Subscribe to RSS FeedAugust 11, 2010
Things to Remember When Meeting a Great White Shark (followup to Shark Week broadcasts)
With the approach of the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, the San Francisco Examiner asked me what I’ve learned during my adventures swimming with the sharks, in particular the Great White Shark. The Examiner took down some of my words to the wise for anyone thinking of trying to have a successful shark encounter, and here they are for my blog readers as well – please note that the following are in no particular order:
A diver swims with a Great White Shark with no cage on a Big Animals dive expedition
- Expect the expected: monitor all directions around you for the shark’s approach
- Dive only with experienced leaders with excellent safety track records in waters where Great White Sharks are very likely to be seen, and stay close to your guide.
- At the point you dare to swim with a Great White Shark without a cage, be at peace internally. No matter how excited you’ve been about this adventure, now is the time for the zen of cageless shark diving.
- Never chase a Great White Shark; if you want the shark to come close to you, hold very still, don’t even exhale too often, since sharks are hyper-aware of movement, even of air bubbles.
- When there is more than one shark in the water, it is time to seek the protection of the cage, promptly but in an unhurried manner. The dynamics of sharks in groups are different than solo shark behavior. Always bear in mind the location of the cage and be aware of what the shortest route to get to it is; but besides that never get too far from your guide and your safety diver. That way all of you together are perceived by the shark as a larger unit, rather than as one small human swimming alone to the cage.
For the full length edition of these tips see the Shark Week article here; links to all ten tips are at the bottom of the article.
And when you’re ready, come swim with me and some of my favorite creatures. Sharks can teach you a lot about yourself.
An awe-inspiring experience getting so near a Great White Shark on a BigAnimals dive trip
