Friday, March 13, 2009

Diver grapples (Murders) with 12ft tiger shark


Overkill - three spears visible and stabbing a Tiger Shark - Spearo Craig Clasen

There are two type of spearos, the good and the bad.  Let's start with the good: environmentally (specifically the ocean) conscious, respectful, harmonious, humble, smart, and above all an incredible love for the ocean and ALL its creatures.   They have no fear of sharks...

Then there are the bad: show off, consider sharks either a nuisance or a scared of them, spear for the photo or coverage, have no respect towards the ocean, pillage it as they please...

Craig Clasen and Ryan McInnis (and the others present) are bad spearos.  Given a choice to kill or let live a large tiger shark (that supposedly put them in a life or death situation) they decided to kill it...a process that took over two hours and various spears, stabbing, and drowning...a slow and painful death...it is obvious from their photos and quotes that these guys were very afraid of sharks.  In the video you will notice that shark approaches the cameraman in a non-aggressive, but curious manner.  

From one of Ryan's webisodes on his site he mentions "Come face to face with a 12’ Tiger Shark that snuck up on me this summer in Louisiana, clean out your wetsuit" - in the episode Ryan also mentions that "he saw the last thing a freediver ever wants to see" referring to the Tiger Shark... 

Craig looks pretty happy here with Tiger Sharks tail and jaws - no remorse as he stated

And if you truly respect sharks, as they say they did, they would have never let this get out to the media...they were looking for their 15mins of fame, media coverage, money and status among the spearo community...they have done the opposite, not only giving spearos around the world a negative image, but more importantly the chance for the media to take a stab at sharks once again.

I am sure you will see another post on this very soon from my old man - he is on way to South Africa at the moment.

12 comments:

WhySharksMatter said...

It's easy to say that he overreacted, you weren't the one in the water with a 12 foot long tiger shark right next to you while you.

Not everyone has the same experience with sharks that you and I do. The important thing here is that it SEEMED TO HIM like he was acting in self-defense.

Also, I'm a little troubled by you using the word "murder" to describe an action done to a fish.

Unknown said...

Hi David - while I was expecting this kind of comment from someone, I sure did not expect this to come from you - and honestly a little disappointed considering your work with these animals.

If by action done to a fish you mean, stabbed, drowned (towed by the boat) and nailed with a spear seven times over a 2 hour time period...I am a little troubled by you minimizing the situation...plus, the title plays off the hysteria the media has created - the divers also did not "grapple", or "wrestle" with the shark.

In any case, we obviously have different views about the spearos (who claim remorse - yet are smiling with their trophy) involved and the fish that killed.

Probably another good topics and debate for your blog...

Unknown said...

Hi Felix, I could agree with more on this. Why take the tail and jaws as trophies unless you wanted to show it off just like the photo you posted. I hope the truth comes out.

It is always said to see such a amazing creature killed.

Paul

Jifa-ZA said...

David, you seem not to have read everything about this story. These guys played it as over experienced divers, even stating that, all together, they totalled 60 (sixty) years of experience with sharks!

If you're shocked with 'murder', let's call what they did a butchery. A 2-hour butchery, for the sake of bringing back a Tiger shark's jaws and dorsal fin, and then look like heros and make money from interviews.

Sorry, but to me, whatever angle you look at it from, it stinks badly... and much worse than shark rotten flesh!

Wolfgang Leander said...

What a primitive f....ck-face, this killer!! This is all I can say. Sick, sick, sick....

Jacques said...

