Shark Attack Horror?

 

Really - have you seen this shit?

 

Andrew is obviously totally correct, the comments are total rubbish.

He was cornered by an eager "reporter" and like we always do lest there be any misunderstandings, asked that any questions be sent to him by email.

Alas, that obviously never happened.

So there, let me try to put things into context.

• First and foremost, Mark is apparently going to recover OK.
  He's a real nice kid and we wish him the best of luck and a speedy recovery.
  
  
• He was however not merely free diving, he was spearfishing.
  As shown in literally countless examples, this can frequently lead to shark bites. Like I said many times eg here and here, it is well known that the Sharks in popular spearfishing locations like Frigate Passage can get highly conditioned = aggregate at the mere noise of a speargun being fired, get highly excited by the vibrations of a speared fish, try to nab any catch and retaliate when poked and pushed away. This is most likely what has happened here.
  In brief, do not fight with a Shark over a fish!
  To cite myself (talk about being prescient!)
  

  And if you spear fish and are not careful, you may well end up having one of those close encounters described by Jonathan - not because of us but because that is what happens everywhere around the world, see here and here among many, many such examples!

• The Shark was most likely a Grey Reefie.
  But it could also have been a Silky (no that's not a Bronzie - nor is this one!) or a Galapagos - case in point here! Bronze Whalers however are essentially antitropical and not officially recorded from Fiji.

• The experts are not. Trust me I know.
  Once again, having an opinion does not equate knowing something, and I can certainly leave it at that. Google Ultracrepidarianism, Sesselfurzer and Dunning-Kruger and you'll discern where I'm coming from. 

• The Shark feeding dives have nothing to do with this, zero.
  Once again, we have actually collected the scientific evidence that clearly illustrates that with the exception of our small harmless Whitetip Reefies, our Sharks
  a) were never resident but have instead always spent most of their time roaming throughout Fiji, and most importantly,
  b) have never depended on our handouts but have instead remained wild animals that have always continued to normally hunt their prey away from the Reserve.
  
  In brief, the fact that we feed less (yes we do still feed) has no incidence whatsoever on the well being and/or the behavior of our Sharks = they are not going hungry nor being more aggressive nor roaming further afield or anything like that - and again, this is not my opinion but evidence = fact!
  Read the links!
  
  And one more thing.
  Some quarters have suggested that our fed Sharks may have lost their natural fear of humans and may therefore have become so-called beggar Sharks and thus, more dangerous. We do not observe any of that when we dive without bait in the Reserve, and it thus makes no sense whatsoever to assume that it may be happening further afield.
  
  Again, the people who have conditioned the Sharks to approach spear fishermen are not the Shark diving operators but... the spear fishermen themselves!
  

• And no, this is not about testing let alone predation!
  Those smaller Sharks simply don't prey on humans. Instead, the bites are most certainly agonistic = due to competition and/or aggression and/or self defense/retaliation - read this about agonism and this about Shark attacks.

There you have it.

In brief, Fiji's responsible Shark feeding operations have zero effect on the safety of the population at large - re-read this.

 

Long story short?

Sadly, this is nothing more than shoddy journalism that instead of bothering to engage in even the slightest modicum of objective research and fact finding, is merely repeating some random unqualified and unsubstantiated speculation and hearsay. And by being unnecessarily sensationalistic and misleading, it contributes nothing to the safety of the public and is also bad for the Sharks.

Not impressed, sorry!

Better next time Fiji Sun!

 

PS: really interesting comments section here = note how there's none of the usual gratuitous drama. And Setareki's reminder of the ubiquitous poaching and illegal selling is obviously spot on. Like I said back then, we know the perpetrators and also the enablers, and there will be a reckoning.

PPS - Bingo: watch this - fundraiser here.

Having actually gone and asked Mark

• He was indeed spearfishing


• It was indeed a Grey Reefie


• The Shark was exhibiting the typical agonistic display of this species and then attacked twice, as they do. This also tells me that it was probably not a tourism Shark as those are used to people approaching them and have never, ever displayed agonistically during any of our feeds.


• And finally, beware of the charlatans and self professed experts on social media - really, what a sorry bunch of total losers!

