Response to "What's going on at Guadalupe?"

I got this response from the person who says he took the photos that I posted in this blog.

Here is what he said: "Hello Martin, I am the owner of those images and I was very surprised to see them on the blog article you posted. I would like to ask you to immediatly remove them from the web as well as the comments that concerns them- which dont correspond to the reality in that specific situation. The person who is facing the shark had to push the shark away as it was a very intrusive personality and he touched it as little as he could and the dive was aborted immediatly. I don't want the images to be used in a provocative way when they don't reflect the reality of what happened. And I especially don't condone or encourage physical contacts with sharks, but in this specific instance, it could not be avoided by the diver- as I said, he got out of the water right away after the occurence. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon, Thank you, Jean-Marie Ghislain"

I removed the pictures from the blog at his request. When posting the pictures, I linked the source, which is a blog, discussing what's going on at Isla Guadalupe, which I believed to be covered under the fair use of a picture. I'm sorry for the mix up.

As to how Jean Marie Ghislain describes the incident, it confirms my statements, that diving outside of the cages is a bad idea. It's not the shark that was intrusive, I mean, it is in his own space. It's the divers that were intruding into the sharks home! Aside from it being a bad idea to go outside the cages, it is also illegal!

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 is going on at Guadalupe?

The secret is "out of the cage" now! The news has traveled all the way to Fiji!  "da shark", just wrote this blog on diving outside the cage and manhandling great white sharks at Isla Guadalupe.

It has gotten worse and worse over the last few years. What started out as going outside of the cage, has gone all the way to touching, riding and even trying to flip a great white shark.  It seems like some unscrupulous operators are trying to "out-crazy" (if that is even a word) themselves, always looking to top what they did the last time.

Pictures like this and this (I removed the actual pictures by request of the photographer)
are not what we want to see coming out of Guadalupe! They are nothing but self promoting, "Look at me!" kind of stunts, that do nothing to help shark conservation, but everything to hurt it. What's next? Do a dental exam with a cleaning?

Mike got it right when he says "Somebody commented on another post somewhere else,  

Like a high stakes game of musical chairs, (that person) is at the end of a long record that has been playing for almost a decade. When the music runs out someone will find themselves and the sharks in a completely untenable situation. There will be plenty of blame to go around. 

Could not agree more. 

We at Shark Diver completely agree with Mike. We are diving with great white sharks at Isla Guadalupe and would never allow any of our divers to leave the cage, leave alone touch or handle the sharks.

We also dive with bull sharks in Fiji. We don't use cages there, but do absolutely not allow any of our divers to touch or handle the sharks.

In the Bahamas, we dive with tiger sharks. Again, we don't use cages, but would never allow any of our divers to touch, flip or harass those sharks.

Some people are skeptical of us in the shark diving industry and make wholesale accusations, that we are doing anything for money. Let me assure you. Shark Diver has turned down many individuals, as well as film companies, who wanted to do some of the stupid things we are talking about here.

If you are curious about sharks and want to experience what it is like to come face to face with them, if you want to learn more about the sharks and want to dive with a researcher, if you respect those sharks for the predators they are and don't feel the need to touch, ride, flip or harass them, then we are the company for you. If you want to do the things we are talking about here, go somewhere else! Actually, I take that back, I would prefer you'd stay out of the ocean!

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.

The killers just off our shores!

Here is another stellar piece of journalism! The "Mail Online" has an article with the headline "The killers just off our shores" 

Now what creature do you think they are talking about? Shark diving, swimming with sharks,  
.... yep, a blue shark. In the article they state two things. 

1 "The recent heatwave is thought to have brought killer blue sharks closer to the coast of Cornwall than ever before" 

and

2 "Swimmers aren’t in danger from these sharks. They are highly unlikely to bite humans." 

Hmmm, say what? Killer blue sharks that are not a danger to swimmers!? Now I know about sensationalistic headlines, but contradicting your headline in your article seems to be something any self respecting journalist should avoid!

The article also has plenty of pictures of those "killers", calmly swimming amongst humans. 

The article also incorrectly states that 4 people have been killed by blue sharks in the last 5 years. According to the international shark attack files, there have been 5 fatal bites since 1910! So aside from contradicting his own headline, the author shows a complete lack of interest in getting his stats correct.

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 whale shark caught, sold and chopped!