Are you guys a bunch of idiots or something? I'm all for the wildlife, really I am, but why don't you guys look at it from these diver's perspectives: one of them sees their buddy being surrounded by a tiger shark, goes over there and when he sees it about to charge, he spears it in the gills. Subsequently he tries to shoot it in the brain to end its life quickly. He spent 2 hours in the water trying to kill it. He was feet away from that beast. In case you didn't know after putting a rod through its gills that shark was mortally wounded, he could have gotten up to his boat safely and let that shark endure an agonizing death that would have taken much longer than 2hrs. But nonetheless bottom line is he had to kill that shark in order to save his friend, like most divers I'm sure he appreciates all marine wildlife and as he stated, "Down in my core I really felt the shark was there to feed. I didn't want it to come to that." This guy's an experienced diver and I'm sure he didn't want it to come to that, but for a human friend I'd say he did the right thing. And as for the pics it looks more like he's squinting in the sun than smiling and as for the souvenirs the guy just wrestled one of the most deadly, all powerful predators of the seas for two hours. It is miraculous he made it out of there alive, I'd keep those for souvenirs too. Sorry to rant but are you guys serious? Are your thought processes really: "Oh I'm the ultimate wildlife lover, how dare he kills a shark! He should have let his friend die or at least seen if the shark would take a bite out his friend first."

In case any of you want to read the published article about the ordeal instead of scrutinize the pictures, here you go:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/4972492/Diver-grapples-with-12ft-tiger-shark.html

Unknown said...

Sorry Jack - experienced diver and someone that has been around sharks would have not had to kill this one - pretty obvious by what you write that you have never interacted or dove with them. I think you have been watching too much Shark Week...

Wayne & Tanya said...

Sorry to all of you but JACK is right! Sure it is a shame to kill the shark, but it is still a shark. Whne you choose between a human and an animal i choose the human. We eat animals. That shark was a danger to anyone who enters the sea. You all think you are so much better than the guy who killed it. I want to see you in the water with no cage and being circled by a tiger shark of that size. I can garantee you will be wishing you had a spear gun!

Unknown said...

Wayne - stay out of the water - sharks are KILLING MACHINES.

We are in the water with Tiger Sharks and other species without cages...enjoy the photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oceanicdreams/sets/72157604866271562/

We never said we are better than those guys that killed the shark and the lied about it on national television that it was out of self-defense.

Do a little research before speaking your mind.

Elliott John Osborne said...

Yes, I must say that everyone here that disagrees with Felix is quick to say "Yes kill the shark, to save the human." Yet there is no way to be sure that anyones life was really in danger, and after all it IS the risk these guys took to swim with these sharks. How about they carry something to repel the shark or deter it, if they possess this "so-called" respect for the creature. Obviously as you can see in Felix's pictures, swimming in close proximity of these sharks did not prove fatal, perhaps due to their actual experience. Lets also keep in mind these 2 guys are swimming filming what? And what is their profession? They are underwater hunters armed with semi-automatic spears, with plenty of ammo. If you think they were in that water to do anything else besides murder that shark, I am afraid you are mistaken. He most likely shot it in the gills so he could get some nice shots while the sharks life dwindled away. I've seen the footage, and these guys have no business being in the water if their fear of sharks only leads to their death. Just as my uncle switched to a camera after his first time hunting as a teen, I hope you see that there are those armed with cameras and respect and those armed with spears and fear...A photograph, proof of your daring encounter and curiousity and respect for the wild, and the other a trophy of the creature itself, your disrespect for its life, and proof of your fear and lack of respect and consideration for its existence.

Anonymous said...
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Unknown said...

I think all you mouth piece's ranting over & over again about what HAD to be done to save their friend & how dare anybody knock them for doing what they did! Seriously?!? Last time I checked water was home to the shark & water is where it finds its food to fill the belly! If you make a concious decision to shop for your sea food within the sea then be prepared to meet up with neighborhood watch! Respect where you are, respect all life that calls the water home, come up with a plan as to what you should do instead of acting on your fear! Your fear took the life of a great & beautiful animal, an animal you knew you risked running into before you even got into the water! It did not take cahoonah's to torture & kill that shark! If any of u had cahoonah's your friend & the shark would both be alive! You took trophy's of your kill & that makes me think of murderers who take trophy's from the person(s) they kill & I don't see the difference between the 2! Saying it as I see it, like it or not I don't care!