The Official Shark Diving Jedi
As the official Shark Diving Jedi I want to welcome everyone to the most exciting section of Scuba Jedi!
Whether you actively seek out encounters with the ocean’s top predators or if you just bump into the occasional reef shark you are a Shark Diver and in my opinion that makes you a very lucky person.
If you have yet to see your first shark then stay tuned. Over the coming months I will be writing about some of the sharkiest places on the planet. Places that you will want to visit. Places where you’re guaranteed to see more than your fair share of sharks.
But, before I launch into stories about adrenalin drenching encounters with sharks there are a couple of things that I want to make crystal clear…
Firstly, sharks are not monsters. If you’re hoping to read about ferocious, man-eating, blood thirsty beasties you should head over to the Scuba Diving Marketing Section. Sure, some forms of shark diving can be dangerous but sharks do not prowl the oceans looking for tasty divers to munch. If that were the case they would consume every unsuspecting swimmer that entered their domain. After all, even a small shark could make short work of a human intruder if it wanted to.
Sharks are graceful, intelligent, magnificent animals. Some are large, powerful and bold but most of the 500 or so species (that live in virtually every marine habitat from freshwater rivers to the abyssal marine plains) are small and reclusive. Most are so shy that they have not yet been photographed in their natural habitat. And, unless there is a serious shift in thinking, many may become extinct before we learn anything about them other than the value of their fins.
Secondly, remember the expression ‘Don’t try this at home’ before you get too excited and leap into shark infested waters while waving around a bleeding tuna carcass. If you want to interact with sharks at very close quarters, join an organized shark dive. As I already mentioned, sharks generally are not interested in biting people. Humans are bony and don’t have a high enough oil content to make them a very productive snack. We probably taste bad too.
However, when divers feed fish to sharks it changes all that. Sharks can’t conceptualize such an alien behavior as another animal offering them food for entertainment. So, when they see divers with fish they interpret it as if the humans are competing predators.
Depending on how bold they feel, they may circle at a distance or rush in and try to steal the food. Sometimes, this inadvertently results in a shark bite.
Experienced shark diving/feeding operators usually know how far they can take things without the sharks getting out of control. So, at least initially, stick with the experts.
May the sharks be with you,
Andy Murch
Creator of the Elasmodiver Shark and Ray Field Guide
Staff Photographer at Shark Diver Magazine
Shark Diving Jedi
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