A lot of people are diligently working to get sharks protected. Unfortunately, enforcement of these laws can be spotty, to say the least. Shark diving, cage diving, diving with sharks, shark adventure, bucket list, shark week, shark diver, eli martinez, shark conservation, great white sharks,

Slaughtered whale shark, photo Dawn.com

Here is report, by DAWN, of a whale shark being auctioned off, not in the dead of night, at a secret location, but out in public, with people posing for pictures with the slaughtered animal. Bull shark diving in Fiji

The article states “This is an illegal catch as we have received information that the trawling was being carried out within 12 nautical miles of Balochistan coast which is banned under the law"

All the laws in the world don't help, if the enforcement is not there. Along with the enforcement, educating the public is also of vital importance. I'm sure that most the people watching this scene, had no idea that it was illegal, and are most likely not aware of the importance of these animals to the Eco-system and their endangered status.

So spread the word and hopefully we will hear fewer of these kinds of stories.

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 sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Job opening in paradise!

I just got an email from Project Abroad they have an opening for an in country (Fiji) Marine Biologist/Field coordinator. I'm not sure if this is for the same position we wrote about earlier.

Here is what I got.

Due to further expansion, Projects Abroad Fiji - Shark Conservation Project is seeking a new Female Marine Biologist/Field Coordinator to join the ever growing team. Shark Diving, cage diving, shark adventures, swimming with sharks, great white sharks,
Your Role: 
- To carry out shark research in line with our Conservation Management Plan, under thesupervision of our lead scientist. 
- Coordinate scientific work with our international and local project partners.
- Help develop and grow future scientific projects on a local and global scale. 
- Train and educate research volunteers in all aspects of our scientific and awareness work. 
- Daily, weekly and monthly schedules. 
- Organisation and coordination of all field and related activities. 
- Supervise research volunteers on water and land based work. 
- Data collection, analysis and reporting. 
- Assist with diving, underwater surveys and equipment deployment and retrieval. 

Requirements: 

-Marine Science Degree or similar 
-PADI DM or higher 
-First Aid certification 
-Fluent in English, other language a bonus 
-Must be able to work as part of a team and willing to put in long hours 
-Very flexible approach to work Experience of shark research 
-Long term commitment (min 1 year) 

We offer: 

- 1 year contract with view to extend, subject to a 3 month probation period. 
- Basic salary - Accommodation - 3 meals a day 
- Comprehensive insurance 
- Return flight to your home country after 1 year 
- Visa related expenses 
- Internet and phone 
- Two days off a week 
- Excellent in country support and benefits 
- Working with some of the world's most renowned shark scientists and experts. 

Please only apply if you have the relevant experience.!

Only success applicants will be contacted.
Closing date for applications is: 31st March 2014.
Send a cover letter, CV and photo to Andy Hill:
Email: andyhill@projects-abroad.org
http://www.projects-abroad.co.uk/volunteer-projects/conservation-and-environment/fiji/

Vinaka!
Andy Hill
Project Manager
Projects Abroad Fiji

Good luck! This is truly a dream job! Living in paradise and doing something worthwhile, what could be better?

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.

Could our love for sharks be killing them?

How could our loving sharks possibly hurt them? After all, we want to protect them and are fighting those who are hurting them. Why would I even suggest such a ridiculous thing?shark diving, cage diving, swimming with sharks, Guadalupe Island, Great White Shark, shark conservation
OK, lets look at what is going on. I have written about what various conservation  groups are doing here. This time I want to focus on how they are doing it.

Most of us are interested in shark conservation because we love sharks. This love is a powerful motivator to get us to act and and actually do something, instead of just standing on the sidelines. That same love for the sharks is also what can make our efforts ineffective. We tend to argue from the heart and demonize the ones that don't agree with us.

Take this post on Eco Phuket's facebook page. It shows a spearfisherman who shot a shark, cleaning his catch. The comments range from "That is shocking behaviour bloody Neanderthal" to "We got to get this killer consumer out of the water!" How do you think this spearfisherman is going to react to being called a "Neanderthal" and "killer consumer"? Do you really think that will help him see your side and stop fishing for sharks?

Movies like "The cove" show the slaughter of dolphins and pretty much chastise the Japanese for hunting dolphins. They don't just criticize the way they slaughter them, but  the fact that they are killing them in the first place. How do you think the Japanese feel about the way they are portrayed in that movie?

When it comes to shark fin soup, there are plenty of people who just blame the Chinese for the shark finning that is going on. Again, we are demonizing a culture and it is us (the good guys) vs. them (the bad guys) Aside from the fact that it is not just the Chinese that are to blame, ( watch the video below) it is simply not helpful.


Guang Zhou Market for Sea Shepherd USA from Gary Stokes on Vimeo.

