problem no 1. The Cage.-The viewing ports on that cage was too big for a normal commercial operation, where you have the average diver involved. Where you have a film crew involved and there is specialised filming equipment, yes, the ports are larger than normal, but those ports where far to large and thus the saftey of the diver was compromised.
Problem no 2. The bait handler. The bait handler has one of the most important jobs on the boat. His job is to use the bait to attract the shark to the cage, yet make sure the diver in the cage is safe.The bait should never be allowed to dangle in front of the cage unattended. The handler dragged the bait directly towards the cage, and the shark went straight for it and ended up with his whole body in the cage. ( The shark did not breach as reported. A breach is when a shark propels itself from the water).
Having dived in Guadalupe myself, there are some differences between our operations in False Bay, South Africa and theirs. One is the visibility. Guadalupe has excellent viz and so you should be able to see the shark from far off and thus handle your bait accordingly. We have sometimes only a few metres of vis and so our bait handlers must be quick on the mark, our aim is not feed them our baits. This takes skill and is not as easy as it looks,when it is done properly.
Saying all this,my post is not to have a dig at another operator. Merely to look at an incident and comment on it.
I had a great time in Guadalupe and was very happy with our operator. Rob
What urkes me is the way the media has portrayed this. Again as a "jaws hype". This sensationalism irritates me, using words like "man eater", "great white rips cage apart", and other such nonsense. Sensationalism does nothing to portray sharks in a positive light! Karen
Labels: cage diving, great white, great white sharks, shark incident
posted by AIRJAWS at
7:38 PM
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