Tashi Blue about Diving with Sharks!

Tashi and her babies - click for detail!

 

Great stuff!

 

This has happened today.

Our friends at Saving our Sharks are hosting a series of video talks with Shark diving operators, and BAD has somehow managed to be the first of the lineup. I am obviously biased, but I believe that Tashi Blue has done a fabulous job in representing us but above all, her epic My Fiji Shark project.

But you be the judge of that.

Without any further ado - enjoy!

And the gorditas?

They sure are cute and cuddly, but... :)

Shark Eco Tourism in South Africa - Action Alert!

Please read this.

Wilfred is one of the real good ones.

His venerable Marine Dynamics stand at the forefront of South Africa's Shark Conservation, Tourism and Research and as such has been nominated to be the only GSD member from that region.

With that in mind, please sign this petition.

Contrary to many others, this one is very much linked to action on the ground whereby your signature will most certainly assist the local Shark diving operators in making their point when they will meet with the local authorities.
More here.

This is urgent.

Please, do sign, and re-post on your social media.

Thank You.

 

Salmon Shark Scratching Post - Video!

Source.

Very cool.
Story here - enjoy!



And you can go diving with them, to wit.

Saving Our Sharks - Video!

Obviously don't fully agree but still, quite good - click for detail. Source.

This is great and important work.

Huge kudos to Chino and Luis, and also to all the other people, dive shops and sponsors of Saving Our Sharks who have contributed to this success.

Enjoy!

SHARKNADO SHARKDIVING in Japan!

Source - click for detail!

Just saw this today.

Very cool.
Those are Banded Houndsharks - story here.
Enjoy!

Science Week!

What an amazing group of researchers, conservationists and industry professionals! 
From L2R, back row: Peni, Gauthier, Wase, Richard, Ian, Charlie and Re; front row Chris, Christian, Manoa and Adam - click for detail!

Remember?

Now we're at it.

We're finally analyzing our impact on the Whitetip Reefies - and with the original authors having graciously flown in to supervise but also document our experiments, I'm highly confident that we will shortly dispose of solid evidence, the more as the gizmos we are deploying are truly amazing - and totally non-invasive, too!

And like I said back then, I'm equally highly confident that our Sharks are not being harmed.

But we will see won't we.

And should the results indicate that we need to implement changes, we certainly will - and that's a promise.

To be continued - keep watching this space!

What Rebecca said!

Still one of the very best feeding pics from the SRMR!

You really must read this.

Bravo Re - this is exhaustive, balanced, insightful and truthful.

Could not have said it better myself - and you are so much more objective, and also charming (!) than I will ever be - to wit you did not use the f word even one single time! :)

Kudos!

The economic Value of Shark-Diving Tourism in Australia!

From the paper - click for detail.

Interesting!

So, in 2014, Shark diving in Australia was worth 25.5m.

This compares to 42.2m for Fiji, 18m for Palau or a whopping 109m for the Bahamas - or maybe not quite as this paper only looks at direct expenditures. This also compares to the value of 2.2 bn dollars attributed to Australia's dive-related spending for marine tourism.

Frankly, I'm not terribly impressed.

Considering the size of Australia's tourism industry but also, the sheer potential bearing in mind Australia's enormous coastline and wide array of marine habitats, and its large number of Elasmobranchs, this is really just a pittance. But it is what it is - and if I were to venture an explanation (which I am not), I would certainly want to explore the effects of Australia's Shark attack phobia but very much also that of its stifling regulatory framework.

But I'm digressing as always.

Enjoy Charlie's paper.

The Value of Shark Diving in the Bahamas - Paper!

Caribbean Reefies contribute 94% of total revenues - source.

Nice!

Read this paper!

Shark Diving in the Bahamas is worth $ 109m per annum.

That is great - but it could be a lot better. 

Turns out that owing to those foreign liveaboards, approx. 50% of potential domestic revenues are lost in Bimini, approx. 85% in Cat and a whopping 97% in Tiger Beach - and more money is being lost to those mooching film crews that barge in without the required shooting permits.

No wonder the BDA wants those foreign vessels gone.

Anyway, great paper.

Enjoy!

The secret Life of White Sharks!