I think the first thing we have to do is realize that a shark is just a fish and a dolphin is just an animal. The issue is not weather we love them or not, but rather is the taking of these animals sustainable, is the killing humane etc.  To give you an example, most of you who read this are probably living in the western world and being used to its customs. So when we attack the Japanese for eating dolphins, the Chinese for eating shark fin soup and the Koreans for eating dogs, because it's just not cool to eat those animals, we don't consider what other cultures, e.g: India, must think about our custom of eating "holy cows".

I know, it hurts to see a shark killed, a dolphin slaughtered or a dog eaten, but if we demonize the ones that are doing it, we won't really get them to change. It's just like in politics each side is just blaming and demonizing the other and nothing gets done.

It's easy to get fellow conservationists to agree with us, but how do we get those who don't agree with us, to see our way? As painful as it might be, we actually have to seek a dialogue with those who don't see things our way. There are many individuals and organizations that get it and are doing exactly that.

In Fiji, Beqa Adventure divers helped establish the shark reef marine reserve, which included involving 3 fishing villages who's fishermen agreed not to fish in that area in exchange for receiving a fee from all divers, diving in that area. After 10 years of protecting shark reef, a fisherman told Mike Neumann that before the shark reef marine reserve was established, he could not catch any fish from shore, but now there are plenty of fish there, a spillover effect. This is a great example of conservationist seeking a dialogue with the fishermen and working together to make changes.

Another example is the shark friendly marinas project. By talking to marinas that are home to many sportfishermen, it got some of those marinas to agree to not allow any caught sharks to be landed there. Again, this project is relying on seeking a dialogue with those who are fishing for sharks and make them aware of the problem associated with shark fishing.

Yet another example are fishing tournaments. Guy Harvey is someone well known in the fishing industry and a sponsor of many fishing tournaments. It's easy to condemn shark fishing tournaments, and demonize the fishermen participating in it. But here is how I see it. Instead of having a tournament that catches and kills the sharks, they now catch, tag and release the sharks. Is this ideal? Do all the released sharks survive? No, of course not. But it is way better than the catch and kill tournaments and it makes the fishermen involved in the conservation efforts. Also Guy Harvey, a fisherman, supports many other ocean related conservation efforts.

And who would have thought that the consumption of shark fin soup in China could decline by 70%? Efforts by various groups and Chinese celebrities have turned the tide and it's no longer considered fashionable to serve shark fin soup in China. Again, education and working with a culture instead of against it, has shown results.

It is perfectly fine to love and care about the sharks! I do! We just have to remember that in order to change things, we should seek a dialogue with those who don't see things our way and not just condemn and demonize them. If we only accept a world where nobody kills any sharks and we are not willing to compromise, we will never get things to change. We also have to be prepared to be attacked and ridiculed by our fellow conservationists, for working with the "enemy". Personally, if I can do something that saves just one shark, I don't care what anyone thinks. If they call me a traitor for supporting a catch and release tournament, so be it. For me it's not about the praise of my fellow shark lovers, but about saving the sharks.

OK enough of my rant, I just had to get this off my chest.

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.

Man attacks shark! Sharks are demanding "man cull" to mitigate the danger!

According to an article in the Daily Telegraph, a man was attacked by a wobegong shark. The article states that "Mr Porter had no advance warning when he was attacked.
“I had no idea what was happening — it just clamped on and that was the first I knew about it,” Mr Porter told The Daily Telegraph today. “It sort of bit through the flipper and went through to my foot.”Shark diving is fun. Diving with Great white shark. Swimming with Bull sharks, cage diving with Tiger sharks

Wait a second, the shark "attacked" Mr. Porter? Wobegong sharks are carpet sharks, that usually rely on their camouflage to hide from prey, so they can ambush it. So most likely what happened is that Mr. Porter stepped on the shark, which bit him in return.

The headline read: Port Macquarie man threw punches in the air after shark attack

Wouldn't it be more accurate to have a headline that says "Port Macquarie shark bites man after being attacked by him"? Shark had no advanced warning, when Mr porter viciously stepped on it's head!

Injuries caused by shark bite

And the injuries to the man you ask?  Here is a picture of the "severe" wound the "shark attack" has left on the "victim"

Now this type of human/shark interaction is really what I call worthy of newspaper headlines. There are thousands of people who step on a stingray each year and get stung in return, in some cases causing injuries more severe than the ones caused by this shark bite.  Do you recall any newspaper headlines describing those incidents? As soon as a shark is involved, there are headlines, it's always characterized as an "attack" and it almost never states that it was provoked.

