| Tragedy Occurs During Shark Dive: Shark Angels Express their Condolences |
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Press Release The Shark Angels are devastated by news of the recent tragedy on the M/V Shear Water, and their hearts go out to the family of Markus Groh, the scuba diver who died yesterday after an accident involving a bull shark in the Bahamas. The Shark Angels are incredibly saddened by this unfortunate loss that hits very close to home and extend their sincere condolences to the family of the diver. The Angels were recently hosted on the Shear Water, owned and operated by Jim Abernethy, the highly-esteemed pioneer of cageless shark diving in tropical waters.  Bull Shark. Photo by Eric Cheng The Shark Angels acknowledge that, as with any other sport, there are inherent risks in diving with sharks. These are closely managed risks and incidents between divers and sharks are infrequent, isolated events. In fact, this death marks the first reported fatality resulting from an incident between a shark and a scuba diver during a commercially organized shark diving expedition. During his 35 years of diving with sharks, Abernethy has maintained a spotless safety record until this point, bringing tens of thousands of divers into the water to safely experience shark interactions. Abernethy is a responsible, safe dive operator who has spent more time in the water than anyone with the sharks of the Bahamas. He delights in safely sharing his passion and respect for these sharks with others. While the fear surrounding shark bites abounds, in reality, only one person died from a shark bite last year worldwide. In contrast, sharks are one of the most hunted animals on the planet. Desired for their fins, over 100 million sharks are killed each year with a growing number of shark species approaching extinction. "Sharks have inhabited our planet for 450 million years, since before the time of dinosaurs. We must help people understand the vital role sharks play in ecosystems and the impact their extinction would have on all species, including humans,” said McCoy. The Shark Angels are heartbroken over the recent incident but remind the public that accidents such as these are very rare. “Many sports and hobbies whether it be mountain climbing, horseback riding, skiing, or diving with sharks carry inherent risks, of which every enthusiast is aware, but we cannot let fear govern our lives and prevent us from pursuing the things that make us happy,” remarked Kock. It is far more dangerous ride a bike or drive a car, and in 2007, deaths due to these activities in the U.S. alone exponentially exceeded deaths from shark bites worldwide. “It would truly be unfortunate if this incident was manipulated into another misguided attempt to present sharks as mindless killing machines at a time when shark populations are being wiped out”, said Stewart. “This is a tragic and highly unusual accident. We need to abandon our deeply-rooted fears and unite people around the truth – an enlightened view of sharks.” See related petition to The Bahamas Diving Association See who has signed the petition
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Zane Frye
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While my sincere condolences go out to the diver's family, I agree with my fellow diver's comments about the assumed risk we all take as we dive with these creatures. We are in their world, and the means by which we attract their presence in order to experience the "rush" of diving with them often determines their reaction to our visit. I'm sure that Mr. Abernathy's operation is as safely run as any could be though I've never had the opportunity to dive with them. I do, however, run at least two trips a year to Stuart Cove's operation in Nassau, and have dove with him and his crew a dozen times to see the sharks. Each time has been very professionally run, with full safety briefs given prior to each dive. All divers are cautioned repeatedly about their actions in the water, and what to do and expect on the dive. To condemn the act of shark feeding over this singular incident is only the reaction of a few activists that would have us all forsake diving of any type in furtherance of their cause. I find it interesting that this much effort is not placed on condemning shark finning industries, the constant unrelenting pollution of our oceans or even controlling the people who insist on dropping trash and debris in the ocean as if it were just a huge landfill. |
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Iman
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well i do believe that this act is very unfortunate. I also send my condolenses to the family of the lost diver. But my opinion that the news are saying is that the sharks are to blame. I admire what you guys do but you are definately asking for it when you guys risk your lives in that water. You are extremely brave because no amount of money could make me do that. Hahaha. But i don't believe that the sharks are to blame. I don't know how exactly or why he died besides the fact he was attacked by a shark, but it's possible that the sharks were frightened. Steve Irwin (may he rest in peace) startled a sting ray and payed the price for it. Thanks for reading my comment/opinion! I appriciate your time. **Iman A.** |
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mike tambling
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| i fail to understand why young seemingly inexperianced divers think they should film the more aggressive types of sharks in the world...of course there is an extreme danger here..ive dived with sharks all my life imparticular cocos and the bulls of fiji....the majority of the worlds sharks are placid and cause no harm.swimming freely with tigers is plain stupid.they are territorial .simple stuff..divers shud avoid..by showing its safe u are putting other divers at risk...professional camera crews shud film these creatures in their own habitat..and show the world these creatures shud be protected...ive experianced the uncontrolled bull/tiger feeding in fiji and it shud be stopped immediately..its a tradgic accident waiting to happen ..the dive boats are making these more aggressive sharks far too familiar with divers...and are fed only a short distance from the resorts..doesnt take much to see an future tradgety..im very for shark protection,banning long lines and the awful japenese way of fishing..its just not right in this modern era..however..my main point is leave the filming to the pros...u cant prove to anyone that tigers bulls..oceanic sharks are safe ..they simply are not if tampered with in their own enviroment... respect the sharks yes..dont abuse their territory... im sorry the guy died...but diving with these guys is just asking for potential trouble.. | |
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