| About Diving with Sharks |
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About Diving with Sharks Some of the Sharks you will observe are rightly considered to be largely harmless, like the Tawny Nurse Sharks, the Whitetip Reef Sharks, the Blacktip Reef Sharks and even the Sicklefin Lemons which we have found to be extremely placid despite of their size, reputation and teeth-studded grin. Some other species are more problematic, like the unpredictable and competitive Grey Reef Sharks and the fiercely territorial Silvertip Sharks. The Bull Sharks and the Tiger Sharks however are clearly a class in their own. They are Apex Predators who grow to an impressive size and have a notorious reputation for attacking humans.  You will be diving without the protection of a cage and in close proximity to the animals. Accordingly, one of the most-asked questions we are being asked is: how safe is it? Safety is our main concern and we believe that we have devised a set of procedures aimed at preserving the unique experience of being in the water with these charismatic animals whilst making The Shark Dive as safe as we possibly can - both for you, our valued customer, but also for our feeders who interact with the Sharks on a daily basis. These procedures include • All clients must attend our detailed and exhaustive Dive Briefing where we explain the dive site and dive, our procedures and where we address any questions and concerns. Our rules are being constantly reviewed and adapted to new insights or changing conditions. As an example, the ever increasing numbers of Bull Sharks have prompted us to re-design the layout of the "Take Out", to change the feeding routine whereby the feeder is now flanked by "bodyguards" and to completely discontinue the routine of letting anybody position himself in the "pit". That location is now exclusively reserved for professionals, and that only on "mellow" days. Shark Diving however is not SCUBA diving and will always carry a special risk that cannot be excluded by even the most stringent safety measures. You will be diving with wild and potentially lethal predators and the unexpected can happen at any time. Whereas we shall do our utmost to always try and keep you out of harm's way, it will ultimately be your decision, and thus your assumed risk, to engage in this potentially dangerous activity. You will be required to act responsibly, to remain vigilant and to alert us to any problematic situation that may arise. We have blogged extensively about our protocols, Shark diving and the complex issue of feeding and conditioning Sharks and we invite you to go and read those posts. They are: About our procedures: Diving with Sharks About baiting, feeding and conditioning: Pundits and The same old Allegations About Shark diving: Quo Vadis, Shark Diving? About diving with macro predatory Sharks, also: Totally agree! About interactive Shark dives: Touching the Sea and Stupid About our newest procedures: Swamped! About the Shark Diving Industry, also: Bon Appetit! In general terms, please always consult our BLOG to keep abreast of any new developments. Thank you. |