Where is the harm in having headlines like this? You may be aware of the shark cull that is going in Australia right now. It is mostly based on the public's fear of sharks and has very little to do with actually protecting the people. Headlines like these, perpetuate that fear and can cause real harm, not only to the sharks, but the entire ocean Eco system in turn.

I know I'm banging my head a against a wall, but had to get this off my chest.

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@sharkdivercom.

Last day to bid on a scientific Guadalupe expedition!

Today is your last chance to bid on a scientific expedition with Nicole Lucas Nasby.

Here are the links for the bidding.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=261413040920

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=261413042322

You can find more info on the trip here. All proceeds go to the Marine Conservation Science Institute, the organization that puts together and maintains the Guadalupe photo ID project.

Good luck bidding!

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 sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Are sharks apex predators? Does it matter?

We commonly refer to sharks as apex predators. Are they really? If they are not, does it matter? A few Australian researchers have come up with some answers to both questions.

First, are sharks apex predators? According to their findings, the answer is yes .... and no.

Example of an apex predator!

Here is what they found. "While size can be important in terrestrial ecosys- tems, size is crucial in marine ecosystems — which tend to be dominated by indeterminate organisms that grow continuously throughout their lives (Trebilco et al. 2013). Individual function changes due to onto- genetic diet shifts as organisms grow in size (Karpouzi

& Stergiou 2003, Pinnegar et al. 2003). The conse- quence is that size-structuring within communities, rather than species identity, is an important factor in determining the strength of competitive and predatory interactions (Dickie et al. 1987, Kerr & Dickie 2001). For example, studies have shown high overlap in diet between similar-sized sharks regardless of maturity state and species identity (e.g. Bethea et al. 2004). Therefore, designation of marine species into apex and mesopredator categories should consider the life stage and size of individuals."

I'm not a scientist, but what I'm getting is, size matters!

But so, why should we care? We are not scientists, (well, you may be, but I'm not) so what does a classification matter? 

Here is what they have to say to that. 

Example of a meso predator!

"Our size-based view of the classification of predatory roles raises important questions about what objectives to manage, and how these objectives can be best achieved. Protection of reef communities through marine protected areas (MPAs) or fisheries regulation (or indeed, naturally on those few locations far from human population centres) would ensure the mesopredator sharks on these reefs are sheltered from fishing pressure. However, the same may not be true for apex predators because their broad movement patterns and large home ranges (Meyer et al. 2009) would expose them to a greater diversity of fishing fleets and gears, and thus a greater overall mortality than the smaller-ranging, reef-dwelling mesopredators. Hence, the apex pred- ators of coral reefs may be silently eliminated by offshore pelagic longline fisheries, unbeknownst to those managing reef diversity and function (Cox et al. 2002). Therefore, reef-based MPAs are not adequate to protect these species"

So basically they are saying that we need to do more than establish MPAs to adequately protect apex predators.

Here is a graphic that may be a bit more clear on the subject.
 

This graphic shows, that without MPAs prey species would greatly increase, while both mesopredators and apex predators decrease. With reef scale (small, local) MPAs, the mesopredators thrive, keeping the prey species in balance, but the apex predators still decline.

 

In practical terms, this means that we have to protect apex predators on a much larger scale than the less migratory mesopredators. In order to do that, we need to know both where they are and when they are there. With that knowledge we can push for local and/or seasonal protection for these migratory apex predators. In order to get that data, we need data that shows the migratory behavior of the various species of apex predators. 

You can read the entire paper here.

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

Is Australias government coming to it's senses?

Greg Hunt, Australia's federal minister for the environment, has released a statement to the press, "The Federal Government will require the West Australian Government to undertake a full environmental assessment of Western Australia’s Shark Mitigation Strategy."

Even though they can continue the current program until the end of April, the release  further states "However, as I have previously informed the West Australian Government on making the original decision, there would be no further extension without a full assessment.

Western Australia will need to refer the program for assessment under national environment law.  We will work co-operatively with the West Australian Government through this process."

You can read the entire press release here.

This is a good first step. Let's hope that when they review the policy they actually listen to the scientific evidence and not just the fear mongers in the West Australian government.

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 you want to see the big "girls" at Guadalupe in November?

Our 2 science trips for this September have sold out in just a couple of weeks and we have been getting a lot of interest in doing another trip in mid November, when the truly enormous females dominate the waters off Guadalupe Island. 

That interest and the fact that our Great White Shark database is in need of pictures of the big, late season females, we have decided to add a special science expedition from November 11- 16.

