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South Africa offers some of the very best scuba diving in the world, and in my opinion, any passionate diver should make it a priority to travel here and explore the extraordinary underwater landscapes on offer. For example, diving the Aliwal Shoal is incomparable—nowhere else in the world will you encounter the massive schools of fish and the huge number of huge sharks that come to feed.

At National Geographic Travelwe take great pride in our dedication to authentic, sustainable tourism that leaves a positive footprint on a destination. In my opinion, shark cage diving fails to meet that standard on every front. So for those readers who asked, allow me to explain why I will never go shark cage diving: Sharks are, by nature, timid animals. Some larger sharks will approach for a better look, but in my experience, sharks very rarely stick around. They are busy predators hunting their next meal and need to get on with it.

As an avid diver, I have been underwater with many, many sharks—in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. I have had sharks that are larger than me brush up against me, and I have stared face to face into their glowing green eyes. These were exciting moments for me, but also beautiful, spiritual, and most importantly, authentic.

Nothing beats watching nature up close, acting naturally in its natural habitat. But sharks acting naturally does not fit our schedules and itineraries, thus shark cage diving operators must resort to the only thing that will get sharks to overcome their apprehension and swim extremely close to boats and humans: As sophisticated predators, sharks can follow the scent of blood and fish oils in the water, or simply pick up the vibration of a struggling fish.

When chum is dumped into the water, humans are triggering a response from all the sharks in the area, without delivering the payload that sharks would expect in the wild. In Gansbaai alone, there are 8 different shark cage diving operations, each averaging 3 trips a day. Depending on the most conservative numbers provided to me by locals, that equals 5, visitors per week. This adds up to overhuman encounters with sharks per year, which equals an inordinate amount of blood and chum being dumped along the South African shoreline every day.

A business is in the business of making more profit, which means there will always be the pressure for more boats, more outings, and more tourists. Though the shark cage diving operations are, for the most part, well-regulated—big money is often louder than reason. Five years ago, a Gansbaai shark cage boat capsized, and two American and one Norwegian tourist drowned.

The pressure to make money with nature will always push the limits of nature. Among wildlife professionals, there is a clear ethical standard that you should never bait a predator.

Whether you can compare grizzlies to great whites is another argument, however nobody can dispute the fact that shark cage diving involves the active baiting of predators on a daily basis. In my opinion, luring great white sharks inshore, sometimes within a mile of some of the most popular beaches in South Africa, is sheer stupidity.

Scientific organizations have shown that chumming does in fact, change great white shark behavior. In its current form, shark cage diving is not sustainable, and I only see it leading to more accidents and tragedies, for people and for sharks. Nearly every shark cage diving operation claims to be involved in some form of wildlife conservation, yet deeper investigation yields little results from these claims. Other than operators taking photos of the sharks and picking up trash from the ocean, I see very little evidence of the shark cage diving industry giving back to the oceans.

Furthermore, shark cage diving does little to stop the biggest threats against sharks today. Shark cage diving has not ended the Asian market for shark fin soup, or countered overfishing, or preserved ocean habitats, or passed legislation to ban the killing of specific species of sharks. Nor have I ever met a reputable marine biologist who condones the commercial business of shark cage diving.

Support the Shark Sanctuary in Palau, or go diving with reputable South African dive companies who encourage natural and positive interactions with local sharks—and there are plenty. The whale watching Southern Right Whales is some of the best in the world, and you can watch the animals right from shore.

At the end of the day, tourists making wise decisions can alter the market towards a more sustainable situation. Should you choose to totally disregard my opinion and still go cage diving with great whites, please consider the following:.

Thanks for a great article. Living in Gansbaai we are exposed to this debate on a daily basis. Without choosing sides myself, let me say that nothing is ever as plain as it seems. We appreciate a person of your media presence highlighting such an important issue, and shining some light on our town. I am actually one of the founders and administrators of the community run marketing platform http: I noticed you linked to the whale watching page, thank you very much for that!

I thought I would inform you that the gansbaaiinfo site you linked to will in the near future be taken down and redirected to the new site. If it is not too much trouble, perhaps you could adjust the Gansbaai link to be directed at http: We would really appreciate the exposure this gives for our little seaside village.

Once again, thank you for generating awareness and encouraging people to visit Gansbaai. We need all the help we can get. Have a great rest of year and may your adventures continue! Thanks for the comment Rob. Yes, I know this is a complex issue and I am only sharing my personal opinion here. On another note, I really enjoyed my brief visit to Gansbaai and hope to return some day. Thank you for this. I had plans to visit Cape Town last year unfortunately my trip was cancelledand I admit, I was considering doing a cage dive because I am fascinated by Great Whites.

I hope you still make it to Cape Town—one of my personal favorite cities on the globe. And go diving if you have a chance. Thank you for the article. Shark cage diving has never appealed to me mostly because I would most likely pee my wet suit. Besides that, I have great appreciation for the counsel to limit inauthentic encounters with wildlife.

I see this happen all the time with baiting birds snowy owls, for instance just to get a good photo. Thank you making people aware.

I agree with you completely. We must be very considerate with how our passion for animals ends up affecting them. Did not know about the bird baiting, thanks for sharing. Sri Lanka with its recent surge in tourism is experiencing similar negative influences on the wildlife here. Now Yala park is daily flooded with tourists in jeeps in hot pursuit of seeing a leopard even if it is a terrified one boxed in a culvert surrounded by jeeps of tourists. I went before the tourist boom and found countless jeeps racing around in a park to protect wildlife.

I found it a tragic, disheartening situation and pitied the poor creatures having their only sanctuary being invaded daily. Do tourists ever consider the consequences of their actions to get that great photo on their phone?

Responsible and tourism would do well to become better acquainted. Thanks for attempting to educate people about the effects of their actions.

I have experienced exactly what you are talking about when it comes to wildlife parks, in particular in Bandhavghar National Park in central India, with tigers. We have forced wildlife into very small spaces and then bombard them with human interaction. In my experience, I have seen situations like this work, in particular with the mountain gorillas in Rwanda or the chimpanzees in Tanzania, however both these examples are the result of charging visitors very large amounts of money in order to limit how many humans interact with said species.

