Diver killed by shark

[LKunze]

By Andrew Ba Tran | Sun-Sentinel.com
1:41 PM EST, February 25, 2008

A man bitten by a shark while diving over the weekend has died, the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami announced on Monday.

The 50-year-old man "passed away from his injuries sustained by a shark bite," said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Jennifer Johnson.

Authorities have not identified the man or where he was bitten pending family notification.

The victim was diving about 50 miles east of Fort Lauderdale on Sunday at about 10 a.m. when a shark bit him, according to officials.

The service dispatched a rescue helicopter, and its crew hoisted the man off the boat and flew him to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

A crewmember aboard the 70-foot Shear Water had contacted the Coast Guard. The blue commercial diving vessel is registered to Jim Abernathy's Scuba Adventures from Riviera Beach.

The company offers shark trips to the Bahamas for enthusiasts and photographers hoping to interact with hammerhead and tiger sharks, according to its Web site.

Operators for the company stir in fish and fish parts to "chum" the water and attract the sharks, reads the itinerary. "Please be aware that these are not 'cage' dives; they are open water experiences," states the Web site.

Abernathy had been told by the Bahamas Diving Association to exercise caution with more aggressive sharks such as mako, lemon, tiger and hammerhead sharks.

The association, a group of 36 charter businesses that operate in the Bahamas, sent a letter to Abernathy and other boat owners in the past year recommending a cease and desists to conducting "open-water non-cage Shark Diving experiences with known species of potentially dangerous Sharks," said Neal Watson, the association president.

Abernathy did not return phone calls.

"Most operators do a safe dive behind cages. But Abernathy, for whatever reason, simply refused to comply with the safe diving practices in violation of our standards in the Bahamas," said Watson, who operates a diving company out of Fort Lauderdale.

It is tempting to offer a cageless option to customers: both the photographs and personal experience would be enhanced. But the risks are too great, Watson said.

"Him working with tiger sharks and bull sharks uncaged is totally irresponsible and dangerous," he said. "It wasn't a matter of 'if,' it was a matter of 'when.'"

[jasondbaker]

Wow, I was on the Shear Water and dove with Jim Abernathy several years ago.  That guy knows definitely knows how to find big sharks.  He and his crew followed a pretty strict safety protocol when diving with Tiger sharks and they have many years of experience working around the big animals.  That being said it just shows you that these animals are unpredictable and can kill you in an instant.  I feel bad for the diver's family and for Jim.

[scubadog76]

Here is a video related to the current shark activity.  Maybe not the best time to be diving there.

[eric myers]

I really don't know when people are going to learn.  Wild animals will always be wild animals, plain and simple.  No matter how well trained the handler or domesticated/tame the animal is assumed to be, there is just no telling what an animal will do at any given time.

Does anyone remember in 2003 when Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy was attacked by his own white tiger after he had been performing stunts on the Las Vegas strip for nearly 30 years? 

You figure you get away with it once or you get away with a million times...it doesn't matter because it only takes once to kill you. 

This also reminds me of those people who say about their own dogs "oh he doesn't bite...he's friendly."  Um yeah, next thing you know he takes off a 6 yr. olds left cheek and Fox 9 runs another "when animals attack" exclusive.  One group of citizen's calls for the animal to be euthanized while another cries foul for the animal's rights.  Meanwhile, the owner is inevitably shown on TV saying, "he's never done that before.  I don't know what got in to him, he is usually so friendly."  Well I will tell you what got into him...

DNA, Survival Instinct, Self-Defense, Owner Defense, Lack of an Escape Route, Fight/Flight, Hunger or he just plain felt like it.
Sooner or later you end up looking like a T-Bone. 

Diving with dangerous sharks without a cage is just begging for trouble and just plain stupid.

[DiveCaptDean]

My concerns with that logic is two fold:

One..it looks like i will have to put my cat down...granted..he weighs 9 lbs and has never bitten anyone..but he couldnt possibly be safe..

Two..we had all better stop diving in the oceans as sharks are everywhere and one never knows when one will attack...


Upon more thought...I think I will go ahead and take some of these risks in life..as I believe that when it is your time...its just your time..and if you go through your life worrying about everything then you life will be nothing...

[Mrs_arcFlash]

Chumming for and then diving with dangerous sharks without a cage is begging for trouble (in my opinion)!

People dive in the oceans all of the time without getting attacked by sharks - but then again sometimes they are attacked 'for no reason'. It is just WAY more risky to bait them to you on purpose!

Oh, and you won't see me diving with any sharks (in a cage or not) any time soon. Or ever.  ;D

[scubadog76]

A more "in depth :" video of the shark attack and dive operatio.

[eric myers]

Wild animals equal wild animals.  They don't call them wild for nothing.  Cageless dives with known species of dangerous sharks while baiting them into your location...I still think you are asking for it.

Don't be suprised when your leg gets chewed off and you bleed out completely before the Coasties can safely return you to 'safe harbor."

Really, I am not saying "don't dive" put let's use some common sense out there people. 

I will also say that we all know that their are those who are in the SCUBA sport just for the sheer "thrill seeking" experience of it all. Divers who want big sharks only.  Divers that want to dive to 212ft + on air.  While I don't disapprove of their pursuit of this sport in that way...I am also not out trying to be their buddy!

[scubadog76]

I am a big fan of personal responsibility too.  When traveling to an area your not familiar to you, usually you hire someone who is to make sure you have a good experience.  Sometimes, it's tough to find out the nasty details about a dive outfit and sometimes it stares you right in the face and is ignored anyway.  A few years ago, I dove at the Mall of America and found it absurd that 3 dive masters surrounded our group with black and white poles and chased off 7 foot long sharks if they got within 30 feet of us.  These sharks were almost tame.  Looking back in comparison to this current incident, they took almost every precaution to keep people safe.  I felt it was overkill, but I was safe.  I think there are alot of scumbag lawyers out there that make things more difficult and expensive for everyone with junk lawsuits, but I also feel that it has made operations really think about your safety in most cases.  Lawyers did not make a difference in this case, but they will-

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer!

[jasondbaker]

I know the people involved and I can say with certainty that they are not purely thrill-seekers.  They have great respect for the animals and they recognize that there is some risk every time they get in the water.  They follow strict safety protocols and that's why people around the world use JASA. They cater to the needs of shark photographers and researchers.  I would not hesitate to do these shark dives with JASA. Let's put it in perspective -- one death in 25 years.  That's a very good record for any dive charter regardless of the type of diving they engage in.