We are proud to announce, that  Nicole Nasby-Lucas from the Marine Conservation Science Institute, the scientist that started the Great White Shark photo Id database at Isla Guadalupe, will again be joining us on this special expedition to photograph and identify the large females. She will also be sharing her research with our divers and showing everyone how to identify the sharks. So far the database has over 150 individual sharks identified and some of those individuals have visited Guadalupe Island every year since first being identified in 2001. It is amazing to see how those sharks change in size and behavior.


This expedition is a unique opportunity to participate in growing our database. Should we find a new shark, which is fairly likely during that time of the year, the group will get the opportunity to name the shark. Imagine seeing a shark on a future television documentary, knowing you were there when we first encountered it. All the participants will also get a copy of the photo ID book, containing all the identified sharks at Isla Guadalupe.

The price for this special expedition is $3300 and is limited to 18 divers. We recommend that you book early, since our last two science expeditions sold out in just a couple of weeks.


To book or for more information, call us toll free at 855.987.4275 or 619.887.4275. You can also reach us via email at staff@sharkdiver.com

I hope you can be part of this exciting expedition!

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

Is shark diving a threat to conservation efforts?

Our friend Mike Neumann from Beqa Adventure Divers is featured in this article on shark diving and it's impact on conservation efforts.

Mike Neumann lives in the tropical paradise of Fiji and scuba dives with large bull sharks all the time. In addition to having a dream job as a co-owner of a scubdiving company called Beqa Adventure Divers, Neumann likes exposing people to sharks so he can help improve the image of these misunderstood and threatened animals. “It is always inspiring to observe the awe and exhilaration, especially of the newbies once they realize that the sharks are nothing like the negative stereotypes,” he says, “but instead simply awesome and beautiful!” 

It's not all fun and games though. Eco tourism goes beyond the operators trying to make a living.

Neumann’s opinion about the benefits of ecotourism for shark conservation is shared by many scuba-diving business owners in the growing shark ecotourism industry, with more than 375 unique shark diving businesses as of 2011 (pdf). Recent research (pdf) suggests that these scuba business owners might be right: public perception of sharks is important to their conservation. For instance, Christopher Neff, a PhD student at the University of Sydney who studies the policy implications of shark bites, says, “Laws often save or protect what the public cares about and can punish what it doesn't. Perception matters a lot in terms of both laws and local responses to sharing beach ecosystems.” 

Unfortunately there has been a trend in the industry to do crazier and more extreme things. Some operators don't care about the possible consequences their actions have, not only for themselves and their clients, but the rest of the industry and most important, the sharks.

Image link

A new trend in “shark riding” has shark conservationists anticipating an accident, which would likely result in negative media coverage of sharks and potential consequences to the industry. This risky behavior includes riding, prodding, grabbing, excessively handling and otherwise harassing sharks. Sharks are large, wild animals, and their behavior can be unpredictable. So, riding or harassing activity greatly increases the chance that someone will be injured. Such an injury could undo the progress made by ecotourism to public perception of sharks. “These close interactions with large predators are always dangerous,” Neumann says. “Highly experienced people may possibly limit those risks through adequate behavior and safety protocols, but the increasing number of inexperienced copycats makes me fear that somebody will end up having a bad accident.”  

Now, if someone does get hurt or worse, we all know what will happen in the media. The article of course states it a lot more eloquently.

Based on his analysis of how the media covers shark bites and a “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality, Neff thinks that if such an accident occurred, the incident would make headlines around the world. Nearly 20 percent of media-reported shark bites in Australia since 1979 resulted in no injury whatsoever to the human, yet the language used in news coverage often perpetuated the misconception of sharks as mindless killers. “The high degree of attention toward shark bites makes them seem more frequent than they are,” Neff says. “Someone in Poland is seeing coverage of a shark bite in Mexico and someone in Montana is hearing stories out of Florida, so even though these events are really rare they appear to be happening everywhere all the time—so our sense of probability is off. The result is often more negative responses.” Neff expressed concerns that media coverage of an accident resulting from risky diver behavior would likely be inflammatory. Such coverage could be damaging to the scuba industry by scaring potential customers away, and harmful to public perception of sharks by perpetuating false stereotypes of them as seeking out humans to eat.
 
So not only would the bad publicity from an accident hurt the sharks public image, but the actual act of handling the sharks could have an impact on them.

In addition to the possibility of an accident that would affect much more than the scuba diver who was bitten, there are other concerns about excessively touching, grabbing and riding sharks. The physiological stress associated with this behavior is unknown, and could be significant. Mike Neumann adds, “I hope that everybody agrees that riding harmless species like turtles, manatees, nurse sharks, manta rays or whale sharks is totally disrespectful and moronic, so why would riding those predatory sharks be anything else?”