I thought I would give my opinion as you have given yours. I wish not to start a fight but merely point out a few facts that you purposely left out as it does not fit into your negative perspective around a sustainable industry. Firstly I would like to mention that the Great White Shark has been fully protected by the South African Government since This is as a result of cage diving due to the amount of tourism it has brought in.

You also forgot that it is legal to hunt and kill these vulnerable species of shark in Australia and that it is actually encouraged by the Australian government.

Something also quite interesting is that the shark nets that does not just kill sharks but also any and everything else it comes in contact with is also fueled by money. Something that the White shark cage diving industry in Gansbaai is fighting very hard to stop. On the concept of chum it seems like you do not quite understand how it works and that you have not even seen how chumming is practiced, nor have you done any research as to what is actually used as chum by the Cage diving companies.

I would highly encourage you to go out on a cage diving boat and actually see what happens instead of writing about what you imagine happens out on the water, what you wrote around chum is complete rubbish, you do mention that there are evidence and you have investigated all the facts around it.

Please could you provide us with your said findings in instead of just your opinion. As for your name calling on Dr Sylvia Earle and Enric Sala please do your research properly as they do support the efforts of Shark cage diving in South Africa. There is even a Shark Cage Diving company that was elected as the official representative of Mission Blue, an initiative by Sylvia Earle.

As for the fact that you need to choose your operator carefully and make sure that you get what you pay for, that I can completely agree with, however that is something most people do nowadays with the internet and the wealth of information that is accessible on almost all mobile devices these days. You also mention there that Shark cage diving does nothing to stop the killing of sharks and stop shark fin soup… this I must say is complete and utter rubbish and you were pretty hard up for words to have to have written that little line.

If you had gone with any of the 12 shark cage diving companies in South Africa you would have heard them go on and on about this. Also, did you know that the Great white is not hunted for its fin at all… Considering that a fin fetches around 8 USD whereas the complete jaw fetchesUSD thats right one hundred thousand US dollars.

Again please go look up on the facts before you just publish a random article on what you think happens without any experience on the subject. What I find surprising is that National Geographic actually published this article as it is very distasteful and your facts are completely off. As for your comment about marine biologists being pro cage diving… well did you know that these cage diving companies that earn all this money you are talking about actually sponsors these marine biologists with fuel, boats, staff and anything else they need to do their jobs, did you also know that non of the shark diving companies ask for anything in return for the what they do for the universities or marine biologists.

I do urge you to please stay away from writing conservation related articles in the future as your opinion is not a basis or substitute for facts. Thanks for your input. I always invite lively debate on important subject, and sharks are important to me. The purpose of this piece was an explanation to my readers about a personal choice that I have made as a traveler in South Africa—and that is a choice not to engage in commercial shark cage diving.

My readers are intelligent and educated travelers and I am confident that they can inform themselves on making wise decisions when it comes to interacting with predators, be they sharks, tigers, or bears.

I hope more people realise this and stop seeking these shark cage diving tours. Thanks for the great article.

Well researched and well articulated. I wish more people would do their research before participating in similar activities!

Hi Andrew, Thank you for an incredibly well written article. Way to go Andrew! Sorry, freedom of speach…. With you all the way on this one, have had an encounter with a Great White on Aliwal Shoal!

Luckily on of the divers had his video camera handly and captured the whole event……classic footage. Leave for Cape Town this am for a weeks holiday, no cage diving on our agenda…….

How lucky that you got to see a Great White on your dive! Thanks for reading, AE. I just need to make one correction with regards to the unfortunate accident that happened in Gansbaai. For the record, despite what you were told, all 8 of the cage diving boats were out that day. Unlike some days when some boats chose to stay on land, that day they had all set out as normal. Also, there have been many marine biologists working on these platforms which have, and continue to, contribute greatly to the research of sharks.

I personally know many of them with relevant scientific publications in peer reviewed journals, all of which are helping to better understand the science and conservation status of great whites.

I agree — human beings should search earnestly in travel for the most authentic and enlightening experiences that are available to them. Yes, there are some cage diving companies in Gansbaai that are purely commercial. However, having spent a month volunteering with Marine Dynamics and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, I can tell you that not every company functions how you describe. The DICT is entirely dedicated to conservation and research.

They work their butts off and have contributed a HUGE amount to white shark research. The sharks are in no danger. The tourists are in virtually no danger. The staff works hard, and they believe in protecting the animals. Thank you for your comment Anna. I am merely explaining why I do not want to participate in something that is bad for sharks.

Also, I must beg to differ with you—shark cage diving is a far cry from real ecotourism. Baiting predators is not and never will be ecotourism. I am sure that this debate will rage on for decades, but as a traveler, I have made my decision. Thanks again for reading. Dear Andrew Thank you for your post and for highlighting the some of the issues around cage diving.

For many years I shared your opinion about the industry. However, as a journalist, I know that it is hard to remain objective. When you already have a strong opinion about something, it is difficult to express a balanced view.

Your post does make it clear that this is an opinion piece and your argument is compelling, however you make many statements of fact that are not entirely true. For less discerning readers, this may be misleading. I recently went on a cage diving trip for research purposes. It is not an experience that I would choose to repeat because like you, I tend to search out more authentic travel and wildlife experiences and have been privileged enough to have the time and resources to do so.

Despite my personal opinion though, I have to admit that there are some positive aspects to the industry. Cage diving is an inauthentic experience This is something that I absolutely agree with.

I did not enjoy watching sharks being teased by a reward that was certainly not worth their effort, but after a short time around the boat, each of the individuals left and carried on with their day.

Whilst the experience is inauthentic, I did note the look of amazement on the faces of people coming out of the cage. Many of them expressed how beautiful and calm the animals were. I think this experience would have gone a long way to demystifying ideas around the ruthlessness of great whites. Also, there was a marine biologist on board who was able to educate clients about the sharks and answer any questions they might have. As a National Geographic contributor, you have the privilege of being able to travel all over the world to seek out authentic shark encounters which have no doubt helped to grow your respect for these amazing creatures.

Many people only have 2 weeks a year in which to travel. Cage diving might be their only opportunity to see a large shark and appreciate what incredible animals they are. It is true that chumming lures sharks into an area. What you did not mention is that in Summer, sharks are resident inshore regardless of chumming.

