• Shark Blog
    • Watching Humans Blog
  • About
    • Monsters - Project Overview
  • White Shark Cafe
  • Education / Events
    • Guadalupe Shark Trip 2020
    • Presentations
    • Upcoming Events >
      • SHARK-O-WEEN 2018
    • Bookings
    • Feedback
    • Past Events >
      • Shark Night
      • Sharktoberfest 2018
      • Surfrider Sharktober 2018
      • Surfrider Foundation (San Mateo Chapter)
      • Night Life 2013 "Killer Personalities"
      • 7 Teepees
      • Great White Lies San Francisco Premiere
      • SF March Against the Cull
      • Great White Night 2012
      • Night Life 2011
      • Gentlemen's Club
      • Scuba Squad Divers
      • Sharks and Beer
      • Launch Party / Fundraiser
      • Of Whale and Man
    • FALSE CONSERVATION >
      • OCEARCH >
        • OCEARCH OVERVIEW
        • Internal Damage
        • Fin Damage >
          • Frodo's Fin Damage Timeline
        • OCEARCH's Pregnant Shark Not Pregnant
        • Science...without the Science
        • OCEARCH Videos >
          • Sinking Away
          • Not Stressed
          • Charlie Rose 1
          • Dorsal Fin Damage
          • PAT tags VS. SPOT tags
          • Tagging Options
          • Message to Australia
  • Videos
    • Stupid Things People Say About Sharks
    • Racism and Sharks
    • Connection
    • 360s Drones and Sharks
    • Footage Licensing
    • Tiger Shark Vs. Turtle
    • Guadalupe Cage Dive Guide
    • minioncam
    • Guadalupe White Sharks 2018
    • Product Reviews
    • Interviews >
      • Guadalupe 2018 Interview
      • Andre Rerekuru
      • RodneyFox
      • Chris Neff >
        • Cape Cod Cull
      • WalterBernardis
    • SharkMinutes
    • Kid Friendly >
      • Blueprint
    • Feature Films >
      • Monsters >
        • Enterprise Documentary Fund
      • Great White Lies >
        • Film Festivals >
          • Dropbox Links Great White Lies
    • Short Films >
      • Victory Over Sharks
      • Mothers and Children
      • Sentience
      • Elasmo
      • Shark Rescue
      • Balance
      • Shark Affection
      • Purpose
      • To Touch a Killer
      • Swimming In Shark Alley
      • White Shark Behavior: Part 1
      • Connection
      • Farallon Islands
      • Sustainable
      • Fear
    • Quick Bites >
      • Nurse Shark Barbels in Slow Motion
      • Do Sharks Get Cancer?
      • Sydney Harbor Video of White Shark is Fake
      • White Shark Swallows Tuna in One Bite
      • Gentle Biting and Ram Ventilation
      • Hammerhead Love
      • Seal Swims Leisurely Around White Sharks
      • Great White High Five
      • Petting a Nurse Shark
      • White Shark Tail Narrowly Misses Woman
      • Shark Shart ( Great White takes a shit )
      • WSV Preview
    • Elasmo >
      • Elasmo 0
      • Elasmo 1 and 2
      • Elasmo 3
      • Elasmo 3 Short Version
      • Elasmo 4 (Blue Sharks)
      • Elasmo 5 - Great hammerheads
      • White Dream (short)
    • Surf >
      • Surfing With Sharks - Wayne Lynch
      • California >
        • Jetty, Half Moon Bay, 2/16/14
    • The Price of Existence >
      • Criminalizing Natural Behavior
      • Price of Existence Excerpts with Chris Fallows
      • Dr. Neil Hammerschlag Explains Responsible Drum Lining
      • Price of Existence Trailer
      • Global Opposition to the Cull
      • Daniel Wolfe Interview Exerpt
    • Outtakes >
      • Surfer Interview Outtake
      • Avoiding Gansbaai
      • The Bag Boy
    • Samples
    • Videos from Others >
      • Good Vids >
        • White Shark Research in New Zealand
        • The Shark Man (60 Minutes)
        • Baby White Shark Caught
      • Bad Vids >
        • All that is wrong with Discovery wrapped up in one vid
  • Get Involved
    • Guadalupe 2020
    • Recurring Donation
    • Donations
    • Join the Team
    • News Letter Sign Up
  White Shark Video
