Another shark attack in Australia?

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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.

What’s it like to come face to face with a Great White Shark?

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What’s it like to come face to face with a Great White Shark? That is a question I get asked time and time again. With the news media portraying sharks as blood thirsty, mindless killers, just looking to eat us, most people think I have a death wish, diving with sharks. So I thought I should share what it is really like to come face to face with one of the most feared creatures on earth.

Here is a little video that shows how most people think an encounter with a shark will be like.

The reality it is more like the sharks swim by slowly, looking you straight into the eyes and showing absolutely no signs that they want to eat you.

When I first started diving with white sharks, what struck me is the fact that it is not scary at all. I’m by no means the only one that feels that way. In 15 seasons of taking divers to meet these awesome creatures, the most common reaction when coming face to face with a great white shark is just awe. Even divers who saw “Jaws” and joined us expecting a huge adrenaline rush, mostly are just blown away by the experience and don’t find it the least bit scary. The scariest part of the expedition is the anticipation of that first meeting.

I remember that after about 3 trips to Guadalupe Island I started thinking “I’ve seen it” and didn’t expect to do this for much longer. Well, at the time I didn’t expect to be in the cage and have “Shredder” swim by to check me out. When he looked me straight into the eye, something happened. I realized that this huge shark is focused on me, that he was individually checking everyone out.

Shredder

Thinking back, that is when I fell in love with those sharks. Now as I always say to our divers. I love those sharks, but it is not a mutual feeling. That is perfectly OK. I love them for what they are, awesome predators, not mindless killers, but certainly no harmless pets either.

I don’t feel the need to tell everyone that these sharks love me and that I can go hold onto their fins, because they accept me as one of their own. Come to think of it, I’m glad that they don’t treat me as one of their own. Even though I’m not a small person, in terms of white shark size, I would be a very, very small shark. White sharks definitely are into having their personal space and don’t react kindly to a smaller individual invading that space. I’ve seen what they do to a smaller shark that is doing this.

I’ve been diving with sharks for over 15 years and I’m excited every time I’m about to get into the water with them. I find them fascinating and discovered that they are generally very cautious and even shy, not the mindless killers the media makes them out to be at all. Last season I saw 3 white sharks that got scared by a towel that fell overboard and drifted down. 2 of them checked it out and got the heck out of there. One of them kept circling it, approaching it and jerking away, when the towel moved a little. He kept doing that until both he and the towel went out of sight.

I hope that I have given you an idea of what it feels like to come face to face with a great white shark. If you really want to know, there is no substitute for experiencing it for yourself and I hope you’ll get that chance. It is an experience you’ll never forget. When you do go out, remember that while we don’t have to fear these sharks, we definitely have to respect them.

We at Shark Diver promote “Safe and Sane Shark Diving” that respects the sharks and the environment. We hope to see you on one of our expeditions to Guadalupe Island.

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.

What’s it like to come face to face with a Great White Shark?

Instagram 

What’s it like to come face to face with a Great White Shark? That is a question I get asked time and time again. With the news media portraying sharks as blood thirsty, mindless killers, just looking to eat us, most people think I have a death wish, diving with sharks. So I thought I should share what it is really like to come face to face with one of the most feared creatures on earth.

Here is a little video that shows how most people think an encounter with a shark will be like.

The reality it is more like the sharks swim by slowly, looking you straight into the eyes and showing absolutely no signs that they want to eat you.

When I first started diving with white sharks, what struck me is the fact that it is not scary at all. I’m by no means the only one that feels that way. In 15 seasons of taking divers to meet these awesome creatures, the most common reaction when coming face to face with a great white shark is just awe. Even divers who saw “Jaws” and joined us expecting a huge adrenaline rush, mostly are just blown away by the experience and don’t find it the least bit scary. The scariest part of the expedition is the anticipation of that first meeting.