Watch.

I totally support this.

Because a) Charlie is one of the good guys, because b) it involves GSD member Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions and especially, because c) this is important research for the Shark diving industry.
If you remember those papers by Barry Bruce, there were small localized effects with possible  ramifications for the fitness of the animals and the ecosystem, and Charlie is now embarking on a quest to come up with some solid evidence.
 

After Richard and Adam's lastest Whitetip Reefie paper, I very much suspect that those GWS may be expending a tad too much energy on those fruitless hunts (see here = 2008!) - and if so, is anybody taking bets on whether the authorities will then allow for a modicum of, gasp, proper feeding as they should? :) 

And since everybody tells me that the behavior of those GWS is miles removed from that of their placid cousins in Lupe - why isn't anybody seeing them hunt those Sea Lions?

Anyway, all very interesting.

Please do consult this page and make a contribution.

Thank you!

Epic Diving join Global Shark Diving!

Behold!

Epic - literally!

When it comes to Bahamian Shark diving, Debra and Vincent may be the new kids on the block - but contrary to others who continue to regale us with fake Shark conservation media featuring the latest batch of pink-clad bimbettes, the Canabals don't talk from both sides of the mouth but have instead pursued a strategy of combining solid ecotourism with Shark conservation, research and education from the get go. What I particularly like is how they've managed to completely turn around the image of the once much reviled Oceanic Whitetip, a highly assertive species that was widely thought to be completely unsuitable for tourism, let alone for diving without cages - and yes on that point, yours truly stands totally corrected!

So very well done, and welcome to the team!

And now we are ten.

I can say with absolute certainty that when it comes to Shark ecotourism, these operators are truly the best of the best - meaning that finding new candidates that fulfill all of our guiding principles is becoming increasingly challenging, the more as each of our members and ambassadors can unilaterally veto any proposal. Personally, I'd like to see the next member hailing from the Indopacific, ideally Asia - but it ain't gonna be easy!

Suggestions?

Check out the above principles and if you know of anybody, tell us here!

To be continued!

 

Sustainable Shark Diving - Funds needed!

Eco-Bulls - stellar pic by Danny!

Remember?

Now Rick has run into a brick wall.

He writes,

The Sustainable Shark Diving website is (according to the web designer) ready to launch. I think it looks good from a design perspective. But I'm still not happy with the reviews and rating functionality. It needs some tweaking to provide what I hoped to have. But I need to find a coder who can actually program for that, i.e. code the final steps of the rating functionality so it is performing as I hoped. 

I set a goal of $4K which should get me through the immediate coding needs and also provide some upkeep funds.
I really have not compiled a thorough business plan for this yet, but I think this tranche of funds will allow me to complete the database coding, add the site optimization I’d like to see - and even throw a bit to an intern to help administer the site over the course of the year provided the use really takes off.

I suggested he try crowd funding, and here is the page.

Sustainable Shark Diving is going to be the Trip Advisor for Shark ecotourism, and will be invaluable in propelling the global Shark diving industry towards a more long term sustainable model, much along the lines of the Global Shark Diving alliance of responsible operators.

If you care about Shark ecotourism, please do make a contribution.

Rick is 100% legit and I am convinced that he will manage any funds with great circumspection, integrity and absolute honesty.
For what it's worth, we support him one hundred percent.

Thank you very much.

Marine Dynamics awarded!

Source.

And I cite. 

Marine Dynamics provide very high quality shark cage diving experiences.
They operate in a sector where there is rightly a lot of criticism of current practice. Marine Dynamics are industry leaders, a commercial operation which operates to the highest conservation standards, where every trip has a marine biologist aboard to provide interpretation and collect data for scientific research. An operator that makes a significant contribution to conservation and the local economy.

Of course we knew that already.

Marine Dynamics is a proud member of Global Shark Diving, and those are precisely the principles that guide all of the GSD Shark diving operators.

Huge Congratulations!

Basking Shark Scotland joins GSD!

Source.

GSD continues to expand in leaps and bounds.
But first, watch this

Very nice!

So, a big welcome aboard to Basking Shark Scotland.