  • Shark Blog
    • Watching Humans Blog
  • About
    • Monsters - Project Overview
  • White Shark Cafe
  • Education / Events
    • Guadalupe Shark Trip 2020
    • Presentations
    • Upcoming Events >
      • SHARK-O-WEEN 2018
    • Bookings
    • Feedback
    • Past Events >
      • Shark Night
      • Sharktoberfest 2018
      • Surfrider Sharktober 2018
      • Surfrider Foundation (San Mateo Chapter)
      • Night Life 2013 "Killer Personalities"
      • 7 Teepees
      • Great White Lies San Francisco Premiere
      • SF March Against the Cull
      • Great White Night 2012
      • Night Life 2011
      • Gentlemen's Club
      • Scuba Squad Divers
      • Sharks and Beer
      • Launch Party / Fundraiser
      • Of Whale and Man
    • FALSE CONSERVATION >
      • OCEARCH >
        • OCEARCH OVERVIEW
        • Internal Damage
        • Fin Damage >
          • Frodo's Fin Damage Timeline
        • OCEARCH's Pregnant Shark Not Pregnant
        • Science...without the Science
        • OCEARCH Videos >
          • Sinking Away
          • Not Stressed
          • Charlie Rose 1
          • Dorsal Fin Damage
          • PAT tags VS. SPOT tags
          • Tagging Options
          • Message to Australia
  • Videos
    • Stupid Things People Say About Sharks
    • Racism and Sharks
    • Connection
    • 360s Drones and Sharks
    • Footage Licensing
    • Tiger Shark Vs. Turtle
    • Guadalupe Cage Dive Guide
    • minioncam
    • Guadalupe White Sharks 2018
    • Product Reviews
    • Interviews >
      • Guadalupe 2018 Interview
      • Andre Rerekuru
      • RodneyFox
      • Chris Neff >
        • Cape Cod Cull
      • WalterBernardis
    • SharkMinutes
    • Kid Friendly >
      • Blueprint
    • Feature Films >
      • Monsters >
        • Enterprise Documentary Fund
      • Great White Lies >
        • Film Festivals >
          • Dropbox Links Great White Lies
    • Short Films >
      • Victory Over Sharks
      • Mothers and Children
      • Sentience
      • Elasmo
      • Shark Rescue
      • Balance
      • Shark Affection
      • Purpose
      • To Touch a Killer
      • Swimming In Shark Alley
      • White Shark Behavior: Part 1
      • Connection
      • Farallon Islands
      • Sustainable
      • Fear
    • Quick Bites >
      • Nurse Shark Barbels in Slow Motion
      • Do Sharks Get Cancer?
      • Sydney Harbor Video of White Shark is Fake
      • White Shark Swallows Tuna in One Bite
      • Gentle Biting and Ram Ventilation
      • Hammerhead Love
      • Seal Swims Leisurely Around White Sharks
      • Great White High Five
      • Petting a Nurse Shark
      • White Shark Tail Narrowly Misses Woman
      • Shark Shart ( Great White takes a shit )
      • WSV Preview
    • Elasmo >
      • Elasmo 0
      • Elasmo 1 and 2
      • Elasmo 3
      • Elasmo 3 Short Version
      • Elasmo 4 (Blue Sharks)
      • Elasmo 5 - Great hammerheads
      • White Dream (short)
    • Surf >
      • Surfing With Sharks - Wayne Lynch
      • California >
        • Jetty, Half Moon Bay, 2/16/14
    • The Price of Existence >
      • Criminalizing Natural Behavior
      • Price of Existence Excerpts with Chris Fallows
      • Dr. Neil Hammerschlag Explains Responsible Drum Lining
      • Price of Existence Trailer
      • Global Opposition to the Cull
      • Daniel Wolfe Interview Exerpt
    • Outtakes >
      • Surfer Interview Outtake
      • Avoiding Gansbaai
      • The Bag Boy
    • Samples
    • Videos from Others >
      • Good Vids >
        • White Shark Research in New Zealand
        • The Shark Man (60 Minutes)
        • Baby White Shark Caught
      • Bad Vids >
        • All that is wrong with Discovery wrapped up in one vid
  • Get Involved
    • Guadalupe 2020
    • Recurring Donation
    • Donations
    • Join the Team
    • News Letter Sign Up