So what should we do?

Safe and responsible shark ecotourism helps correct misconceptions of sharks for countless scuba divers. And a “look but don’t touch” policy can help further shark conservation by combatting the broader public’s misconceptions fueled by media coverage of shark bites and the 1975 blockbuster movie, Jaws. The growth of responsible shark-diving ecotourism (pdf) has led to a new talking point for conservation activists: that sharks can be more valuable to a local economy alive than dead. After research showed that a live shark can be worth 94 times as much via ecotourism than a dead shark can be worth through fishing (pdf), the Maldives banned shark fishing throughout their exclusive economic zone in the Indian Ocean.

The increase in dangerous and unnecessary thrill-seeking behavior with sharks makes SCUBA divers, conservationists and researchers worried that it’s only a matter of time before there’s a serious accident that could undo all of this progress.

We at Shark Diver couldn't agree more with Mike's concerns. Our motto is "Safe and Sane" shark diving. We have been operating our shark dives for 14 years, without handling, or riding sharks. Our goal is not to portray the sharks as harmless pets, but rather as the awesome predators they are. We teach our divers to respect, but not fear our toothy friends.
 
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.

A shark diver's story

A couple of days ago, I talked about how we can save sharks here.

I would like to share the story of Iben Christine Grundtvig, a 19 year old from Norway, who's volunteering for Projects Abroad in Fiji. She, along with 19 other volunteers from all over the world.

Check out the excellent article she wrote for the Fiji Times here.

Thank you guys for helping out. I hope you have loads of fun doing it.

Shark Diver is proud to support the local dive operator that is helping out projects
abroad, by taking a group to Fiji to dive with them in May. If you would like to be part of it, call us at 855.987.4275 or 619.887.4275, 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

How can you save sharks?

Picture BBC

The recent actions by the SW Australian government, deciding to use drum lines to cull sharks, have generated huge protests, with literally thousands of  people rallying against that policy.

Over the last couple of years, there have also been a myriad of shark conservation related groups and posts that have popped up on facebook and the internet, protesting various things, relating to shark conservation.

I looked at a lot of these groups and posts and have noticed, that there are a few main targets, that these groups are focusing on.

1. With the recent media attention, it comes as no surprise that the most attention is paid to the Australian shark cull program.

2. Then there are the posts, generally opposing shark finning, shark fin soup etc.

3. There are some that target specific organizations like OCEARCH, shark fishing tournaments and scientists that catch and tag sharks, because of the harmful effect it has on the individual sharks. 

4. Who can forget the bikini clad women that are hanging on to the dorsal fins and riding great white- and tiger- sharks, or the "shark experts" flipping sharks upside down, claiming that the sharks treat them as one of their own?

Are these protests effective? Do they stop the killing of sharks?

Before we get to that, let's establish a few things first.

Fact: In the first 3 weeks, the SW Australian shark cull program has resulted in 17 sharks, longer than 3 meters (12.9 ft) killed. The sharks caught and killed were Tiger Sharks, which have only been responsible for one death since 1980, according to "sharksmart" a website of the Australian government. They have caught zero Great White Sharks, believed to be responsible for the recent attacks. 

Fact: Although estimated numbers of sharks killed every year vary widely from as few as 30 million to as many as 100 million, even at the 30 million rate, it means that every week, 600'000 sharks are killed worldwide.

OK, lets look at the things that are protested and the effect it has on the sharks.

1. The shark cull. I'm completely opposed to that policy and have written about it here and here and here. I think the program is useless, targets the wrong sharks and does absolutely nothing to prevent attacks on humans. The fact that they killed mainly Tiger sharks that have only been responsible of 1 death in the last 34 years and not one Great White, which has been responsible for the recent deaths, clearly shows that the program is worthless. But let's put the whole thing into perspective. In the first three weeks, the shark cull killed 17 sharks vs. at least 1'800'000 and maybe as many as 6'000'000 that are killed by the fishing industry, during the same period.

If the protests succeed in stopping the program, it would directly save around 300 sharks a year. Even if unsuccessful, the protests still raise awareness for the cause, which is definitely a good thing. It is difficult to assess the actual effect that publicity has on helping sharks, but like I said, it's definitely a good thing.

2. General opposition to shark finning, fishing, shark fin soup etc.

These protests are mainly raising public awareness and may have resulted in a reduction of shark fin soup consumption in China. As with any publicity campaign, the actual effects on saving sharks are hard to determine, but they definitely have an impact.

3. Shark tagging. All the tagging done in a year, may cause harm to a few hundred sharks. Again, that's a few hundred, vs. 30-100 MILLION sharks killed annually.

