Have you ever thought about the effects of shark diving on the sharks? They might actually start associating human beings with food. Liane Katz went for a Cage diving trip under Dr Michael Scholl, a world-famous marine biologist and conservationist from Switzerland . These are the points he made in favor of shark cage diving:
• He said that the the sharks were not resident to those waters , so those encountered on a daily basis were not the same individuals and could not develop any kind of conditioned response as they are not receiving frequent enough “training”.
• Secondly, his boat staff did their best not to “feed” the sharks Even if the bait is taken by the sharks , its food value is not worth the energy expended in the swim across to get it.
• Thirdly, the sharks are unable to smell humans in wetsuits over and above the stench of the chum(a despicable smelling fish-based slew thrown overboard to draw the sharks closer)
• And fourthly, a shark perceives the boat, the cage, and those on board as a whole just like a lion perceives a safari jeep and its load of passengers.
While eco-tourism may be about education and respect for Dr Michael Scholl, other operators need not necessarily feel the same way. So it is that people like Paul Botha, a veteran water sports promoter, blame the growing shark safari tourism industry in South Africa for attacks on humans off the coast of Cape Town.
These safaris start at £100 per person are they really worth it? Well the debate continues. What do you think?
Via: The Guardian