The Cage Diving / Chumming Controversy:

1/14/2009

4 Comments

 

I received my first hate mail from someone chastising me for chumming and using bait at the Farallon Islands.  Well, I personally don’t chum at all, and no one chums at the Farallon Islands due to regulations that exist in this marine sanctuary.  Any footage of mine which shows chumming or bait was taken while on board any number of ecotourism boats in South Africa.  However, this did remind me to blog about what seems to be the new hot topic for city dwelling ‘shark experts’; the evil of chumming and cage diving.

The two main arguments against cage-diving and chumming make sense at first glance.  One argument is founded on the well-being of the shark, the other is founded on the well-being of humans.  Let’s start with the fist reason.

Chumming, the act of adding a very smelly blend of blood, fish oil, and other yummy things, is used to attract sharks to boats in regions of the world where this is still allowed.  In addition, chunks of bait are also used to attract the sharks.  This is frowned upon with the concern that the shark’s natural hunting and feeding behavior will be affected in a negative manner.

The second argument is based on the idea that putting people in cages around sharks, particularly in combination with chum, is teaching the sharks to associate humans with food.  This in turn will cause sharks to begin hunting humans as a food source.  This is a more heated topic in South Africa where cage diving with white sharks has exploded is a huge industry.

Here are the reasons for chumming and cage diving:

 It protects the shark.  Although the white shark is on South Africa’s protected species list, that doesn’t stop poachers, sports fisherman, and trophy hunters from taking their toll on the species.  It’s a matter of regulation, or lack-there-of.  The sharks also face the threat of fleets of long lining fishing boats off-shore and beach nets near shore.  It’s almost as though the safest place for these sharks is near the popular cage diving destinations where the area has more sets of eyes and more people that prefer the shark alive to dead.  It’s sad that it comes down to money, but as long as the shark is providing a source of income there is an increased chance of people fighting for its survival.

It promotes the shark.  Every tourist I’ve ever watched experience a great white for the first time is simply awed by their beauty, grace, power and surprisingly docile nature.  The ecotourism boats are required to educate the tourists about the sharks, so people leave not only as shark advocates, but also with a better understanding of the animal’s behavior and its struggle for survival.

No food association.  Each of the cage diving locations in the world share a few things in common:  They are occur next to islands several miles off shore, filled with thousands of seals.  The sharks are there to feed on the seals.  This means that the boats full of people are traveling to a remote location where the sharks have already congregated. The sharks are not being lured to beaches full of unsuspecting swimmers and surfers.  Rather, we are entering their hunting ground where the waters are already saturated with ‘natural chum’, the body odor, blood, and fecal matter of their natural prey. 

No altered behavior.  “But you are interfering with their hunting habitat”, one might argue.  I said the same thing in the beginning, but the more I watched, the more I noticed that the sharks lost interest in the bait and boats very quickly, if they came around at all, and usually never returned.  Furthermore, the sharks are transient, meaning that they do not set up camp for long periods of time expecting a free hand out. Still, I had my doubts. Marine biologists were also concerned about altered behavior and feeding patterns so they conducted their own study. You may be surprised to read the results. Read here.



4 Comments

Anderson Cooper and Feeding Frenzies

1/14/2009

2 Comments

 

Ever since Anderson Cooper went free diving with Great Whites people have been sending me the link and asking what I think about it.  Looks like he did it in ‘Shark Alley’, the same place I did it 2004.  I snorkeled and dove on SCUBA, but no sharks came to visit me.  Looks like he was fortunate enough to actually have a shark or two around and I have to give him credit for doing such a brave thing.

Of course, the news anchors had to damage the story by saying things like, “It was an all out feeding frenzy!” and unwittingly referring to the ‘chumming’ controversy.   Let’s clarify:

First of all, no one, not even Andre Hartman or the guys from ‘Jackass’ are gonna get in the water during a feeding frenzy.  Next, a feeding frenzy refers to a large gathering of animals competing for food in a ravenous manner, sometimes even attacking and eating each other in the process.  I can assure you that cage dive operators put one piece of bait in the water at a time, most often attracting only one shark at a time.  If another white shark does appear, the smaller one usually goes away.  Sharks of similar size seem to take turns making passes at the bait in a very ‘civilized’ manner.  The operators do not feed the sharks and actually do their best to pull the bait just out of the shark’s reach.  The few seconds of teeth and gaping jaws shown on TV is the result of editing hours of footage mostly consisting of slow moving, disinterested sharks.

The film ‘Air Jaws’ captured a mass feeding of Great White sharks when the camera crew was fortunate enough to come across a floating whale carcass.  They estimated 15 to 20 large great whites shared the area at the same time, often touching and overlapping fins.  They took turns ripping large chunks of flesh off the whale and never once showed signs of violence toward each other, the camera crew, or the boat.

I’ll talk about the ‘chumming and cage diving controversy’ in the next blog.

2 Comments






    Picture














    Picture






    Oh, the glory days of drenching the bay with the blood of majestic animals.


    Site of the Richmond whaling station closed in the early 70s






    Chopping the bait down to a smaller size.  The bait used on this boat is skip jack tuna.













    Bait is pulled out of the shark's reach, but brings it close enough to the cage for the divers to get a close look.
      Not only are the tour operators prohibited from intentionally feeding the sharks, but they avoid it for the purpose of not continuously buying more bait.


    Sometimes the shark will launch itself from the deep in such a stealthy manner that the bait handler does not pull away on time.  A small snack for the shark, but hardly a reason to stop eating its normal diet of large, fat rich seals.

