This is a genuine, through-and-through believable  ecotourism operator that ticks all the right boxes. Our customers and friends report that Shane and his staff are doing a wonderful job, and his company constitutes a great addition to GSD's portfolio of responsible, long-term sustainable, research-based and conservation-oriented Shark diving operators.

And, they got a blog - that in itself is an indication for superior quality! :)

And lest you wonder whether this may be it?

Certainly not: more top-class operators are currently being evaluated and will be unveiled shortly!

So keep watching this space!

 

Friends of GSD!

 Check out the GSD website.

See the new button?

For now, it is featuring short bios of our Ambassador and of course, Juerg - but very shortly, it will showcase the many Shark researchers we regularly collaborate with.

So, please do check back in a few days - you'll be impressed!

Undersea Hunter joins GSD!

The venerable Undersea Hunter and Sea Hunter that were later joined by Argo with its sub.

We are stoked.

This is really as good as it gets.

Having pioneered much of what is today being considered modern liveaboard diving, Orly, Avi and Yosy's iconic Undersea Hunter Group is truly the crème de la crème of the global industry.

Ive spent quite a bit of time diving both Cocos and Malpelo with them and with all due respect (!) to all other operators, I personally consider Sea Hunter one of the best, if not the best liveaboard in existence. And back then, they were also employing arguably the world's best divemaster, Mario Arroyo, and Pepe the skiff driver's friendliness and mastery of the often treacherous conditions are still the stuff of legends.

You can find Undersea Hunter's operator page here.

Once again, this reaffirms GSD as the world's premier alliance of professional, safety conscious, research-based and environmentally responsible Shark diving operators.

And it isn't over yet - more stellar operators will be announced shortly!

Welcome aboard!

Jimmy joins GSD!

Source.
 

Behold!

Yes JASA are now a member of GSD!

Didn't I tell you that some fantastic operators were about to join? So there - and more will be announced shortly!

I consider Jimmy to be a titan among midgets.

Of course, when he started interacting with those big Tigers, we all thought that he was simply batshit crazy - but of course he was right and we were proven wrong, and now he ranks amongst the visionary pioneers of Shark diving, with everybody trying to emulate him. And his relentless contribution to outreach, and Shark and marine conservation remains unmatched.

Welcome aboard buddy - we're all stoked! :)

Sustainable Shark Diving?

Really?
 

And now, to that post by RickMac.

But first.

Avuncular? WTF!

That's a whiff of a pico-fraction of a galaxy removed from Yoda, and I don't like it a bit - but then again, coming from the guy at the top, should I even care?
But I do like this - spot on!

Anyway.

Lemme cite.

My very personal and subjective (although I also suspect accurate) summary on what I’ve observed to date is that there is money to be made on shark dive tourism and it is a powerful incentive to “get in on the action,” regardless of experience and awareness of lessons learned.  And like all businesses, there’s a continuum of what I would consider sustainable practice… some are deeply invested in good training, supervision, and safety and some are in it to simply turn quick profit.

Indeed, astute observation!

Now, this is frankly nothing new.

Yours truly and back then, Patric Douglas of Shark Diver have been blogging about the future of Shark diving for years, and for the need of the industry to reform and move towards a more long term sustainable model. Back then, we were being decried as troublemakers and party poopers - but ten years later, the public appears to be shifting towards a more authentic and holistic experience, and much of what did preach back then is now increasingly being proffered in the mainstream. With that in mind, this is a great chance to elevate Shark diving to the next level.

Plus, now, we dispose of the science.

Not of just two papers like Rick asserts but actually, of quite a few. They all come to the conclusion that whereas there are certainly local effects, Shark provisioning appears unproblematic at the ecosystem level i.e. over large spatial and temporal scales, meaning that overall, the impact on Shark populations is negligible to nil.

Not convinced?

Don't speculate - show me the fucking evidence to the contrary and no, rubbish like this doesn't count! And incidentally, no, the Shark feeding in Playa did not precipitate the attacks in Cancun. The Bulls in the Riviera Maya are sexually segregated = provisioned females in Playa and non-provisioned males in Cancun!

And since those events, progress has been remarkable!

Just sayin'!

But of course those local effects are eminently relevant.

