Great whites are known man-eaters and to swim with one without a cage is very dangerous. However, just because they aren’t the terrors of the ocean we once thought, that does not mean they’re safe to be in the water with either. You may be aware that this characterisation has been falsely imprinted on the animal, and that they’re not the monsters portrayed in movies. Great white sharks were demonised and villainized in the 20th century, with the film Jaws playing a major role in this characterisation. They can keep themselves safe by knowing when to leave the water.
Some divers can swim with great white sharks without a cage, but their protection comes from knowledge of great white behaviours and body language. While they are not as dangerous as films and popular-culture might have you believe, they are also not safe animals to be around without adequate protection.
These are large and powerful predators who have eaten people in the past. Don’t be immediately angry when you meet a shark fisherman, listen to his story first.Swimming with great whites is inherently dangerous. ? Fisherman need to earn a living, the blame Tourism revenue annually, or about $1.9 million during its lifetime, according to a study by the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences. But the reality is, a shark is worth more alive than dead. Them don’t have the desire to stop when the demand and the price is high for a shark. Not every fisherman will make the change and stop shark fishing. But a shift is happening, and shark eco tourism is providing fisherman withĪlternative incomes, as well as a shark scientist assisting them with tagging, correct handling and knowledge. Because the reality is most fisherman do/have. with a fisherman that used to fish sharks. In the Mediterranean blue shark was placed in the highest risk category of CriticallyĮndangered and the IUCN noted that there are no recovery plans or fishery management schemes in place to allow stocks to recover.įishing boat. In their last assessment the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classedīlue shark as Near Threatened on a global basis and in European waters with a decreasing population trend. The blue shark has an uncertain future if commercial fishing for this species continues at current levels. Have 1,250 kilograms of shark fin on board, along with an incredible 164,250 kilograms of blue shark on board – the equivalent of around 5,000 individual blue sharks. The extent of the commercial exploitation of this species was outlined in 2018 when a Spanish fishing vessel, the Virxen da Blanca, was detained by the Irish Naval Service and found to After these parts of the shark have been taken the remainder of the carcass may be thrown back into the sea or processed intoįishmeal. The dorsal fin is also used to make shark fin soup.
The flesh of blue sharks is not highly regarded, but the skin is used for leather and the liverįor oil. We minimise that risk by wearing all black with no shiny objects that will unnecessarily attract them, as well as not causing lots of splashes andīlue sharks are caught commercially with several million being caught each year across the world. Like all wild animals and apex predators there is a certain amount of risk when swimming with these - and all - sharks, but personally we On camera domes or come close to check out divers fin. The sharks are confident and do come up to you - especially if you have a dome or camera - but quickly realise you are not that interesting and swim around you. And when we did we also saw blue fin tuna and Mola Mola (sunfish) at On our trip it took around 4 hours of chumming until we got the chance to get some good swimming interactions with the sharks. Even with chumming there is still a chance you may not see any sharks. Most trips use chum to attract the sharks. You will then sail out offshore to a spot in the ocean ( wellĪway from land) that the captain has experience in seeing sharks. To be able to snorkel with blue sharks in the UK you have to take a specific blue shark trip booked from one of the local operators.