tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post4160835406677900604..comments2024-03-25T12:38:37.998+12:00Comments on The Best Shark Dive in the World!: Touching Sharks - Wildlife Harassment?Andrew Cumminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14675497080700112390noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-35900699105415929072015-01-04T00:27:40.603+13:002015-01-04T00:27:40.603+13:00But the elasmo-narcissists aren't interested i...<i>But the elasmo-narcissists aren't interested in any of this. They are interested in making themselves the centre of attention at the expense of the sharks </i>.<br /><br />Totally - well said!<br />The q is, who is who - and there, opinions will continue to differ!DaSharkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787762757245289307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-8812508140195160382015-01-04T00:12:21.924+13:002015-01-04T00:12:21.924+13:00'Agree - but then again, a purely technical/sc...'Agree - but then again, a purely technical/scientific description probably wouldn't do it justice, either.'<br /><br />With 'probably' we are in deep philosophical waters, as you surely know. And the question then extends to human mental attributes (love, hate, the popularity of Barry Manilow) that continue to perplex fine minds. <br /><br />But the elasmo-narcissists aren&#jsdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-66494985912244092332015-01-03T23:46:49.474+13:002015-01-03T23:46:49.474+13:00Nah no trap! :)
I'm just saying that some of ...Nah no trap! :)<br /><br />I'm just saying that some of the behavior is intriguing & worth documenting both in words and in images - but granted, maybe not for a hard-core nature photographer. <br /><br />The language?<br />Agree - but then again, a purely technical/scientific description probably wouldn't do it justice, either.<br />Tricky tricky!<br /><br />But don't worry, I&#DaSharkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787762757245289307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-57123127022348813252015-01-03T23:36:53.413+13:002015-01-03T23:36:53.413+13:00'As a minimum, it is noteworthy - or not?'...'As a minimum, it is noteworthy - or not?'<br /><br />Absolutely - only a few years ago no one would have predicted any of this.<br /><br />'And if a Shark comes back for another dose of a pleasurable sensation, I find that noteworthy too - especially if one considers the stereotype, right?'<br /><br />Agreed. It's when the warm/cuddly/lovey dovey/fluffy shark stuff is jsdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-76146796038021630012015-01-03T23:10:44.158+13:002015-01-03T23:10:44.158+13:00Nah I beg to disagree JSD.
We can observe somethi...Nah I beg to disagree JSD.<br /><br />We can observe <i>something</i> on those dives - but those interactions among free-ranging Sharks would be incredibly difficult to document.<br /><br />So, let's look at what we can observe shall we.<br />I cannot really explain it - but what I can see is that some of our Sharks have a predilection for some people - even for me, and I never ever feed andDaSharkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787762757245289307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-74495185918468054892015-01-03T22:50:16.238+13:002015-01-03T22:50:16.238+13:00'We all know that some wild terrestrial animal...'We all know that some wild terrestrial animals can develop amazing affinities to some people...'<br /><br />But sharks?! <br />First we'd have to have evidence they are capable of developing such affinities with members of their own species before making the leap of faith to assume that when, say, a shark returns for another rub, it is doing nothing more complex than returning for jsdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-88636867133671277052015-01-03T22:18:52.731+13:002015-01-03T22:18:52.731+13:00Dang Grant, I've just realized that I didn'...Dang Grant, I've just realized that I didn't post the link to that Bull/Nurse interaction!<br /><br /><a href="http://fijisharkdiving.blogspot.com/2014/11/celebration-bad-cut.html" rel="nofollow">Here</a> it is!DaSharkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787762757245289307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-37392869512910342012015-01-03T22:08:22.123+13:002015-01-03T22:08:22.123+13:00'Some of these people have given me perplexed ...'Some of these people have given me perplexed looks underwater when I haven't photographed them doing their idiotic stunts.'<br /><br />Exactly, Michael. These attention-seeking yahoos cannot believe that natural history photographers don't find a photo of attention-seeking yahoo + shark to be more interesting than a photo of the magnificent shark alone. And as you correctly jsdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-71872196441623390422015-01-03T21:53:50.707+13:002015-01-03T21:53:50.707+13:00Yes and no Michael - it really depends!
