Shark-human Interaction And Body Language Of Sharks

The Brother Islands in the Red Sea had their share of bad publicity when it comes to negative interactions with oceanic whitetip sharks, and the government has not learned to improve the situation. But that does not mean one cannot enjoy hanging out with these beautiful sharks when out there.

Taxonomy has its problems, especially when it comes to sharks. What if some of these shark species out there turn out to be more than one species? Could what we call 'white sharks' represent two or even three species? Who knows.

Nurse sharks have so called barbels, and the prevailing opinion is that these appendices are somehow used for smell, or then to pick up vibrations from the ground. Neither makes much sense. Some possible ideas are explored.

How can we be more sensitive to nature? It does not take much, and it can start with just the simple encounter of a scout.

CNN posted that a kid caught a record-sized shark. Is this news worthy? It is if one is outraged against this senseless killing, but that is not the core of the posting. The whole message revolved around the glorification of just killing another shark.

Even today's scientific papers claim that up to 25% of all shark bites are hunger-related. This assumption is entirely wrong and lacks any understanding of bit motivations.

The problem with any discussion where two opposite parties participate is the proper foundation of one's opinion. But what if the opposition does not have such and insists without being able to defend its idea? That is what happened in the last podium's discussion on the pro and cons of shark feeding.

Hurricanes leave misery and destruction. What happens to sharks during such storms? Do they leave before? Where do they go? How can they sense a looming storm? What happens to shallow-water nursery grounds and their shark pups…?

Less and less white sharks show up in Guadalupe. Granted, they are still more abundant than anywhere on this planet, but most of them only show up for a few years and then are gone for good. Where do they go? Are they still alive? With a bit more sophisticated satellite tags, the answer could be found. The Mexican government gets enough park fees from divers who want to see the white sharks. So money should not be a problem. Aren't we all curious what happens to them once they are not coming back to the island anymore?

What is more important than to get an idea what a shark's intention is when it first appears? Hardly anything. So it is crucial to get as much out of the first few seconds as possible. Level, angle, and speed are it.

No shark wants to hurt us; they most often merely try to figure us out using their teeth as a holding tool. It is never their intention to cause harm, a fact that is hardly ever discussed when it comes to incidents with them.

No shark wants to hurt us when it bites but people don't see it that way because teeth penetrate human skin, hence the shark's intention was to hurt. In most cases, teeth are used as a tool to hold a human's body part in position, and nothing else.

When it comes to shark encounters, nothing is easier to detect than the inner circle of a shark. Still, inner circles are most often on nobody's checklist when interacting with a shark since other aspects seem more prominent. The better one understands the inner circle of a shark, the quicker one has a good grasp about the mental state of the interacting shark.

One of the big problems in shark diving is that the educational value is pretty much zero, combined with a questionable safety record. Just because nothing happened so far does not mean the way sharks are shown is safe. Shark dive operators should get organized, combined with a mandatory licensing system.

'SharkWeek' is over, and as usual not much happened. Should SharkWeek be about education? Granted, much was said and shown, but what is the actual value of it that could help the shark in the long run? Make their still fragile status in the general public less scary and turn it into a We-Have-To-Help-Them state. I hope that 'SharkWeek' changes its angle to 'SharkEducationWeek' in the years to come. The sharks would thank them.

Over 150 scientists collaborated on a study on the global risk assessment of sharks under the footprint of fisheries and figured out what exactly? Anything we did not know? Nope, they just added a few numbers to an old and well-known problem: too many sharks are fished and killed each year. What would happen if the same scientists would finally stand up and decide to go in front of this thing? That would make a collaboration worth writing about.

Defamation of character should also be a law when it comes to animals. The latest proof is a piece written by two journalists on the seemingly dangerous bull sharks. Pure fiction but gullible readers will still believe.

Whenever a shark has bitten a person and does not immediately do so again, as it would happen during pattern compensation, the fear of the shark returning a few minutes later and biting once more hardly happens. Although relaxing after a bite is likely not happening, experience suggests that a state of calmness kicks in once the initial "rush" is over. 

No one wants to get into an accident, but being mentally prepared for the rare event is better than having no idea how to proceed. The same is true when it comes to sharks.

Should a shark show interest in you, never, ever, back off and try to reach the shore. Stay put, go vertical, pivot, observe, and wait, and THEN act then follow the rules. Remember: always integrate the shark in your decision making.