This has been proven in False Bay as well and has to do with environmental factors rather than cage diving. I can point you to the relevant scientific papers should you wish to read them. It perpetuates myths This is something that I strongly disagree with. Please refer to my response under point 1. Cage diving is bad for conservation There are 8 operators in Gansbaai, 2 in False Bay and a couple more in Mossel Bay.

All of these are making big money. In my opinion a significant chunk of that money should be poured back into conservation and it is true that many of these operators are not doing much. In your post, you suggested that none of the operators are engaged in meaningful conservation work.

This is misleading and blatantly untrue. The work of the DICT certainly deserved a mention. They have numerous projects in place to preserve ecosystems around Dyer island and fund more than one marine biologist. This caught the attention of many sharks in the area and beaches were closed all along the shoreline.

Not all of the operators are making the contribution that they should, but you could have been more fair to the ones who are. You work for one of the best respected natural history publications on the planet.

Your readers are likely to take your opinion very seriously and consider your statements well researched facts. Even when expressing an opinion, this is something that you owe them. Whilst I agree with your sentiments, and have no desire to get onto a cage diving boat again, I think that the way in which your message was delivered was very misleading.

Based on this blog post, I could never make a well informed decision about something as controversial as cage shark diving. One more point I need to add is that cage diving operators in Australia were not just chumming for sharks.

They were feeding them. This is illegal in the South African industry. Scientific opinion is constantly in flux.

There are also scientific papers that argue that chumming has little or no effect on shark behaviour or habituation as the reward is just not worth the effort for the animals. I could provide the relevant links to these as well. Glad you appreciate that I am merely sharing my opinion and an opinion which you seem to mostly agree with and that I am writing as a traveler, not as a journalist. I agree with that it is important for any traveler to inform themselves and consider the impact they are making on a place when visiting.

My opinion and choices regarding shark cage diving are quite heavily informed, and there are more in the scientific and conservation communities who support this opinion than not. In the end, this is an issue that South Africans like yourself will have to resolve. As foreign visitors, tourists like myself can merely make informed choices, but as I stated clearly in my post, the current status quo of shark cage diving is not sustainable. I support your opinion that shark cage diving is having a negative impact on shark behaviour.

In earlymy brother was working as an abalone diver in South Australia and was taken by one, maybe 2 Great Whites never to be seen again. It is a general opinion amoung divers working in the area that shark sightings have increased since the shark cage diving was introduced. It appears sharks are being inadvertently conditioned to associate the sound of a boat with a supply of food the chum used to attract them for the sake of tourism which naturally increases the risk for local divers.

We are hoping tighter restrictions are placed on the cage diving industry before another diver is taken. Thank you for sharing Liz. I am so sorry about your loss. I know that in Australia, they have outlawed cage diving in Western Australia and are still working on it in South Australia.

Why I Won’t Go Shark Cage Diving – Digital Nomad

We appreciate that this blog is your personal opinion, but it can be very damaging when much is based on opinion and not facts. We appreciate all comments related to this post which have highlighted the work of our company and related Trust. Being on sea every day provides incredible opportunities to document behaviour; assess wound healing and take fin ID photos. Our tagging studies have shown that some sharks do not approach the boats and hopefully our further studies will shed more light on the concerns you raise.

More can be read at the Dyer Island Conservation Trust website. Our sister company Dyer Island Cruises recently hosted the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration and we had the opportunity to share with them the area and the research projects we are involved in.

We work with the National Geographic film teams on a regular basis. We may add though that much of the films made are sadly still adding to the misperception of the shark as a vicious killer, and every day we work hard to dispel these myths.

This industry may appear very lucrative — your figures are more than double what is actually done in this area — but it is very tough with sea and weather conditions dictating. Every day we get to see the impact that visitors have from seeing the great white shark, with many ambassadors leaving Gansbaai. Some translate this into action with support toward the research. We see people cry to finally see this shark they have dreamed about.

As a recognised eco tourism activity, we were recently shortlisted in the World Responsible Tourism Awards and have won other awards. We host many scientists and conservationists. Should you return to Gansbaai, we would welcome your visit and share more on what can be achieved. I do not doubt that you perceive your experiences with sharks to be positive, and that you see positive impacts for your guests.

I have to question the scientific integrity of any study that is funded or supported by a private corporation with a real interest in specific outcomes. To be clear, you do not work with National Geographic film teams. You work with independent TV production companies, some of which may or may not sell their footage or final productions to the National Geographic Channel, which, in the United States, is primarily owned by Fox.

The National Geographic Society is extremely protective of how our brand is used throughout the world. This is a separate discussion altogether. The purpose of this piece was to explain to my readers my decision to not take part in an increasingly-popular tourist attraction which I see to be problematic.

I made it clear that I was crunching numbers, and these are based on conversations I had with people in Gansbaai and Cape Town. The point is that baiting predators for profit is an unsustainable practice. I am sure that your sister company, Dyer Island Cruises offers wonderful tours, and I encourage all visitors to go out and experience the wealth of whale watching and sea life available in this beautiful part of South Africa.

Thanks for sharing this! I was lucky enough to travel to South Africa this past summer and I made the choice to go cage diving out on Seal Island. I went with a small company, and it was fantastic! I think they set a great example of how this popular tourist adventure can be done right, you should check them out!

It was a great experience, and I felt everyone fx pro forex peace army board was very conscious of the sharks and their environment.

We were very lucky to be able to observe these stunning animals in their natural setting! Here is the website with all of the info about the upcoming film! To understand where I am coming from, here is a brief history. From to I was operations director for the SA Museum Shark Research Centre and from to I was Dir.

I have lectured at London, Stockholm, Cape Town and Cambridge Universities and at the Royal Geographic Society.

I wrote the first scientific paper on Population Dynamics Of White Sharks In Southern Africa and have worked on numerous documentaries and international research expeditions.

I have been intimately involved in white shark science, conservation, education and tourism since and have also written a book called Great White Sharks on Their Best Behaviour, blah, blah, blah. What upsets me with this article is that like so many others I have read over the years, it is based on nonsense.