I remember that after about 3 trips to Guadalupe Island I started thinking “I’ve seen it” and didn’t expect to do this for much longer. Well, at the time I didn’t expect to be in the cage and have “Shredder” swim by to check me out. When he looked me straight into the eye, something happened. I realized that this huge shark is focused on me, that he was individually checking everyone out.

Shredder

Thinking back, that is when I fell in love with those sharks. Now as I always say to our divers. I love those sharks, but it is not a mutual feeling. That is perfectly OK. I love them for what they are, awesome predators, not mindless killers, but certainly no harmless pets either.

I don’t feel the need to tell everyone that these sharks love me and that I can go hold onto their fins, because they accept me as one of their own. Come to think of it, I’m glad that they don’t treat me as one of their own. Even though I’m not a small person, in terms of white shark size, I would be a very, very small shark. White sharks definitely are into having their personal space and don’t react kindly to a smaller individual invading that space. I’ve seen what they do to a smaller shark that is doing this.

I’ve been diving with sharks for over 15 years and I’m excited every time I’m about to get into the water with them. I find them fascinating and discovered that they are generally very cautious and even shy, not the mindless killers the media makes them out to be at all. Last season I saw 3 white sharks that got scared by a towel that fell overboard and drifted down. 2 of them checked it out and got the heck out of there. One of them kept circling it, approaching it and jerking away, when the towel moved a little. He kept doing that until both he and the towel went out of sight.

I hope that I have given you an idea of what it feels like to come face to face with a great white shark. If you really want to know, there is no substitute for experiencing it for yourself and I hope you’ll get that chance. It is an experience you’ll never forget. When you do go out, remember that while we don’t have to fear these sharks, we definitely have to respect them.

We at Shark Diver promote “Safe and Sane Shark Diving” that respects the sharks and the environment. We hope to see you on one of our expeditions to Guadalupe Island.

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.

Who is more aggressive, a Bull Shark or a Great White?

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We hear a lot about how aggressive shark are. Some people think that if they encounter a shark in the ocean, they will get bit. This kind of thinking is at least partially fueled by the media that seems to portray any encounter with a shark as a near death experience.

I’ve been diving with Great White, Bull and Tiger Sharks for over 15 years now and have found that most sharks are actually pretty shy and not very aggressive. Despite the fact that shark bites and attacks are extremely rare, the common perception is that they are dangerous. When it comes to what species is most dangerous, people tell me that because they have more testosterone than any other shark, Bull Sharks are the most aggressive and therefore the most dangerous to humans.

It is true, that since Bull Sharks can swim and hunt in very shallow, brackish and even fresh water, they tend to be in much closer proximity to humans than Tiger or Great White Sharks. This obviously leads to a greater chance of an encounter with them, which can result in an occasional bite or attack. Such bites however remain extremely rare. Last year there were 96 shark bites with 6 fatalities reported worldwide. These numbers include all species of shark.

I think that a lot of people confuse feeding with aggression. Biting that is related to hunting or feeding has nothing to do with the testosterone level, but is simply and indication that the shark is hungry. Aggression has to do with defending their territory, establishing dominance and is usually directed toward another shark or a perceived competitor. So if we look at it that way, who is more aggressive, the Bull Shark, or the Great White Shark?

Well, let me show you a couple of pictures.

These pictures all show Great White Sharks with bite marks from their own kind. It is rare to see an adult Great White Shark that doesn’t have some kind of scar or fresh bite mark on them. These sharks are very much into keeping their “personal space” and it is rare for them to touch each other, without there being some biting involved. Typically when 2 White Sharks encounter each other, they pass each other head on, to establish who is bigger. If that doesn’t settle it, they tend to come back together and swim parallel with each other, to get a closer look. Now if that still doesn’t settle it, the more dominant sharks usually shows the other who’s boss by biting it on the head or in the gill area.

Now I want to stress that the aggression I have observed on White Sharks is shown towards other shark and not humans, or other animals in the ocean. Just like any other “dangerous” shark, they are not very likely to attack a human.

Add caption
2 of these sharks just got a tuna head, they show no aggression.

