Shark Cage Diving - What's in it for the Sharks?

News of the recent attack and death of a swimmer at Fish Hoek beach in Cape Town by a great white shark sent a cold shiver through my entire body - not least because I live in Cape Town and the incident is a bit too close to home for my liking.

I've always had a healthy respect for the ocean and its creatures - I think it's more fear - and so I generally tend to go for walks on the beach alongside the sea, rather then actually venture into it. However I did do something very out of character towards the end of last year when I went shark cage diving which was a very scary but totally extraordinary and eye-opening experience.

I must admit that the ethics involved with shark cage diving had never crossed my mind ... until the shark incident. So I did some investigating and found that in order to qualify for a shark dive permit - issued by the South African Government's Department of Nature Conservation and renewed annually - an operator must comply with a stringent set of rules and code of ethics.

These would include the worthiness of the boat, qualifications of crew members and standards of equipment and cages. By law the cage diving industry in South Africa is not allowed to feed the sharks - both for ethical and conservation reasons - therefore chumming is done in such a way as to lure the sharks closer towards the boat for better viewing - and not to feed or habituate them around the area where the dives are taking place.

I believe that shark cage diving is a fantastic way to educate people about the important role that shark's play in the ocean's food chain and it also helps to alter the misconception that sharks are blood-thirsty killing machines. I think it's also worth mentioning that the recent shark attack in Cape Town was a rare occurrence and that our perceptions of sharks shouldn't be based on what we've all seen in the Jaws movies.

In addition shark cage diving benefits the local economy by serving as a big source of employment for South Africans. As long as shark cage diving operators continue with their ethical commitment towards sharks and their conservation, I can see no real downside to shark cage diving - just as long as we all remember that when we step into the ocean, we're uninvited guests in a watery world of exquisite creatures that we don't really know much about.

14 Comments

Blog Rating:

Alert me by email when a new comment is added

Bookmark this

Add a comment

Recent Comments (Page 1 of 2)

• 1. Great blog! I think we all to often forget or overlook the ethical aspects of wildlife viewing, and sometimes run the ground down in our 4x4s, disturb fragile ecosystems and goggle at animals. But, following what you've added here, it seems like shark-cage diving, if done properly and with consideration to the environment and the animals found in the ocean, can be a richly rewarding wildlife experience.
  Also, remembering we're in 'their' territory is crucial - you can never blame wild animals for their actions.
  Well done for being brave enough to dive though! It's something that has of yet evaded me! :)
  

  
  kimberoo

  January 22nd, 2010 at 10:42am

  

  Report as inappropriate

• 2. Thanks Kimberoo. It was a nerve-wracking experience but also wonderful and well worth being a part of. I think it's important for people to know that the shark cage diving operators are there to help the sharks and not to harm them and the more people learn about sharks and their behaviour, the safer the ocean will be for everyone. But you have to be aware of the potential dangers when you venture into the home of any creature - on land or sea.
  
  

  
  Avthepav

  January 22nd, 2010 at 10:49am

  

  Report as inappropriate

• 3. Nice article and I agree with the remark that we have to opportunity to see sharks in another way than just killers.
  After reading the article a stange thought came to my mind:
  We see sharks from the safety of a cage. Yet, we do make gamewalks under the protection of a rifle and are all shocked when someone gets killed (by an elephant) on a walk. When someone would venture into the water to just see a shark and gets eaten in the process we say that was 'stupid' and he/she should have used a cage. So why are we all still so keen to walk during a safari?
  (I am just playing the devil's advocate here.....)
  
  

  PlanYourSafari

  January 22nd, 2010 at 11:13am

  

  Report as inappropriate

• 4. I agree with you - I think people generally feel alot safer firstly on land then in water, which to me doesn't really make sense because whether you're walking on a safari or whether you're in the ocean, you're no match for the creatures out there. And we've seen that even with a rifle people can still be attacked because animals are so unpredictable when they feel cornered.
  I guess we all believe to some extent that "it will never happen to me" and so we'll always continue to venture on walking safaris and shark cage dives to get as close to wild animals as we possibly can - and because it's a feeling like no other. Thanks for your comment, I'm finding it a very interesting discussion topic.
  