I am all for opinion as I have strong opinions, however, this article has its opinion based soundly on thumb sucking. Just about everything stated in the article is false and all it serves to do, is paint a negative picture on an industry where many people are working diligently to promote non consumptive business, conservation and education.

This article portrays the industry as greedy and dishonest and without ethics and that is not true. Point of fact is that this industry has done more for shark conservation and awareness than any other entity on the planet. I was part of the team that successfully campaigned for the protection of the white shark, thus I have always had a deep interest in the positive aspects of the white shark industry.

While there have been bumps in the road, unscrupulous operations, politics and infighting, there has also been enormous benefit on all fronts. For those readers out there who have taken this article as gospel, please be aware that it is not an honest article based on solid research. If you are concerned about the shark and the industry, then please do your own investigations before condemning it as the writer has.

There are always two sides slavehack how to make money the story and there is room for improvement and people should be concerned as this places pressure on the industry. Having said that, I can with all honesty tell you that most people support 101 ways to pick stock market winners industry once they have a proper understanding of it.

Andrew, I think you share trading classes in vashi to come down to Mossel Bay for a week, and spend time with White Shark Africa before you write articles of this poor quality.

That is an invitation which you are welcome to accept. Thank you for a thought-provoking article Andrew, I found it and the comments very interesting, representing both sides of the story. Fuelled by travel writers and bloggers in their quest to go that bit further to wow us all, tourism organisations keen to position themselves as unique and offering memorable experiences and tourism suppliers ready to meet the resulting demand.

Nothing wrong with that, but how should visitors respond? I found viewing the Great Whites an exhilarating experience that I would never have been able to do if these companies did not operate, Very little chum was put into the water and on a couple of occasions we waited upto an hour for a shark to appear. People will find fault with anything involving the viewing of animals as in most cases the animal is mistreated or confined, but I believe that going a mile out to sea to observe a great predator in its natural environment is the least harmful of animal viewing activities.

I recently went cage diving in Gansbaai with Sharklady Adventures and I utterly disagree with your article. Many of your statements have been already addressed and disproven in other reactions, so I just want to focus on one, i. Before the going out on the boat, we got a very thorough briefing by the resident white shark researcher, who told us a lot about white shark biology and behaviour and dispelled any popular myths.

It has been a life long dream to go and do a cage dive with Great Whites and last August I finally had the opportunity. My 8 year old son joined me on the trip and could not stop talking about it for months, infact if anyone ask him what he enjoyed the most about his holiday in SA he tells them all about his are trading commissions tax deductible. Now how many 8 year olds can boast about doing a cage dive with Great White sharks?

I can with all honesty say that my experience with Shark Lady adventures were excellent and feel that they have changed my perceptions of Great Whites. We are all out to enjoy the wonderfull natural life that SA has to offer, why the negative publicity? Has the amount of attacks in the area increased since these tours started? Regards from a cold England. To answer your last question, yes, the amount of shark attacks in the area have increased. Whether or not there is any correlation to the shark cage diving operations has not been proven, therefore I chose not to address it.

Glad that you and your son had a good time on your holiday. Best regards to you and your 8 year old son. I had the great privilege of going cage diving in Gansbaai. I had previously only seen sharks at zoo aquariums and on television. I learned so much about sharks from the crew and staff at Sharklady Adventures.

I was left with the impression that they really cared about the sharks, the ocean, the environment, and even people! None of the outfits I passed by looked like they or anyone associated were making millions.

If I had read it and believed your opinion, I would have missed out on an amazing and life changing experience. Because I went, I now have a tremendous respect for the shark not just fear as I has before and a great respect for the people the cage diving operators who share this with us.

People can either go and view sharks at an aquarium. Which gives a shark no freedom and restricts its natural movements along the coast line. Or you could go and see our beautiful sharks in their natural, unrestricted environment. I think the choice is simple. No one cares more, and is more passionate about these sharks than the companies who make a living off of their presence and to ensure continued research and education is done to ensure a better understanding of these sharks who have been for years been portrait as killing machines.

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Caz. Thanks for a thought provoking piece Andrew. You actually hit the nail on the head with fairly limited exposure.

Quite refreshing if you compare it to the instaforex liverpool of shark cage diving industry spam on forex killer review internet. I decided to comment when I saw the blatant industry trolling, commenting under different names. The amount of disinformation, obfuscation and murky money matters surrounding the shark cage diving industry in South Africa is simply astounding. Unfortunately the South African government, who administrates the licensing and monitoring of the industry is itself under the spotlight for questionable and at times corrupt practices.

Corruption watch, and the annual Mo Ibrahim Index, should give you an idea. My family and I have lived in the Walker Bay area Gansbaai, Hermanus for three generations. I grew up surfing and fishing in the area and have met a few of the role players myself.

But like any questionable activity there are two sides to the coin: It is the demand side and the blatant exploitation of marine resources to the benefit of a few people that prompted me to ruger 77/22 synthetic my own article about the industry http: There are actually several additional concerns than those expressed by yourself, which I embroider on.

Probably double that now, but still quite a bit less than your figure. From a general conservationist point of view, shark cage diving can not in any sense be seen as ethical eco-tourism. It is invasive and manipulative to the extreme. As far as I am aware not one of the shark boat operators had a history in nature conservation prior to the official protection of the species in In fact quite the opposite.

Commercial conservationist converts are a dime a dollar in an economically depressed area where abalone poaching or shark cage diving are the only ways to the big money. I have travelled to more than 50 countries globally, with particular emphasis on wilderness areas, and shark cage diving is just one more disconcerting trend in the push to commercialise nature for the emasculated masses worldwide.

A Disneylandesque horror show to say the least. I do not know of one major African nature conservationist who supports shark cage diving, which brings home probably the most salient point about the industry — it is a superficial thrill for people with very little experience of nature.

The industry makes it money out of ignoramuses and consumer society slaves. Another dark underlying theme is that the pro-industry pundits are almost exclusively privileged Westerners and white South Africans — both the commentators and operators. To the person who added several woolly, uninformed statements about the industry — calling yourself a journalist does not make you one, and it is puerile in the extreme to use it to give superficial gravitas to your comments.