    First of all, no one, not even Andre Hartman or the guys from ‘Jackass’ are gonna get in the water during a feeding frenzy














    The photographer managed to snap this photo just before the turtle ripped him to pieces.  Witnesses say the turtle was actually 'smiling' as it tore through the poor diver's flesh.














    A herd of rare, 2-legged elephant seals await their chance to swim with the sharks.


    Archives

    October 2011
    May 2011
    March 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    September 2008

    Categories

    All
    Devils Teeth
    Huckberry
    Skyler Thomas

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Shark Blog
    • Watching Humans Blog
  • About
    • Monsters - Project Overview
  • White Shark Cafe
  • Education / Events
    • Guadalupe Shark Trip 2020
    • Presentations
    • Upcoming Events >
      • SHARK-O-WEEN 2018
    • Bookings
    • Feedback
    • Past Events >
      • Shark Night
      • Sharktoberfest 2018
      • Surfrider Sharktober 2018
      • Surfrider Foundation (San Mateo Chapter)
      • Night Life 2013 "Killer Personalities"
      • 7 Teepees
      • Great White Lies San Francisco Premiere
      • SF March Against the Cull
      • Great White Night 2012
      • Night Life 2011
      • Gentlemen's Club
      • Scuba Squad Divers
      • Sharks and Beer
      • Launch Party / Fundraiser
      • Of Whale and Man
    • FALSE CONSERVATION >
      • OCEARCH >
        • OCEARCH OVERVIEW
        • Internal Damage
        • Fin Damage >
          • Frodo's Fin Damage Timeline
        • OCEARCH's Pregnant Shark Not Pregnant
        • Science...without the Science
        • OCEARCH Videos >
          • Sinking Away
          • Not Stressed
          • Charlie Rose 1
          • Dorsal Fin Damage
          • PAT tags VS. SPOT tags
          • Tagging Options
          • Message to Australia
  • Videos
    • Stupid Things People Say About Sharks
    • Racism and Sharks
    • Connection
    • 360s Drones and Sharks
    • Footage Licensing
    • Tiger Shark Vs. Turtle
    • Guadalupe Cage Dive Guide
    • minioncam
    • Guadalupe White Sharks 2018
    • Product Reviews
    • Interviews >
      • Guadalupe 2018 Interview
      • Andre Rerekuru
      • RodneyFox
      • Chris Neff >
        • Cape Cod Cull
      • WalterBernardis
    • SharkMinutes
    • Kid Friendly >
      • Blueprint
    • Feature Films >
      • Monsters >
        • Enterprise Documentary Fund
      • Great White Lies >
        • Film Festivals >
          • Dropbox Links Great White Lies
    • Short Films >
      • Victory Over Sharks
      • Mothers and Children
      • Sentience
      • Elasmo
      • Shark Rescue
      • Balance
      • Shark Affection
      • Purpose
      • To Touch a Killer
      • Swimming In Shark Alley
      • White Shark Behavior: Part 1
      • Connection
      • Farallon Islands
      • Sustainable
      • Fear
    • Quick Bites >
      • Nurse Shark Barbels in Slow Motion
      • Do Sharks Get Cancer?
      • Sydney Harbor Video of White Shark is Fake
      • White Shark Swallows Tuna in One Bite
      • Gentle Biting and Ram Ventilation
      • Hammerhead Love
      • Seal Swims Leisurely Around White Sharks
      • Great White High Five
      • Petting a Nurse Shark
      • White Shark Tail Narrowly Misses Woman
      • Shark Shart ( Great White takes a shit )
      • WSV Preview
    • Elasmo >
      • Elasmo 0
      • Elasmo 1 and 2
      • Elasmo 3
      • Elasmo 3 Short Version
      • Elasmo 4 (Blue Sharks)
      • Elasmo 5 - Great hammerheads
      • White Dream (short)
    • Surf >
      • Surfing With Sharks - Wayne Lynch
      • California >
        • Jetty, Half Moon Bay, 2/16/14
    • The Price of Existence >
      • Criminalizing Natural Behavior
      • Price of Existence Excerpts with Chris Fallows
      • Dr. Neil Hammerschlag Explains Responsible Drum Lining
      • Price of Existence Trailer
      • Global Opposition to the Cull
      • Daniel Wolfe Interview Exerpt
    • Outtakes >
      • Surfer Interview Outtake
      • Avoiding Gansbaai
      • The Bag Boy
    • Samples
    • Videos from Others >
      • Good Vids >
        • White Shark Research in New Zealand
        • The Shark Man (60 Minutes)
        • Baby White Shark Caught
      • Bad Vids >
        • All that is wrong with Discovery wrapped up in one vid
  • Get Involved
    • Guadalupe 2020
    • Recurring Donation
    • Donations
    • Join the Team
    • News Letter Sign Up