Another shark attack in Australia?

Instagram 
perth now reports that another diver has been attacked by a shark. Their headline reads

WA spear fisherman jumped by angry shark off Coral Bay coast

According to their article:  A WA spear fisherman has captured the terrifying moment he was jumped by an angry reef shark off the North West coast. 

Albany teenager Brad Vale, 19, was spearfishing for mackerel with friends 4km off the coast of Coral Bay on Wednesday when the shark, estimated to be about` 1.5 metres long, began to circle him.
“I dived down and just sort of sat down at the bottom and a shark came in on me,” he said.

“He got a bit close then did a big turn at me and charged so I gave him a poke. When I poked him he just turned back and without me noticing I looked down and he was already chewing on my gut.
“I got to the surface and was going to shoot it but I didn’t even have time to do that. He sort of latched on to my stomach and I tried to hit it with my gun in my hand but he let go pretty quick.”

Wow, what a terrifying experience. Getting attacked by a shark for no reason. Let’s look at the video Brad Vale shot of this incident.

 
Video source: youtube/brradz

Well, good thing he posted that video, because it clearly shows Brad descending and poking the shark, before it turned on him!

So when Brad says that the shark turned on him and then he “poked” it, he really meant to say “I hit it and then it turned on me”.

But hey, blame the shark, it makes for a much better headline. I would be angry too, if someone hit me with the pointy end of a speargun. Read the entire article here.

Anyway, I’m glad that Brad is OK and I hope he learned that it’s not a good idea to poke a shark.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver
  
About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Another shark attack in Australia?

Instagram 
perth now reports that another diver has been attacked by a shark. Their headline reads

WA spear fisherman jumped by angry shark off Coral Bay coast

According to their article:  A WA spear fisherman has captured the terrifying moment he was jumped by an angry reef shark off the North West coast. 

Albany teenager Brad Vale, 19, was spearfishing for mackerel with friends 4km off the coast of Coral Bay on Wednesday when the shark, estimated to be about` 1.5 metres long, began to circle him.
“I dived down and just sort of sat down at the bottom and a shark came in on me,” he said.

“He got a bit close then did a big turn at me and charged so I gave him a poke. When I poked him he just turned back and without me noticing I looked down and he was already chewing on my gut.
“I got to the surface and was going to shoot it but I didn’t even have time to do that. He sort of latched on to my stomach and I tried to hit it with my gun in my hand but he let go pretty quick.”

Wow, what a terrifying experience. Getting attacked by a shark for no reason. Let’s look at the video Brad Vale shot of this incident.

 
Video source: youtube/brradz

Well, good thing he posted that video, because it clearly shows Brad descending and poking the shark, before it turned on him!

So when Brad says that the shark turned on him and then he “poked” it, he really meant to say “I hit it and then it turned on me”.

But hey, blame the shark, it makes for a much better headline. I would be angry too, if someone hit me with the pointy end of a speargun. Read the entire article here.

Anyway, I’m glad that Brad is OK and I hope he learned that it’s not a good idea to poke a shark.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver
  
About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Giant Shark scare in the UK

In another stellar piece of journalism (sharkasm) intended, the Daily Star writes “Jaws attack: Terror after GIANT SHARKS spotted circling the coast of England”

Wow, someone got attacked by a giant shark! Did they survive? What kind of a shark was it?
The article states: “HOLIDAYMAKERS have been placed on alert as huge sharks hit British shores thanks to the recent hot weather.

Still, no mention of what happened. So what the heck is going on?

OK, we are getting somewhere. Here is what happened: “The basking sharks, which can grow up to 26ft long, have been spotted off beaches in many of the country’s holiday hotspots.
As if that wasn’t terrifying enough – thousands of jellyfish have also been spotted in the waves.”

The caption for the picture below read: HORROR: The terrifying sharks – which can grow up to 26ft – have started circling shallow water around the UK [AK Wildlife Cruises]”
 

source


Wait, did I miss something? Where is the attack? What is terrifying about a basking shark?
The article goes on to say: “Ross Wheeler of AK Wildlife Cruises in Falmouth, Cornwall, captured incredible footage of the first sighting of a shark in UK waters.”We had two basking sharks – our first for the season – thousands of barrel jellyfish, 11 common dolphin and five harbour porpoise” he said.”

Ah, I see. They are describing some people going on a wildlife cruise and encountering a completely harmless basking shark. The “reporter” mistakenly wrote the wrong headline. He really meant to say: “Tourists are excited about encountering gentle giant” or “Lucky tourists encounter gentle giant and friendly dolphins off the UK coast”. Easy mistake to make (sharkasm) intended.

Later on the article correctly mentions: “But the sighting isn’t likely to mean a repeat of horrific scenes from 1975 thriller Jaws – the basking sharks are harmless but have been lured to the Cornish coastline earlier than normal.
They swim around with their gaping jaws open to swallow tiny plankton, their main food source.”

So the reporter actually knew that there was no attack and the sharks are harmless plankton eaters, which of course didn’t stop him from making up a completely fictitious and sensationalistic headline. It’s not like the sharks don’t have it hard enough already, with overfishing and being killed for their fins. I really wish the media would stop making it worse by portraying even the most harmless sharks as terrifying monsters.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver 

 
About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Shark trying to bite through steel cage?

“Watch terrifying footage of great white shark trying to bite through steel bars of diving cage”  screams the headline of the “Daily Mirror” “Open-mouthed great white shark charges unlucky cameraman” shouts the “New York Post“. 

So what the heck happened? 