Thanks so much for your lengthy comments Marc. I appreciate your professional insight, and thanks for the correct figures for prospective earnings. I realize there are many who argue on either side of this issue, automated forex trader I appreciate your support of some of the personal views I laid out on my blog.

I think you wrote this article to back up your already present prejudice! You should have gone on a dive. You have done a industry that is trying so hard to create job creation education and conservation a great disservice. I do not think you have researched this objectively or authentically. As an owner of a tour operator company selling tailor-made holidays to South Africa I am often asked to book shark dives for our clients. I am still rather undecided I am afraid, but one thing really still stands out for me ….

Would we accept throwing a bloody mess out in a game reserve in the hope of catches a lions attention? Absolutely not … so why then is it acceptable in the sea? Anything unnatural that is brought into the perfect balance of nature for the benefit of humans is surely wrong. It is all a very interesting debate, so thank you Andrew!

All the best, Kirsty. I think Shark Cage Diving should be Banned, last year whilst they were filming for the Shark man documentary my friend was attacked by a Great White and killed at Koel Bay false bay and I firmly believe it was because of the chumming and onshore wind that blew the chum to shore, yes I understand surfing is a risk but chumming is definitely not reducing the risk. If you meant to be filming a Shark Documentary in its Natural Habitat, why chum?? Debates like this are only good and helpful.

Thanks to all participants. I would like to expand that notion into politics: Ultimately humanity has to ban wars to sustain planet earth. How dare you have an opinion!? If want to participate in conservation, there are many NGOs who will gladly accept your contribution, you need not get into a cage and poke the proverbial bear. As a surfer living in Cape Town it is definitely an interesting read.

I would venture to say that there is possibly no link between cage diving and shark attacks just based the nigerian stock exchange graduate recruitment the number of attacks that take place. I have not done a great deal of research, so this may be unfounded, but sharks attacks in Cape Town seem to be pretty constant.

You hear of the stock market futures cnn money bump or maybe even an attack, but these things are bound to occur from time to time. They occurred before the cage diving operators were present and will continue to occur. On a purely logical level I do however agree that in terms of baiting the sharks in for tourists to view them without them actually having the opportunity to feed is unsustainable.

I personally would not go cage diving, and I would definitely not encourage anyone else to go cage diving either. I think knowledge to action forex article would make some operators quite upset, but honestly they are exploiting the environment for a quick buck.

Sadly, I think this is the case for many sectors of tourism in Africa. There is no long term view. If you have the money, you can pretty much experience what you want.

Your comparison to bears is entirely different, but it highlights a train of thought that we should have with our sharks too. They are wild animals, and should be left to be just that — Wild. Thank you for ing forex travel card login the time to write such a great article.

I would have liked to have seen an interview of some sort with one of the operators asking the pressing questions of day to day operations How they chum the sharks etc. Please do visit us again. As a lifelong surfer 47 years and counting and an ex pat SaffaI have been following the rise of shark attacks in both the West Cape and Western Australia with some interest.

The circumstantial evidence that the WA attacks are linked to the WC attacks is pretty convincing. In either eventthe rise in attacks and the growth meoh my money maker the chummers cannot be co-incidence. These sharks have been taught to relate to humans as a source of foodtherefore placing humans in chummed water is akin to MURDER. A simple fix would be to totally ban chummingforfeiture of boat and jail time being minimum sentences.

There are other ways of attracting sharks that do not indirectly lead to human deaths. Thank you for this excellent article Andrew. I have long been vehemently against shark cage diving since I witnessed the attack on my friend Tyna Webb inthe first shark victim in Fish Hoek Bay.

I am an avid open water swimmer. I swim quite happily, albeit with caution in Table Bay but will not risk swimming in deep water in False Bay. I am right behind you.

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In my view anyone who artificially lures wild predators for human interest should not be allowed to continue their practice. Andrew, I am in the water in Cape Town for 4 hrs a day training as professional surfski paddler. Despite living here my whole life, 29 years, I have never been shark cage diving for many reasons in your article.

To other readers, regarding the comments. The one goes first in a debate like this is always at forex arlanda valutakurser disadvantage. Andrew has set himself up to be taken apart by commentators. Surely if we have the know-how and ability to send people to the moon we can find another method…? I agree with mike, baiting and influencing the environment in a hectic way is not wise.

If people really want to see sharks, jump in a cage without chumming and be patient… any other ploy is just greed. Hi Andrew, one company that makes sure they educate tourists about Ocean shark sustanibility and does alot of charity work for the communitites, takes people on Shark Cage tours to fund their projects. They make sure they do no chumming shark cage diving-which does exist and is much better!

Please check out her blog about what she managed to achieve in and what she will continue to achieve in http: As for the sustainable tours which are worth going on as how to get unlimited money on itunes with cydia money goes to good use, is with founder Lesley Rochat on http: At the moment they are focusing on the NOsharkcull in Western Australia and are asking Colin Barnett to please reconsider his petition to cull sharks.

Follow the debate on https: Andrew, many thanks on an insightful article. In most instances, any connection between increased shark activity and chumming has been dismissed by some influential local shark scientists, despite Australian research to the contrary. Surely once animals begin to associate humans with food, a dangerous link is established, but clearly shark cage outfits and certain experts think otherwise. As a passionate scuba diver who frequently dives with sharks all around False Bay and the Cape Peninsula, I personally do not support shark cage diving as, to me, tr price emerging stock market fund portrays a false image of sharks in their natural habitat.

Chumming puts the sharks in a feeding mindset without actually leading to any proper food, thus making them appear aggressive and more often than not creating a fear rather than fascination during these cage dives.

Once you have dived with sharks in their TRUE natural habitat, in clear water and when not feeding, you begin to realise just how unnatural cage diving really is. You get what you pay for I guess.

Like going to a theme park. Hello Andrew, thanks for your article and the debate that follows but I have to agree to disagree, while I understand your disdain for cage diving…and the grip about it being a money making enterprise that is not sustainable.

The reality is it is very sustainable and has been for many many years. There has been cage diving operations there for over 20 years, which screams of sustainability. Yes it has problems, but like in all things, as time goes by, tweaks are made to make them better.

