Sharks have long evoked more FEAR than any other creature on Earth, hysteria and misconceptions created by the movie JAWS. Many people I know fear sharks and swimming with them seems like a death wish to them but to me, sharks are fascinating- I respect and enjoy seeing them. I’ve always had a great interest in sharks. As a scuba diver and shark lover, I’ve tried to dispel the general public belief that sharks are killing machines.
In actual fact, sharks are misunderstood animals and they have a lot more to fear from us than we do from them. Worldwide, they have been threatened to near extinction by over fishing for their fins and meat, for sport and have been terrorized by humans made stupid by fear. Installing shark nets in the South African waters is one stupid idea that protects us, humans at the expense of sacrificing sharks and many other marine animals. We need to recognize that we do not belong in the seas (They Do) and we are the ones invading their territory and not the other way round.
Diving with sharks is a wonderful experience. Some people say that interaction with sharks by baiting them changes their natural behaviors and provokes attacks, and hence it should be banned. I beg to differ. No doubt there are few rare occasions on shark attacks but that doesn’t mean that we should ban them. Many operators performing baited shark dives are passionate shark lovers and have educated many through conducting these dives.
I just got back from a Tiger shark diving trip with Mark from Blue Wilderness and wanted to share this amazing video of us diving among these incredible and misunderstood creatures. Fear NEVER enters the picture! It’s heartening to see how some of my non-diver friends opinion changed after watching this video – they are now convinced that sharks are not as dangerous as JAWS made them out to be.
Sharks are beautiful creatures and people just need to be educated about them, and they might realize there is no reason to be afraid of them.
Dear friends, do share this video and help to educate your friends. Save Our Sharks.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=714866463#/video/video.php?v=116406552600&ref=mf