We all kn...Yes and no Michael - it really depends!<br /><br />We all know that some wild terrestrial animals can develop amazing affinities to some people. Call it <i>friendship</i> or whatever, it does happen, it is intriguing and sometimes endearing and I see no problem whatsoever in showcasing it - on the contrary!<br /><br />Can the same happen with some Sharks?<br />Dunno - without really being able toDaSharkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787762757245289307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-50018298002252316382015-01-03T18:15:20.048+13:002015-01-03T18:15:20.048+13:00I think that unless a shark has to be handled for ...I think that unless a shark has to be handled for safety reasons (whether for the animal or diver(s)), they should not be touched at all during a recreational shark dive. The sharks are not circus animals, plain and simple. The so-called "shark whisperers" spinning, hypnotizing, riding, fondling, groping, and rubbing the sharks miss the entire point of what could be an educational eventMichael Patrick O'Neillhttp://www.mpostock.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-52921417947004122842015-01-03T11:37:09.594+13:002015-01-03T11:37:09.594+13:00Felix: me too!
And yes, much of the principal iss...Felix: me too!<br /><br />And yes, much of the principal issues are the same - but in all fairness, there has been notable progress.<br /><br />Baby step by baby step!DaSharkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787762757245289307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-72318468446231316162015-01-03T08:21:56.927+13:002015-01-03T08:21:56.927+13:00I think the presumption that 'harass' (in ...I think the presumption that 'harass' (in a legal or other sense) adequately captures one's negative feelings towards certain kinds of animal interaction is misplaced.<br /><br />What revolts me is not what Eli is doing to the sharks (in so far as they are presumably unharmed) but how what he is doing to sharks informs me about Eli's attitude to them and to his audience such that jsdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-30267465445095370292015-01-03T01:50:15.617+13:002015-01-03T01:50:15.617+13:00Common denominator is money with a dash of fame. ...Common denominator is money with a dash of fame. Take that away and most of the people you mentioned above would be doing something else. And wasn't this all discussed in 2007 when Patric would still blog ;) I miss those days.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17124257574347025140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-82112016105818672162015-01-02T18:48:44.292+13:002015-01-02T18:48:44.292+13:00PS those Nurses are a total pain... but there'...PS those Nurses are a total pain... but there's ways of handling that, the most benign being to always make sure they get zero bait. After a while, at least ours have stopped bothering.<br /><br />Plus, after years of tolerating them, our Bulls are increasingly telling them to fuck off (see here, 00:48), and always harass them & force them to spit out their bait whenever they manage to DaSharkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787762757245289307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-73109472811545413502015-01-02T17:40:35.750+13:002015-01-02T17:40:35.750+13:00It would be really exciting if rather than just be...<i>It would be really exciting if rather than just being dicks to each other, people who share such a fascinating passion could be a little more constructive (and POLITE) with their criticism.</i>.<br /><br />Yeah it would be.<br />And so would global peace and harmony.<br /><br />Not gonna happen, people are people and some folks and agendas are just simply incompatible.<br />In my case, I DaSharkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787762757245289307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36324352.post-13498283111860535852015-01-02T16:56:38.760+13:002015-01-02T16:56:38.760+13:00This is a great post, Mike.
A few thoughts:
1)...This is a great post, Mike. <br /><br />A few thoughts:<br /><br />1) I think Julie is rad, and her article seems to me as an attempt to correct a behavior that she's admitting to doing in the past. That's a brave thing to do, and if she's a hypocrite then so am I, because I've conducted myself around sharks years ago in a way I no longer condone. Learning from mistakes is a goodGrant Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11247789037954238769noreply@blogger.com