You also mention that the operators are not conservation minded. The cage diving operation in SA has led to the protection of trading brokers in australia white shark because of the tourism business, which screams of conservation-of course that is just my opinion.

Another thing you mention in your piece, is the money. Yes operators make money but so does the entire community; restaurants make money, hotels, tourist shops, everyone benefits from shark tourism.

That is how we all fall in love with an animal or a place, by seeing the photos that other people share. Again I understand you do not like cage diving but there is WAY more to these operations and this community than what you have taken from it. Look not everyone is as hard core as you are and the high majority of these people will never experience the sardine run, or Cocos Island for a chance to get your natural encounters, that forex trading application iphone rave about.

These cage dives are their opportunities to experience one of the greatest animals our oceans has stock market cbey offer and if even just one person leaves the water each day with a positive experience then the sharks have won.

Anyway, thank you for your opinion, this was mine. Researching and telling people about sustainable sea food choices is also a great thing to do. The crafting preference have been astonished us. Thanks a lot, very pleasant document.

I am a Marine Biology major from the US who is still in university. I have always had a passion for marine life, whether it be the conservation, observation, or simply obtaining new information that can help us preserve our oceans and learn from them. I really enjoyed reading your article, as well as reading your replies and small debates with other commenters. I best book for beginner to learn javascript wanted to let you know that your article made a difference in my opinion, and I appreciate that even years after this was published, I still see it making a difference.

I do not possibly know how We appeared right here, however I presumed this kind of put up had been fantastic. I am planning a trip to SA and diving with Sharks was on my wish list.

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How much money does hotforwords make understand your points but what are the alternatives available to people who dont share your resources for open water dives like you mentioned. Read your article with great interest and appreciate that you were only giving your personal reasons for not wanting to ever go shark-caging.

However, the tone of your article was very officious and dogmatic regarding perceived legitimate reasons for being anti shark-caging. There is no proven evidence between shark-caging in South Africa or Australia and fatalities caused by Great White Shark attacks. The same period you mention has seen Great Whites a protected species. The same period has seen tourism in South Africa boom so more people are going in the water swimming, surfing and diving.

This is due more to the increasing affordability of travel rather than the shark-caging. Some stay briefly, others linger for longer. I would bet my bottom dollar that nigh on EVERYONE comes away from such encounters humbled, full of a deep sense of appreciation and awe for such magnificent creatures and sponsors of anti shark-finning and culling.

It is individual people that have to take responsibility for going into the sharks natural environment. Increasing numbers of people engaging in sea activity so there will be more shark attacks. Nothing to do with responsibly operated shark cage tourism. I think feeding wildlife is ridiculous. Protect and save sharks and divers. What it fails to acknowledge is that Eco-tourism is always a compromise.

Having worked in the Safari Industry for many years I consider vehicles, roads, boats, accommodation, industrial noise, perimeter fencing and all the other man made infrastructure to allow tourists access, all a form of compromise. So chumming up some burley fits quite well into many of those compromises.

Having been one of those surfers you mentioned…. The operators did not gee us up with adrenaline stories and spew tons of chum into the water. They had about 6 tuna heads they threw out on a rope. The operators told us that they cannot allow the shark to touch the tuna head or the sides of the boat or cage. If that happened they would have to move away from the spot. It was emphasised that the purpose was to educate us and break down our negative perceptions of sharks and enable a global movement towards shark conservation.

After all we only love and protect what we know, the unfamiliar will always remain just that. Finally a comment on Australia. Australia has one of the worst conservation records and still openly kills Great Whites. Just recently the shark cull on the west coast of Australia went ahead despite public protest.

South Africa on the other hand led the way in Great White Conservation. Love your magazine Rowan. Hi Andrew, Been doing much thinking about your article. I copied this excerpt from an article published on the behavioural changes Great whites seemed to make around the shark diving boats.

Firstly thankyou for your article. I thought it was a great insight into the shark cage diving industry. I work for a company in Port Lincoln, South Australia, called Adventure Bay Charters. We operate 1 day cage diving with great white sharks off the Neptune Islands. To ensure we are protecting the natural environment, we use audio sound vibrations to attract the sharks to the boat rather than chum and berley. Adventure Bay Charters has pioneered the use of acoustic attraction for great white shark cage diving in Australia.

By playing music through underwater speakers we encourage curious sharks to venture around the boat to investigate the source of the sound. Two of the main concerns regarding the Great White Shark Cage Diving industry is the use of baits to distract sharks from normal feeding activities and the damage caused to sharks by attacking the shark cage and boat.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that when sharks are not lured by food they are not as aggressive and do not attack the shark cage or vessel. I comment as an inexperienced diver looking to buy a home in florida and shark diving is on my bucket list not as a thrill seeker but the shark to me has always been a seriously misunderstood majestic creature that we will never fully understand. While I do see your arguable point on how the sharks seem to be wrongfully baited to the boat I must point out I have seen countless documentaries where marine biologists have baited sharks for research.

I fail to see the difference. When I have seen underwater documentaries there are what looks to be cage like devices that hold chum to attract sharks as well. I find your opinion that cage shark diving is inauthentic to be very snobbish of you. Some people merely want the experience of being in the water with these amazing deep sea creatures rather than life threatening swim freely among them.

I am not well researched in the art of chumming, however, I see no harm in it of it is done by professionals and as long as the shark is unharmed. With the amount of people that free dive with sharks I fail to see the negative effects of whether they are in a cage or not it is still diving with sharks. I will be engaging in this activity and I fully support the preservation of these underwater beauties. To me it is all a thrill there is no difference.

Anyone can get the thrill of going to a zoo which by the way can also be by you called not authentic, but it is a whole other thrill to go and see them in the wilds of their natural habitat.

An afterthought that I had is also that cage diving should In my opinion of course be encouraged if the person is inexperienced and uneducated about sharks. I am also scared that if a shark were to nip and draw blood not meaning to just basic curiosity that it would start a frenzy and attract other sharks. I think someone would be up poo Creek without a paddle.

Andrew Evans of Intelligent Travel wrote a very insightful article on this, which you can read by clicking here. Andrew, thank you for your article, which seems to be generally well-received. GWSs and whose success as a tourist initiative has led to the establishment of of Marine Protection Areas MPAs.

