Scuba divers in the Cayman Islands have noticed a disturbing trend in sharks. The sharks are learning that scuba divers will feed them. Some less-reputable scuba diving companies will feed sharks to attract them for their paying customers. In one case, a scuba diver who carried a fishing spear and empty bucket was approached by a shark. When the diver lifted the spear for self-defense, the shark opened its mouth. The diver used the spear to poke the shark inside the mouth and the shark calmly turned away. The diver poked the shark again on the side of the body and the shark left the area. The encounter shows “learned behavior” and indicates sharks have linked divers to free food and spears to utensils.
* And legs to after-dinner mints.
* And they won’t even do tricks for treats, like “sit” and “roll over.”
* Some scuba diving companies feed sharks to attract them for their paying customers? Wouldn’t they want their customers to live longer and go on more scuba dives?
* You simply say, “Sorry, Mr. Shark, this fish on the end of my spear is for me.” It’s the Code of the Sea, and they understand that.
* If only there was, I don’t know, maybe a movie, that pointed out that sharks go where the food is.