In the pictures above, you can see lot’s of Bull Sharks swimming very close together and there doesn’t seem to be any aggression. I’ve seen over 70 of those sharks, without noticing any that had bite marks on them. This is something that definitely can’t be said about Great Whites.

It never ceases to amaze me, how little we know about sharks and how much of what we “know” is actually wrong. We tend to think that something like testosterone will have the same effect in sharks as it does in humans. On the flip side of the “sharks are mindless killer” attitude, there is the “sharks want to be hugged” crowd, that is trying to show how harmless these sharks are by riding, grabbing, flipping and hugging them.

Let’s appreciate the sharks for who and what they are. They are not mindless killers, but neither are they harmless pets. As I always say, “I absolutely love “my” sharks, but it is not a mutual feeling and that is perfectly fine with me”. I don’t feel the need to assign human emotions to them, I love em just they way they are.

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.

Who is more aggressive, a Bull Shark or a Great White?

Instagram 
We hear a lot about how aggressive shark are. Some people think that if they encounter a shark in the ocean, they will get bit. This kind of thinking is at least partially fueled by the media that seems to portray any encounter with a shark as a near death experience.

I’ve been diving with Great White, Bull and Tiger Sharks for over 15 years now and have found that most sharks are actually pretty shy and not very aggressive. Despite the fact that shark bites and attacks are extremely rare, the common perception is that they are dangerous. When it comes to what species is most dangerous, people tell me that because they have more testosterone than any other shark, Bull Sharks are the most aggressive and therefore the most dangerous to humans.

It is true, that since Bull Sharks can swim and hunt in very shallow, brackish and even fresh water, they tend to be in much closer proximity to humans than Tiger or Great White Sharks. This obviously leads to a greater chance of an encounter with them, which can result in an occasional bite or attack. Such bites however remain extremely rare. Last year there were 96 shark bites with 6 fatalities reported worldwide. These numbers include all species of shark.

I think that a lot of people confuse feeding with aggression. Biting that is related to hunting or feeding has nothing to do with the testosterone level, but is simply and indication that the shark is hungry. Aggression has to do with defending their territory, establishing dominance and is usually directed toward another shark or a perceived competitor. So if we look at it that way, who is more aggressive, the Bull Shark, or the Great White Shark?

Well, let me show you a couple of pictures.

These pictures all show Great White Sharks with bite marks from their own kind. It is rare to see an adult Great White Shark that doesn’t have some kind of scar or fresh bite mark on them. These sharks are very much into keeping their “personal space” and it is rare for them to touch each other, without there being some biting involved. Typically when 2 White Sharks encounter each other, they pass each other head on, to establish who is bigger. If that doesn’t settle it, they tend to come back together and swim parallel with each other, to get a closer look. Now if that still doesn’t settle it, the more dominant sharks usually shows the other who’s boss by biting it on the head or in the gill area.

Now I want to stress that the aggression I have observed on White Sharks is shown towards other shark and not humans, or other animals in the ocean. Just like any other “dangerous” shark, they are not very likely to attack a human.

Add caption
2 of these sharks just got a tuna head, they show no aggression.

In the pictures above, you can see lot’s of Bull Sharks swimming very close together and there doesn’t seem to be any aggression. I’ve seen over 70 of those sharks, without noticing any that had bite marks on them. This is something that definitely can’t be said about Great Whites.

It never ceases to amaze me, how little we know about sharks and how much of what we “know” is actually wrong. We tend to think that something like testosterone will have the same effect in sharks as it does in humans. On the flip side of the “sharks are mindless killer” attitude, there is the “sharks want to be hugged” crowd, that is trying to show how harmless these sharks are by riding, grabbing, flipping and hugging them.

Let’s appreciate the sharks for who and what they are. They are not mindless killers, but neither are they harmless pets. As I always say, “I absolutely love “my” sharks, but it is not a mutual feeling and that is perfectly fine with me”. I don’t feel the need to assign human emotions to them, I love em just they way they are.

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.