It is there where we will discern the biggest discrepancies based on the specific protocols, or lack of, of the operators, and it is there where the various initiatives will hopefully have the biggest impact, by emphasizing the good and reforming the bad.

And yes, some notable NGOs are starting to take notice.

Considering the dead-set opposition to any form of Shark feeding I've encountered in the past, this is certainly progress. I'm not a fan of breathy announcements and will not comment on Rick's name-dropping which is both partly inaccurate, premature and certainly not for him, nor for me to do - but yes, this may or may not eventually result in an initiative to develop a common code of practice and if so, I for one would certainly welcome that! 

This however with the following caveat.

Nice to have academia and the NGO intelligentsia look into our industry and hopefully give us some valuable unbiased pointers for improvement - but any such code will only succeed if there is considerable industry buy-in. And for that to happen, any such rules will not only have to reflect some eco wish list but also be flexible and above all, factually and economically practicable!

But again - at this stage it's nothing for me to comment about and certainly not fodder for social media! 

And then, there is now Global Shark Diving.

We did the soft launch at DEMA and the response has been simply overwhelming. Like I said, potential new members are undergoing a meticulous screening process and will only be accepted if they are already truly invested in conservation and research. Failing that, any aspiring members will first have to establish track record and will only be considered once they are able to produce tangible results on the ground. Our principal asset and the one factor setting us apart from similar ventures is market leadership and credibility - and we will certainly not risk losing that because of shortcuts due to friendship or economic expediency.

But worry not: more members are going to be announced very shortly indeed!

And BAD?

We will continue to do what we've been doing all along, and that is to lead from the front. We may or may not be the best - but we're certainly among the leaders in Shark ecotourism and have every intention of keeping it that way!

The establishment of Fiji's first national marine park via a ground-breaking public-private partnership has been a great milestone. But of course the proof is in the pudding, and we have no doubt that for it to succeed and be picked up elsewhere, the honor bestowed upon us needs to translate into a lot of hard work on the ground. To that effect, we have started establishing new baselines by recording the current coral cover and conducting a census of all the Fishes and Sharks. We will also considerably enhance enforcement by conducting more frequent patrols and by training further honorary fish wardens. And finally, we are currently developing yet another project that will hopefully have repercussions Fiji-wide and even abroad.

So, keep watching this space.

Like always, it's not a matter of making announcements but of coming up with actual results - and I can say, so far so good!

To be continued!

Global Shark Diving - Launch!

Hooray!

Remember this post?

Well today marks the unveiling of one of those initiatives - finally!

Behold Global Shark Diving, the first global alliance of responsible and long-term sustainable Shark diving operators! We pride ourselves in being industry leaders and as such, on top of providing some of the world's best Shark diving and excellent service, we have all committed ourselves to our three guiding principles, namely 

• excellent safety procedures 
• the sponsoring of Shark research and 
• a dedication to Shark conservation. 

With this initiative, we are hoping to gradually direct the industry towards a more credible, eco-friendly and long term sustainable product whilst safeguarding our most valuable asset, the Sharks.

We are currently inviting more operators to join.

Since everybody in the industry knows everybody, we don't entertain applications but instead, membership is being bestowed by invitation only and after a rigorous screening process to assess the candidates' adherence to each guiding principle - and this not in mere words but in facts on the ground! Gotta walk the talk!

I hear that one very prominent operator has already signed on, with possibly two more joining in the very near future - so keep watching that space!

And what's in it for you?

First and foremost, the assurance that by diving with one of those operators, you are giving your business to an industry leader that has made a commitment to adhere to the highest standards, and that will continuously strive to always remain at the forefront of industry developments. On a more practical side, we shall be distributing GSD cards to selected guests that will henceforth be entitled to global discounts plus an array of special initiatives reserved for GSD cardholders only. 

So be nice, and you may qualify! :)

Anyway, I'm very happy.

And mighty proud, too, and relieved - building an alliance of toothy and opinionated Shark diving operators is certainly not for the faint-hearted! So thank you gents, and Vivian our unrivaled and ever-patient web administrator, for pulling this through - all-in-all, this has been a brilliant experience! :)

To be continued no doubt - onward and upward!