  
  Avthepav

  January 22nd, 2010 at 11:33am

  

  Report as inappropriate

• 5. I think we need to remember a few things - more people swim now than say in the 1950's (Im just picking any year in the past here) and more people are free diving than ever before. White sharks are protected - SO more people & more sharks means a few more incidents - obvious. If you compare the attacks in SA versus Australia our numbers are so minor its silly. If you plan to swim in the ocean then face the consequences is what I say. Its not like these sharks are all man eaters - most the time people who are attacked only get nibbled and the shark realises you arent his normal menu. Unfortunately the nibble from a 4 - 5 meter shark can be deadly. I love shark cage diving - on my last trip we saw 12 different sharks! Incredible. All of that being said I think anyone walking in the bush or swimming in the ocean should have a healthy respect for what could possibly happen. I have quite a few friends who do free diving - this attack was discussed into the ground - we eventually came to the conclusion that a few years ago the chances of seeing a white whilst diving were super slim and many divers had never seen a shark - Now you can hardly enter the water without seeing one. So the protection of these sharks has worked.Any person who loves the ocean will enter without the shark issue even coming up - like climbing into your car each day to go to work.... so do what you do and enjoy it - if your time comes then so be it!
  

  
  Lauren

  January 22nd, 2010 at 2:04pm

  

  Report as inappropriate

• 6. I agree with you Lauren. I think there are more people siwmming in the ocean now than say 50 years ago and there are also more sharks swimming around too - hence the increase in shark attacks makes sense. I didn't know that the attacks in SA were that much lower than in Australia - that's interesting to find out. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go shark cage diving as I've been able to see sharks in a different light.
  

  
  Avthepav

  January 25th, 2010 at 11:16am

  

  Report as inappropriate

• 7. You've hit on a very controversial topic here - one that deserves a lot more investigation too i think - just have a look at the comments for this blog post showing photos of a shark in Simon's Town: shark spotted in simons town harbour every one's got an explanation....
  
  

  
  emmagass

  January 25th, 2010 at 11:44am

  

  Report as inappropriate

• 8. Only chumming and no feeding?
  I was a few times on Brian McFarlanes boat and they lost the bait more then once.
  Dont tell me that the sharks dont remember that.
  
  

  birgitw1

  February 1st, 2010 at 5:46pm

  

  Report as inappropriate

• 9. Thanks for your comment birgitw1. As far as I can remember on the shark cage diving expedition, out of all the times that the bait was thrown out for the sharks, it was almost always removed from the water before the sharks had a chance to get it. In fact it was only once that a shark actually manage to get hold of the bait. The shark cage diving operators are aware that they aren't allowed to feed the sharks - for obvious reasons - and I don't believe that a shark grabbing hold of the bait a few times means that it is now connecting humans with food.
  Something else to consider is that there is an island of seals located in the same area meaning that there is ample food for the sharks so they shouldn't be that hungry to begin with.
  
  

  
  Avthepav

  February 2nd, 2010 at 11:57am

  

  Report as inappropriate

• 10. Shark Cage Diving is something I can't bring myself to do and I completely agree that when making our way into the ocean we should be aware that this is not our territory and accept the consequences. That's why I would rather brave the cold waters where the sharks are unlikely to venture when wanting to take a swim in the ocean. I absolutely love animals, safarisand adventure but there are limits and I have a lot of admiration for people who daretotake the plunge! So when it comes to being educated about sharks I prefer to learn about them by watching animal planet and national geographics. I'm pleased to hear though that there are companies that respect these great creatures!
  

  
  Shihaam Soeker

  February 2nd, 2010 at 12:00pm

  

  Report as inappropriate