First off, the shark is not trying to bite through steel bars to get at the photographer. It was going after a fish head that was pulled straight over the cage (not a safe practice for a shark diving boat) and ran into the cage while doing so.  Since they don’t have a reverse gear and can only swim forward, it looks like it’s trying to get into the cage, when in fact it is just trying to get away.

Of course this doesn’t stop tabloids like the New York Post from making statements like this “In a scene straight out of “Jaws,” the open-mouthed great white clamps down on the cage with its razor sharp teeth just inches away from Bray’s camera.”

The “Daily Mirror” tries to put a conservation spin on the story  by saying “The great white shark and many other shark species are under threat, so research into their breeding habits can help come up with scientific solutions to the problems surrounding their possible extinction. 

The main problem is education, most people have grown up thinking sharks are dangerous and scary, and we have Stephen Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ to thank for that. Yes that, and your stupid headline “Watch terrifying footage of great white shark trying to bite through steel bars of diving cage”  

We at Shark Diver specialize in “Safe and Sane” conservation shark diving. We respect the sharks and try to show them for what they really are. Awesome predators that don’t need to be feared, but respected.

If you want to encounter them in their natural environment, come joins us at Guadalupe Island this fall. We still have a few spaces open. Call us at 855.987.4275 or 619.887.4275 email staff@sharkdiver.com

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver
 
About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Do sharks really mistake humans for seals?

Do sharks really mistake humans for seals? that is the headline of a report in “The Sydney Morning Herald”. The article says that Researchers test ‘mistaken identity’ theory  by conducting some studies on sharks in a pool.Photo: Taronga …

New shark research method?

“Are you sure he only eats plankton? Daring marine biologist hitches a ride on the world’s largest shark” is the headline of the “Mail Online”.
Combining the term “marine biologist” and riding sharks peaked my curiosity. Has someone found out that riding sharks is beneficial to them? Have I been wrong all these years, condemning that practice?  
The article started out with “Marine biologist Forrest Galante has swam with some of the most fearsome creatures in the sea, including the terrifying hammerhead.” So immediately I realized, this is a highly scientific article and thankfully they’re not going to use sensationalistic language. (sharkasm intended!) “Terrifying Hammerhead” indeed.
In this picture you see the “heroic” Forrest Galante in his death defying act of riding a 45 ft. whale shark!
The caption for the picture below reads“Galante and his team were measuring the giant “whales” who were returning to the secret Mexican location.” 

I have to admit that I’m not a scientist. Apparently I know even less than I previously assumed. Who know what whale sharks are “whales”? And the secret location? Is it Isla Mujeres? We wouldn’t want them to start a whale shark watching industry there. Or maybe it’s Baja California? Same thing, I hope nobody starts whale shark watching there.

So what was this research that the local marine biologists needed his expert help with anyway? “I was helping out a team of marine biologists conduct a survey on whale shark population estimates, to identify returning sharks year on year and to see growth rates of individuals.” No wonder he needed to ride those sharks! I mean, how else could you measure a shark than by riding it. The watch you see on his wrist must be a super secret measuring device!

Anyway, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find any other references to anything remotely research related in the article here.

I did however find the real reason for Galante’s antics. On his facebook page he writes  

“Hey I’m back in the ‪#‎news‬!
Thanks Caters News Agency and Daily Mail for another fun interview and thank you to the team of hard working ‪#‎biologists‬ who are helping save these magnificent creatures! so proud to have been a part of it!

Just as I thought, it’s all about him. Not the sharks or anything “Hey I’m back in the ‪#‎news‬!” is what it’s all about. 
Hey Forrest, you got your wish, you are back in the news! “DaShark” writes “Forrest Galante, disrespectful moron!” Well put “DaShark”!
Even the “fans” on your facebook page agree

  • Luke Penks As a whale shark researcher, I find it such a shame that you are promoting incredibly bad practices like this. Interaction with any wild animal should be as non-invasive as possible, but you are spreading the opposite idea, which is disgraceful for a marine biologist.

    Here’s a paper showing that touching sharks is hugely associated with stress: http://www.butandingnetwork.net/…/2014/05/2007-Quiros.pdf

  • Marissa Fox Agree with Luke Penks. Promoting behavior like this counteracts the scientific conservation work so many of us are working so hard for.
Yep Forrest, you are sooooo cool! Riding a whale shark is really something everyone should do! You call yourself a researcher?! Are you one of those guys who says “do as I say, not as I do?” Is this somehow furthering your “research?” Do you have a new paper coming out “Riding whale sharks is beneficial to sharks!” Your headline on your Facebook page says it all  “Hey I’m back in the ‪#‎news‬!” because that’s what it is, all about you! 

We at Shark Diver are all for respectful interaction with these magnificent animals. You can have an awesome experience, like we did last December at Socorro Islands with the Nautilus Explorer. The video below shows that you don’t have to touch the sharks to accomplish that. When you look at the guy next to the it, you’ll get a great idea of the size of this whale shark. No touching or riding required!


Let’s go shark diving!

Cheers,

Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

 About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

Deadly shark attacks in California?

Today NBC 4 in Los Angeles had the following headline on their website. “Maps: Deadly Shark Attacks Off California Coast”.There was only a very short 2 paragraph article and a map that are both shown below.The map below shows locations where fatal shar…

Shark Attack in Australia?

Sky news reports that a teenager was attacked by a shark off Australia’s east coast. The article states that Sam Smith was spearfishing off Mollymook beach, 140 miles (230km) south of Sydney, when a shark bit his hand. The 17-year-old’s friend Luke Sis…