What kills fewer people than sharks each year?

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Every time a deadly shark attack occurs, people start pointing out what kills more people than sharks each year. This led me to think of a different question. What kills fewer people than sharks each year? Do you know anything that kills people, but fewer than 6 people worldwide? There might be something, but I haven’t found it yet. So keep that question in mind, when you read the following.

A record number of global shark attacks is making the news these days. As expected, the headlines proclaiming this fact vary, along with the tone of the article accompanying them.

Discovery.com has a headline that says: “Record number of shark attacks in 2015” and their article goes on to mention all the places those attacks have happened and how those numbers increased.

Shark attacks hit an all time high last year, with the United States leading all nations in numbers of such attacks, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.

Climate change, recovering shark populations and more people in the water help to explain the high number of recorded shark attacks for 2015: 98, including six fatalities. All of the attacks were unprovoked.

Discovery stresses the fact that all of those attacks were unprovoked and is careful to point out that we can expect an increase in those numbers. They stress the fact that the number of fatal attacks doubled in 2015 versus 2014.

“Sharks plus humans equals attacks,” George Burgess, curator of the file, which houses the globe’s clearinghouse of shark attack data, said in a press release. “As our population continues to rapidly grow and shark populations slowly recover, we’re going to see more interactions.”
 
2015 broke the prior record, which was set in 2000. That year, there were 88 attacks. 2015 further saw double the number of deaths from shark attacks versus 2014.

Bull Sharks swimming along divers in Fiji

Yes, the number of fatalities doubled versus 2014, but what they fail to mention is that the 2014 number was unusually low and only about half the annual average.

From the International Shark Attack File summary: Significantly, worldwide there were only six fatalities (producing a 6.1% fatality rate) resulting from unprovoked attacks (two in Reunion and single incidents in Australia, New Caledonia, Hawaii, and Egypt).  The six attacks matched the annual average of the previous decade.  

This total is remarkably low given the billions of human-hours spent in the water each year.

Discovery is also giving some good advice on how to avoid a shark attack, but not without prefacing it with “To avoid adding to the yearly tally”, implying that not following that advice would lead to a shark attack. To avoid adding to the yearly tally, Burgess and his team advise not to swim at dusk, dawn or night. They also say not to wear shiny jewelry in the water, and not to swim where people are fishing, where fish are schooling or where seabirds are feeding. 

It’s not until the very end of their article that they mention that there is really no reason to worry by saying this. Even with 2015’s record-breaking number of shark attacks, your chances of experiencing such a risky encounter are very slim. Burgess reminded that the following culprits killed more people than sharks last year: spiders, dogs and lightning.
  
So Discovery’s headline could just as easily have said “Spiders, dogs and lightning kill more people than sharks!” but then again, who would read such an article? I’m really disappointed that an outlet that is supposedly meant to educate on nature and science, is stooping to sensationalizing and spreading fear instead. 

On the other hand, an outlet not usually known for holding back on sensational headlines, FOX 13 news in Tampa Bay had this headline: Researchers: 2015 breaks shark attack record, but don’t panic.

They start their article by saying: A record number of unprovoked shark attacks in 2015 prompted University of Florida researchers to find out why.

The school released its report on what might be behind the 98 attacks – a number which breaks the 2000 record of 88 attacks. However, researchers said the increase should not be cause of alarm. Although there were more attacks in 2015, fatality rate was half that of 2000. Also, the increase in attacks was likely due to a growing human population, not a growing hunger amongst sharks for human flesh.

Kudos to FOX 13 in Tampa Bay for reporting a shark attack story factually, without any sensationalism! Who knew that the mainstream media could do a better job at covering this story than a science network?

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.

How not to dive with sharks!

We at Shark Diver believe in “Safe and Sane” shark diving. The example in the video below is how NOT to dive with sharks.


