A dying industry

Post directed to the US Shark Diving operators by Patric Douglas:

"Alright folks it's time for "The Chat".

I know that all of the US based commercial shark diving operators read this blog. We know it, you know it - so this post is directed to you and you only.

You're killing the industry and your dive sites with media based Hara-Kiri. We have talked about this for the past year, operational video and images coming from 90% of our industry featuring stark "stupidity with sharks".

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The Shark Diving Industry needs good people

I am fortunate enough to not be part of the shark diving industry and the more I see what goes on in this little space the happier I am to be an outsider with no strings attached. This is not different from any other industry - people in it are looking for fame, ego massages, media exposure and money - I have nothing against this and there are sustainable businesses in this market as well that should serve as models to the rest.

My problem is that most of the time this is not the case and comes at the expense of the sharks from people that claim to be shark divers, shark advocates, shark experts, shark lovers, shark photographers / videographers, etc. etc. etc. Yet the agendas of these people are very different. Anyone that claims to be a shark anything (minus hunter) will put the shark and its well being ahead of anything else - after all YOUR BUSINESS DEPENDS ON THIS!

There are a few good people out there - you know who you are - we need more of you and less of the others. The bad also know who they are...

Take a look at the video below - how is the shark represented? How dangerous is it really to dive in Tiger Beach? The only danger are stupid people in the water with this magnificent animals...and it is not just about the operators and videographers, it is about everyone in this industry - even the tourists.