Not only that, the owner of main dive company is personally committed to the welfare of these powerful creatures and has personally identified over individual adults. All of this without the need for cages and it is not uncommon to see forty bull sharks on a dive along with as many reef sharks at a higher level. I agree with many people here. Your opinion is based on a lot of misinformation. The shark cage diving operators are not the only ones benefiting financially from this.

Therefor, you have a whole lot of people fighting to keep these sharks alive. I think the stat is likemillion sharks are killed each year, and Great Whites are included in those numbers. So nice to see this! Just in case the author still reads comments and anyone scrolls down this far — I wanted to add my two cents into the bucket because ITS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED TO SAY….

Two decades later, I was telling my 13 year old son about my wish and came upon your article. We read it together, did a lot of research online and determined it would be best to dive with great white sharks in un-baited circumstances. Just like organic food products, people will pay a premium for the all-natural wildlife experience.

And when you do get to see the top predators, the stars of the show, usually by well trained guides who know where they live and what their schedules are, you feel like God or Fate or whatever you believe in gave you a gift that day! It was truly magical. They were big, all scratched up and very wild.

This is our family. We choose to swim with you. Swimming with trained, captive dolphins in a lagoon or pool is not the same experience. Here in Australia we have the same discussion of cage diving operators who do this in South Australia to lure Great Whites to the boats. I too share your opinion on the subject, but also as a marine biology student I support this. This unnatural way of seeing these amazing creatures in the wild and I believe over-time the sharks exposed to this practice will have their behavior altered.

Thank you for your great article! Natural Geographic blogger Andrew Evans wrote an essay about a cruelty of shark baiting. He forked out that baiters pretence a animals into meditative […].

It is an interesting subject, but this piece is filled with too much attitude and rhetoric to be taken seriously. Andrew, you have started a stimulating debate. I was dissapointed to find that your link to http: In light of many of the comments regarding your research, it would be good if you added some of your references to allow us to continue researching this subject.

I am the widow of the one of three people who lost their lives in the shark diving accident that you mentioned in your article.

I have been involved in a bitter legal battle with the shark diving company involved for the past six years, over whether or not their actions were negligent that day. If you would like any more information about why so much of what you wrote is completely ACCURATE regarding the shark diving industry, I would be more than happy to sit down with you and share first hand how this negligent and completely avoidable accident has destroyed my life…all while the shark diving company involved gets to continue to take out paying tourists…I just hope no one else gets killed in a similar fashion while my case is tied up in the SA legal system.

Hi Andrew Evans, wonderful article I really enjoyed it. I was looking at going diving with sharks, but I have yet to find a place that offers you the ability to dive without the cage. To do diving without the cage would you have to go by yourself or is there a company that would allow you to go? While we were visiting my family in Durban I was taken aback when my cousin shook her head and […]. This article could not be further from the truth and I am ashamed for National Geographic that it is published here.

Got my first letter yesterday! I feel like I am a part of something wonderful which is just starting to take place. Feeling a strange sense of community around it all. Maybe you might be on to something here! Next thing you know, peoe will probably be growing their own food and walking or riding bikes everywhere. The very core of your writing whilst sounding agreeable initially, did not really settle very well with me personally after some time.

Somewhere throughout the sentences you actually managed to make me a believer unfortunately just for a while. I nevertheless have got a problem with your jumps in assumptions and you would do well to fill in all those gaps. If you can accomplish that, I could undoubtedly end up being impressed. Quem tiver interesse, esse artigo da National Geographic explica o […]. Fabulous article which highlights all the logical points against this ridiculous thrill seeking activity which turns the only remaining natural environment left on our planet into some kind of theme park for the incapable.

Unfortunately the laziness of modern day society means Mr. So we now have the McDonalds effect…. What most upsets me about this article though, is all the comments from diving operators trying to bad mouth the writer. I appreciate your article and your opinion as I had myself been perplexed with the ethical dilemma of shark tourism in South Africa and other parts of the world. I am also an avid diver and have scuba dived not in a cage with many sharks and it is thrilling to see them in their natural environment.

While chumming and all shark tourism may be controversial I find myself as an advocate for sharks. I want to dispel negative views people have about sharks due to movies like Jaws. People see them as evil creatures on the hunt for humans and that is just not the case.

By publishing my experiences diving with sharks on social media I hope to encourage shark tourism because it is the lesser of two evils in the fight against cruel pointless shark finning.

Many of my friends have taken up scuba diving because of pictures I have shared online. By publishing an article such as this in an international magazine you are doing the same as the movie Jaws — showing one extreme viewpoint without properly discussing all reasons why this is truly controversial.

Some critics say that chumming the water with bloody bait may teach sharks to […]. Some critics contend that chumming a H2O with bloody attract might teach sharks […]. Nope, upon reading up on the practice, this is actually highly controversial and quite possibly harmful to the sharks. There are a billion ways of promoting facts about these animals and yet, these tourism operators, who are GREATLY concerned about shark research, just so happened to chose a method that also earns them a fortune.

Everything from baiting great white sharks so that tourists can experience the adrenaline rush of a cage dive to the highly dubious practices […]. I have been totally against shark caged diving for several decades now since these Great Whites are easily trained. They have also been training them to leap out of the water by towing imitation seals behind boats for their high paying customers. I have several instances on record where Great Whites either leapt into boats or attempted to snatch folk sitting at the rear.

Is this how people going missing from various boats? SCD businesses makes loads of money, SCD trains sharks to kill surfers. The AES in Florida confirmed this recently. Nothing makes sense in the shark world except the dollars. SCD is purely Satanic and is responsible for many deaths and many missing swimmers in Australia. This is why SCD is BANNED in Western Australia fyi. History will show this.

Leave them alone you knuckleheads. Die Veranstalter versprechen Adrenalinkicks und unvergessliche Momente. Dadurch kommt es nachweislich zu einer Zunahme von Haiangriffen auf Menschen. Weitere Argumente gegen Shark Cage Diving und Hintergrundinformationen findest du hier. Which wholesale Brandon Bolden jerseys do you ever buy? Now this one site for sale: I am opting out although I was thrilled about the idea! The comments section highlights the complexity of the […].

