Comments for Sign Petition to Support Shark Diving in the Bahamas at http://www.sharksavers.org , comment 1 to 17 out of 17 comments http://www.sharksavers.org Fri, 16 May 2008 21:04:58 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-99 With the rapid decent of the shark population, we wont have that much time left to dive openly with sharks. The Bahamas should take advantage of the population of sharks they have and allow as much tourism as possible. They can show the rest of the world how much money can be made in tourism when you can gurantee sightings. By stoping open feedings it just ads to the fear. Allow the feedings and let the world know of the outstanding safety and the massive amount of money made every year in tourism. I'm sure that every individual shark in the Bahamas is worth more money yearly in tourism than the few hunderd dollars you get one time for it's fins. Please Think! - Matt Heath Fri, 16 May 2008 17:37:09 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-97 It is our understanding that there was no feeding of sharks on this particular occasion, or at other shark dives conducted by the dive operator in question. - Shark Savers Sun, 11 May 2008 14:09:27 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-96 One should not mix shark diving with shark feeding. Observing wildlife in its natural state is instructive but attracting sharks for profit is not. Shark feeding will prove counterproductive in the fight to convince the general public that sharks are not our born ennemies. Diving on sites that have been regular shark feeding areas will potentially create new shark behavioural risks. The bull shark accident that occured recently was bound to happen because some sharks are territorial and other accidents will occur again. No need to increase the risks of bad publicity by shark feeding. Let us respect and admire nature as it is not alter it for show. - Marco Popov Sun, 11 May 2008 12:42:37 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-88 Harriet, thanks for making the distinction between shark diving and shark feeding. We support shark diving, but don't advocate shark feeding. When we launched this petition, we spoke of advocating 'responsible' shark diving. We soon followed up with our 'debunking the myths' Q&A (which you can find the link to above). In that, we clarified the difference between shark diving and feeding. To our knowledge, Mr. Abernethy does not feed sharks on his shark dives but uses frozen bait in closed crates that slowly allows some oils out that attracts sharks but doesn't excite them. Jim is neither untrained nor inexperienced--just the opposite--as many of the comments to the petition can attest to. - Shark Savers Mon, 05 May 2008 07:01:37 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-87 I agree that it is wonderful to dive with sharks and I am all for it, but it is important that dive operators that offer diving with sharks and use feeding to attract them, should have an excellent understanding of their behavior and know when things get risky. I doubt that this was the case with the death of Mr. Gruh. So I am quite flabbergasted that SharkSavers is doing this petition. The petition should ask the government of the Bahamas to get dive operators like Jim trained to understand shark behavior, not to let them go on with a very risky business (a business that is making big bucks, so enough money to put better safety assessment procedures in place). The fact that this is a first, means that many shark divers before Gruh were extremely lucky and it proves that sharks are not mindless killers. But the accident could have been prevented and that is what counts. Shark behavioral courses for the diving professionals are available and should be obligatory for any shark dive operator. - Harriet Messing Mon, 05 May 2008 00:54:10 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-86 Sharks are the most magnificent and wonderful creatures. Without them, the ecosystem of the vast ocean will topple and will never be the same as it is now. A bowl of shark fin may be just another delicacy to you, but there's alot of unimaginable cruelty going on behind the scene just to deliver the bowl of sharkfin soup to your dining table. Stop shark finning and start saving sharks! - Stanley Sat, 03 May 2008 00:44:11 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-84 Sharks may not evoke a warm and fuzzy feeling like panda bears or seals, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve our protection. I have had several shark encounters while diving and am fascinated by their grace and power. The more people get the chance to experience these amazing animals, the better, as long as it is under controlled circumstances which do not endanger the sharks and their environment. I am against "mass shark tourism", but support the controlled exposure. However, shark diving operators have to ensure their practices are not encouraging unnatural behavior among the sharks, e.g. by getting the sharks too used to feedings. Having said that, I wholeheartedly support those dive operators who are dedicated to educating divers (and non-divers) about sharks and their environment. I was very sad to hear about the recent tragic accidents and my condolences go out to the families of the victims, yet as heart-rending as these losses are, we need to look at the bigger picture, and the fact that these events could invalidate all our conservation efforts very quickly. Today's media channels very quickly spread news all over the world, and nothing fans the flames of sensationalism more than a report of a shark attack. No, sharks aren't fuzzy and huggable (well, if you are Rob Stewart, then maybe they are for you), but they have ruled the oceans for hundreds of millions of years and we "upstart" primates do not have the right to wipe them out just because they've clashed with us on occasion, and therefore have been portrayed as the stuff of nightmares and Hollywood shockers. Think about it - millions of children love their Teddy Bears... yet a "tame" Grizzly recently killed its trainer. Are we going to take our kids' Teddy Bears away because of this? I very much doubt it. - Ruth Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:33:18 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-82 I went to the bahamas last summer to get my scuba license and dive with sharks. It was one of the most amazing times of my life the most nervous I got was when I saw a barricuda right near me. Those make me more nervous than sharks. Lets keep the fun going. Ed - edraptor Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:46:23 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-76 Please support shark diving in the Bahamas...only through close encounters and education will people realize that sharks are not cold killers but only curious about what we are doing in THEIR homes. We need sharks in the ocean to support the ecosystem which in turn supports US with oxygen!! Teaching people about sharks & ecosystems and showing them that they are in fact magnificent creatures that deserve our respect will only support the ban on shark fining and the thoughtless & cruel killing of these awesome animals! - ERIN MOOR Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:20:09 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-71 we do not stop driving even if countless people die from car accidents, this is the first accident of that sort, so why stop diving with sharks after one accident - Sanaa Benjelloun Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:19:03 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-70 I have enjoyed swimming with the sharks at BULL RUN in your wonderful islands and at no time was I fearful; only entranced at their beauty and count myself as fortunate to have been so close to this beautiful creature. - gaskinken@rogers.com Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:40:07 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-68 I'm thrilled to see such efforts toward conservation of these magnificent animals. - Eric Byron Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:25:23 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-61 I am totally hooked on shark diving, and hope that the Bahamian Government does not restrict cageless diving. This activity is less dangerous than skydiving or bungie jumping, but do you see anyone rushing to stop these activities????? We need to keep up the fight for freedom, and SAVE SHARKS!!!!! - Carol Schoelch Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:36:00 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-49 I am very sad to learn of Mr. Groh's death. I wonder if anything short of his not diving that day, all the way to a total ban on shark dives altogether could've prevented this tragedy. Nevertheless, the Bahamas Diving Association must continue to offer safe, organized shark dives as they have for so many, many years. I have experienced at least 50 such shark dives in the Bahamas alone over my 25 years of diving. The shark dive opportunity is so very important to experienced divers as we are are both willing and able to advance our underwater knowledge and our understanding and appreciation of precious marine life so we can tell our "land-based" friends and associates the value of the entire marine environment including all species of shark. While I mourn the loss of my fellow diver, lI cannot forget that he was a shark enthusiast, and I have to believe that he was doing what he loved to do. - Brant Shenkarow Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:52:36 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-44 Sharksavers: You have done an outstanding job!! Thank you!! Keep the flag flying!! - Wolfgang Leander Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:04:05 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-43 Yes, we're sending the signatures and the comments to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. - Shark Savers Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:12:08 +0100 http://www.sharksavers.org/content/view/171/9/#comment-42 I hope the signatures on this petition to the Bahamas Diving Association will also be forwarded to Bahamian government officials. I imagine the goverment will have much to say on this issue as eco-tourism is a humongous part of the Bahamian economy. Cover all bases... - Alisa Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:58:46 +0100