Ataque provocado de un tiburón. OJO IMÁGENES FUERTES que pueden herir la sensibilidad del espectador.El ser humano es lo más estúpido que he descubierto en mi vida.
Posted by Buceo Recreativo on Tuesday, January 26, 2016

For years we have warned about how stupid and dangerous it is to ride, hug and harass sharks in the Ocean. So here you see first hand what can happen, when you don’t respect the sharks. They are not mindless killers, but neither are they pets that just want to be hugged. If you love sharks like I do, you respect them for what they are and are not trying to make them into something they are not.

Diving with Great Whites from the safety of a cage.

We at Shark Diver offer “Safe and Sane” diving expeditions, where you get to see sharks up close and personal, without any touching or harassing of the sharks.

Up close and personal. No touching needed.

I always say “I absolutely love sharks, but it is not a mutual feeling”. The sharks don’t love me, it’s not in their nature and that is absolutely fine with me.

Let’s go shark diving and see what these magnificent creatures are all about. No touching, no hugging, just enjoying the awesome feeling of being in their presence.

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.

“Aggressive” shark closes San Diego Beach

We arrived back in San Diego from our last Great White Shark trip just in time for an “aggressive” hammerhead shark to close a popular La Jolla (San Diego) beach.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, “A hammerhead shark that circled and followed a group of swimmers and kayakers near La Jolla Shores prompted lifeguards to close a stretch of water to thousands of beachgoers Saturday afternoon.”

A hammerhead shark circles a kayaker near La Jolla Shores Saturday. The shark’s aggressive behavior prompted the beach to close for the remainder of the day and night. — Jimmy Van Evera

Since these hammerhead sharks are not normally “aggressive” towards humans and usually quite shy, I was surprised to hear that one was actually approaching a group of swimmers.

Upon further reading of the article, I found that there was a good reason for the shark to come close to the kayak and the swimmers.  “We each caught a yellowfin, and we always bleed them out to keep them fresher,” said Jimmy Van Evera, who estimated they’d fished for three hours. “We were paddling back in and we saw this hammerhead pop up near our kayaks.” It was about 10 yards away, but ventured closer and closer”

Ok, that explains a lot. Hammerheads, like most sharks love to eat tuna. By bleeding their catch into the water, the fishermen essentially rang the dinner bell for the shark in question. The tuna blood was covering their kayaks and by paddling to shore, the kayak left a scent trail for the shark to follow.  The shark knows what a tuna looks like and once it sees the kayak, is curious to find out what smells like a tuna, but looks like a kayak. These hammerheads are not really a threat to humans, unless they happen to be covered in fish blood.

The headline for this story should have read “Irresponsible fishermen lure shark close to swimmers”, instead of calling the shark aggressive. 

If a human smells food and goes to check it out, is he/she showing aggressive behavior? Since there was tuna blood in the water and sharks are curious to investigate what smells like a tune, but looks totally different, it was probably a good idea for the lifeguards to get the people out of the water.

Personally, if I would hear there is a hammerhead in the water, I’d grab a mask and snorkel, go in and check it out. They are beautiful creatures and, as long as you’re not smelling like fish blood, not a threat to humans.

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 attack in North Carolina

Yesterday, two teenagers were bit by a shark in North Carolina and got severely hurt. This serves as a reminder that, no matter how much we may love these sharks, they are not harmless pets. We have to stop portraying them as either mindless killers or…

Surfer critically injured by shark off southern Australia; witness reports large great white

 FOX news has this headline today Surfer critically injured by shark off southern Australia; witness reports large great white”
 
The following is what they report:

I have to say, that I’m usually not a big fan of how the media reports any shark related incident. Take the “Jaws Attack” headline in the UK we talked about yesterday and you can see how sensationalistic the media tends to cover anything shark related.

I like not being described as a mindless killer!

Big kudos to FOX news for reporting an actual incident, where a surfer got seriously hurt by a shark and cover it without any sensationalism.  Maybe the 20 foot size is a bit exaggerated, but people tend to perceive sharks a larger than they actually are. They even pointed out the fact that sharks are common off Australia’s beaches and attacks are rare.

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.