Yesterday, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now broken and she has 83 views. I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone! Africa in a month and nearly everyone has told me to go cage diving with sharks. I was in Thailand in and did take the obligatory tiger pics. I bought their lines about how it was a great place.

I had no trouble navigating through all tabs as well as related info ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least.

Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, web site theme. They are really convincing and can certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are too quick for beginners. Could you please prolong them a little from next time?

Thanks for the post. Hello Andrew, I myself am also a journalist looking to get into the travel industry. I live in Florida where there are sharks everywhere and I have a love for marine life, so it has always been a dream of mine to swim with sharks or dive with them. My ideal situation would not be an inauthentic experience, but of course I will only be in South Africa for a week and I know all to well the chances of catching these beautiful animals in the wild.

You mentioned some reputable dive companies in South Africa that do offer natural encounters. Can you provide some of those names? Also, I was under the impression the Seal Island off of the coast on Cape Town was the best place for Great White sightings, yet I keep hearing about Gansbaai.

From my many years of watching Shark Week, I know that was the famous spot where they caught great whites jumping out of the water. I was hoping to reach out to some companies and see if they would let me do a short story on the great white shark populations and how they are affected by tourism.

So any help you could provide on who to contact for these more authentic experiences would be greatly appreciated. Cheers Brian for any good idea, also non-developers just like myself will be able to take that away from: This is really necessary for a multi-international web-site with regards to SEO.

I thought you may wish to know, cheers. But then Cage Operators started as Research sprang up and the behaviour of Sharks changed dramatically! Now the Sharks harass boaters for a feed like Seagulls to a chip. One of the other tourists killed was the best man in our wedding. Subscribe to Digital Nomad. Yosemite Valley—home to Yosemite National Park icons such as Half Dome, El Capitan, and Bridalveil Fall—is….

The sudden appearance of a…. Intelligent Travel's Travel Interests. Home Yosemite Country Magical Kenya. Posted by Andrew Evans of National Geographic Traveler on November 21, Andrew Evans, diving with sharks last year on South Africa's famous Aliwal Shoal, off the coast of Durban.

Still capture from the National Geographic Channel documentary, "The World in Two Cities". Commodifying predators is problematic in any form. Should you choose to totally disregard my opinion and still go cage diving with great whites, please consider the following: Most operators sell their cage diving package tours from Cape Town, although the shark boats actually leave from Kleinbaai, near Gansbaai 2 hours away.

Some shark cage diving operations are better than others—including better safety records, better practices, and better cages. Rarely does the price correlate with the quality of the experience. Pick a large boat—the larger the boat the less chance you have of becoming seasick, which is the number one complaint that passengers make on shark boats these can be very choppy waters.

In many cases, people getting sick forces boats to cut a trip short and head back to shore. Consider taking seasick tablets. Shark boat operators are keen to merely fill up their trips, but for the best experience, you will most likely want to go out on a day when you can actually see or photograph the sharks clearly.

For the record, it is quite possible to see great white sharks for free in South Africa. Look across False Bay on a sunny day or cruise by a seal colony or chat with any surfer. Having a vested interest in avoiding shark encounters, they tend to keep tracks of the sharks better than most. As of last year, shark cage diving was outlawed in Western Australia after scientific studies along that coastline showed that chumming caused significant change in great white shark behavior. The debate around shark cage diving is a highly controversial subject in South Africa with avid supporters on both sides.

Be aware that whether you choose to dive or choose not to, you are picking sides in a battle that is just beginning to heat up. Comments Robert van Rooyen Gansbaai. All the best, Rob. All the best, Andrew. Lisa MsBoice "Accidental Birder" Utah. Thank you for your comment Jane, I have experienced exactly what you are talking about when it comes to wildlife parks, in particular in Bandhavghar National Park in central India, with tigers.

Thank you so much for reading— All the best, Andrew. Shark Cage Diver Cape Town. Hi Andrew I thought I would give my opinion as you have given yours. Dear SCD, Thanks for your input. Thank you so much for reading- Best wishes, AE. How to Travel to North Korea and 41 Instagrams from Someone Who Already Did — Gullpress. Vivienne Grant South Africa.

Shark lover Cape Town. No need to apologize for sharing your opinion. Bethany Bella BethAnnie22 USA. This article is incredibly frustrating. Clearly you got connected with the wrong group.

In response to your argument: Thank you for reading. Liz Adelaide South Australia. My condolences to you and your family-AE. Marine Dynamics shark tours Gansbaai. Shark Alley is just 15 minutes from harbour, not 2 hours. Dear Marine Dynamics, Thanks for your input. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and information, and thank you for reading my blog. Eco Diver Washington D.

Hey Andrew, Thanks for sharing this! Craig Ferreira Cape Town. I already commented on this article, however, reading it again upset me and I will explain why. Anoop Savio Bangalore India. Bert Overduin Cambridge, United Kingdom. Hello Andrew, I recently went cage diving in Gansbaai with Sharklady Adventures and I utterly disagree with your article.

Janet Bazzone North Carolina USA. Caz Lee Cape Town, South Africa. Corruption watch, and the annual Mo Ibrahim Index, should give you an idea My family and I have lived in the Walker Bay area Gansbaai, Hermanus for three generations. BEST of — Digital Nomad. Kirsty Marmarellis Cape Town. As a lifelong surfer 47 years and counting and an ex pat SaffaI have been following the rise of shark attacks in both the West Cape and Western Australia with some interest The circumstantial evidence that the WA attacks are linked to the WC attacks is pretty convincing.

Jasper Mocke Cape Town. Francois du Toit cape town. Hollyann Duggn-Jones Cape Town. Grant Hendriks Cape Town. Eli Martinez South Texas. Fiona Ayerst South Africa. Stevie Hendrix Kuching, Malaysia. Hi there Andrew, I am a Marine Biology major from the US who is still in university.

Michael S United States. Hi I am planning a trip to SA and diving with Sharks was on my wish list. Chris U Bournemouth, England. Hi Andrew, Read your article with great interest and appreciate that you were only giving your personal reasons for not wanting to ever go shark-caging.