If the protests succeed and there is no more tagging, at best we could save a few sharks every year and make life easier (no tags, no deformed dorsal fin etc.) for a few more. On the other hand, we could also loose valuable data, that may help save sharks. You decide, if it is worthwhile to focus on this. Personally I think we need to weigh the importance of the data collected against the potential harm to the sharks.

4. The sharks are harmless and our friends approach.

I have to admit, my blood pressure tends to go up, when I see some idiot riding a shark or flipping it upside down, trying to convince me that sharks are harmless with some actually claiming that the sharks accept them as one of their own. Why do I think these actions are such a bad idea? Well, I've been diving with Great White Sharks for the last 13 years and around Tiger- and Bull- Sharks for a long time. The one thing I can say with certainty, sharks are NOT harmless and NOT our pets. We don't need to fear them, but they are apex predators and need to be respected! For those that claim that the sharks treat them as one of their own, I can only say, I hope not! I have seen how large sharks treat smaller sharks, biting them, if they don't get out of the way. Any human would be a very small shark, compared to a Great White, or Tiger Shark. Great White Sharks are not touchy feely with each other. There is no casual touching. When they get to close to each other, or actually touch, there is usually a violent reaction. Even when the are mating, the bite on to each other, definitely not something you would want a shark to do to you.

These stunts do nothing to help the sharks and are purely a means of self promotion for the individuals doing them. "Look at me! I'm so cool!"

You notice, all the efforts that seem to get the most publicity are focused on something other than the fishing industry. Have you seen anyone protesting Triatun Inc., or Sea Venture Inc.? Those are just 2 of many companies, trading in shark fins. It seems to me, that most efforts are directed at things that are relatively minor in the big picture.

With all the efforts mentioned above, even if they are all successful, they are saving a few thousand sharks a year at best! So what can we do to really make a difference? First of all, we have to decide what our goal really is. Do we care more about saving sharks, or do we care more about what other "conservationists" think about us.

If your answer is, saving sharks, here are some things you can do. I have to warn you though. Nobody on the internet will know what you did. There are not going to be a lot of people slapping you on the back and tell you what a good job you did. Aside from very few people acknowledging your efforts, your only reward is going to be the knowledge that your efforts helped save some sharks. Instead of thousands of people saving a few sharks, you as an individual can save many.

You can contact, or visit a local marina and sign them up as a shark free marina. You can volunteer with a local group that maintains or creates estuaries, MPA's, breeding programs etc. If you live far from an ocean, you can still volunteer for or support groups like shark savers, shark foundation or projects abroad.

Maybe you don't have a lot of time. There are still a few things you can do. Write a letter to your local legislator, asking to support or enact laws, banning the trace of shark fins. Is there a restaurant in your area that serves shark fin soup? You can visit and make them aware of the problems associated with shark finning. Just because we are aware of all the problems, doesn't mean that they are. They are not necessarily the bad guys, they may just be unaware. Last year at DEMA, there was a restaurant serving shark fin soup, not too far from the convention. A few of us that went there, asked to speak to the manager and the next day, they had removed the soup from the menu. Here is another idea. This is the contact info for Triatun Inc. Maybe their president, Francisco Valdez, would like to hear from you. Would you like to get in touch with Sea Venture Inc. and let their CEO William Haley know what you think?

The bottom line is this. You CAN make a difference! Even if you are the only one that know what you do, the sharks will benefit. Isn't that the only thing that counts?

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

Is tagging sharks bad?

Photo source.

Mike Neumann from BAD wrote a very informative blog on shark tagging and it's consequences for the sharks health and survivability. Diving with sharks, Great White Sharks, cage diving, shark vacation, shark holidays and are done with Shark Diver.
Check it out here! It has some excellent links to studies related to the issue. Come dive with us at Isla Guadalupe, cage dive with Great White Sharks, Tiger Sharks, Bull Sharks,
Thanks Mike for keeping us informed!

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

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How to get work as a "shark diver"?

It's the time of the year, when we get a steady stream of emails and letters, asking for advise oh how to become a "shark diver"  Do you need a biology degree? Do you have to be a divemaster or diveinstructor? I'm a student, interested in sharks, how do I get a job with you? Shark diving, diving with Great White Sharks, Bull Sharks, Tiger Sharks and hammerheads.
How do I answer these questions? After 13 years of diving with sharks for a living, I can't give you a good, general answer. There are so many variables. Where are you from? Where do you want to work? Do you have a work permit for the country you want to work in? These are all things that may be more important than the education you have. Cage diving, swimming with sharks at Guadalupe Islandis our specialty
The most important thing to know is this. You really, really have to want it. There are very few jobs available and thousands of people who want them. Don't be discouraged by the bad odds, in my case, I grew up in Switzerland, failed biology in school and used to be afraid of sharks, so how difficult can it be?

When you do get a job, it may not be exactly what you pictured it to be.  If you work for us, you will be working on a boat. There are long hours, typically 12 hrs. per day. You will be making chum (not as glamorous as it sounds), cleaning heads and pulling midnight watches. There is very little privacy and your quarters on the boat are cramped. How about time off? Ahhh, not so much. We do back to back trips and you may only have a couple of hrs. off, between trips. You could work 30 days, without a day off. Shark week, bucket list, shark adventure, cage diving, Tiger shark, Hammerhead
Still interested? I can't speak for any other shark diving companies, but here is what you need, if you would like to work with us.

First of all, you have to be reliable, safety conscious and mature! We are working with Great White Sharks and we can't afford to have someone goof off! We specialize in safe and sane shark diving! Guadalupe Island, Shark diving mexico, swimming with sharks,
You have to be able to legally work in the US. We will not be able to get you a work permit.   

You need the physical ability to handle cages, lines, weights, anchors etc.

Previous work experience on a boat, a DM or SCUBA Instructor rating and a marine biology degree are a plus.

We are working closely with SEACAMP San Diego and have hired many of their staff members in the past. Getting a recommendation from them is a huge plus! Generally, the more experience you have, the better your chances.

When we have an opening, we will post it here and let you know, what the specific qualifications are. Good luck!

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.

Baby Bull Sharks in Fiji!

Mike Neumann of Beqa Adventure Divers just reported the arrival of this years first baby Bull Sharks!

A little while ago, we talked about Project abroad and their involvement with the sharks in Fiji. It is this same organization that is tagging these sharks as well as taking DNA samples for research. Kudos to both Project Abroad and Bequa Adventure Divers for all you do to help understand and protect our sharks.




We at Shark Diver can't wait to come visit you guys in May. Anyone that wants to join us, we have 2 trips available. From May 2-11 and May 9-18
Call us at 855.987.4275 or 619.887.4275 to reserve your space.

This is a unique opportunity to dive with as many as 70 Bull sharks at once and discover first hand, what over 10 years of conservation efforts have accomplished in Fiji.

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 you want to save the sharks in Hawaii?

Lately we all heard of Western Australia's controversial shark cull policy, supposedly intended to save lives and help the tourism industry. So how is Hawaii dealing with the sharks that frequent the waters surrounding the islands? Are they using a similar approach?Shark Diving, swimming with sharks, cage diving, shark research, diving with Great white sharks, are specialties of Shark Diver
Hmmm, not quite! Their approach is a tiny bit different, instead of culling sharks they are considering penalties for harming sharks! You can read the full text of the proposed bill here. Since this bill has not been passed yet, they need your help.  You can tell them why you support the bill here,  OMHTestimony@capitol.hawaii.govEco tourism, Isla Guadalupe, Tiger Sharks, Galapagos Island, Whale sharks
The reasons mentioned, for wanting to implement penalties for harming sharks are,

SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that sharks and rays are extremely important to ocean ecosystems.  As ocean predators towards the top of the food chain, sharks and rays keep the ecosystem balanced, regulate populations of other marine life, and ensure healthy fish stock and reefs.

Sharks and rays are more vulnerable to fishing pressures than most other fish species.  They are long-lived, slow-growing, start reproducing at an advanced age, and produce relatively few offspring per year.  If over-fished, these populations take a long time to recover.  If the food chain is disrupted by a decline in the shark population, it affects the entire reef system.  Protection for sharks and rays ultimately means healthier, more resilient oceans and reefs that are better able to withstand other pressures on the ocean ecosystem from climate change and pollution.

Sharks and rays on the reefs not only play important ecological roles but are also valued figures in Hawaiian culture and are important economically to ocean recreation industries and to tourism in Hawaii.  The benefits of maintaining viable populations greatly outweigh any value that would be gained by killing these species.

The purpose of this Act is to protect these species for ecological purposes, for their value to the ocean recreation industry and to native Hawaiian cultural practices, and to establish fines and penalties for knowingly harming, killing, or capturing sharks or rays within state waters.

Again, it's important to note, that this is only a proposed bill and has not been passed yet. Don't forget to support the bill by sending your comments to OMHTestimony@capitol.hawaii.gov

Let's help those legislators who are fighting for our oceans and all the creatures living in it!

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