Living Sea's shark question

[gregburg]

No worries.

1. There are divers in the tank all the time. These sharks are used to seeing them and really don't want to have any interactions with the divers.

2. They are well fed. They would not be looking at you as a source of food.

3. Have you every heard of a shark in an aquarium injuring a diver? We really aren't that tasty to them especially the ones that are at the Living Seas.

4. You are not in the tank anytime near when they feed the sharks. They will not be in feeding mode. They'll be in that after supper, I want to take a nap mood. Now speaking from experience I don't like it if my kids try to jump on me when I'm in my "after supper relax mode", so if you don't go and try to ride a shark, you'll be fine . Oh, and if you do try to touch any life in the tank you'll get hauled out, though not as gently as they do with the sea life.

Hands down this is one of the coolest dives that you can do!

You get to be a cast member for an hour or so. You'll spend lots of time interacting with the other guests on the dry side. In particular I like going over the restaurant and making faces at peoples. They pretty much stop eating, drinking, ordering, etc... Lot's of fun. The sea life in the tank is pretty cool. You get to swim with a 400 lb turtle, phantom rays, sea rays, *sharks*, 500 lb grouper, lot's of little fish, etc... You can go into the basosphere (sp?) and take your mask and regulator off and look around from 20 feet down. How cool is that. Plus you get a great behind the scenes tour of the Livning Seas. Depending on who your guide is you may get some time to see the back stage dolphin area.

Last, if the above didn't convince you, I've done this tour now 5 times. Most recent was just a month ago, and I am signed up to do it at least once this August, and will try to sneak a second one in on the same trip.

One tip: If at all possible do the second (5:30pm) dive. This one is always less crowded than the first. This can make a big difference in the dive. Once it was just two of us for the dive (they take up to 12 at a time). Another time it was three of us.

-Greg

 

[saltmom1]

People are not on a shark's diet. When there is an attack it is very rarely fatal although the few that are get huge piblicity.Most of the time it is a case of mistaken identity or the person has a chum bag attached or is splashing. All of these behaviors attract sharks. Most of the time there is an attack it is near or at dusk when the sharks feed. There are only a few species of sharks that are dangerous to man, the bull shark being one of them. Disney would not have a dangerous shark in an exhibit where people enter the water, As someone else pointed out, they are also very well fed. You have to remember that anyone who IS attacked by a shark is in the shark's environment.

 

[AimeeEvans]

Don't worry- I will not try to ride a shark!!! But thanks for the tip. We are doing the 5:30 dive, so good to know that was a good choice!!! Aimee

 

[saltmom1]

Have fun, Aimee ! Say hi to Jaws for me ! LOL !

 

[Hakunamatata]

I live in Northern NJ and bears are caught are released all the time. And we do have bear attacks up here (if a bear attacks someone it will be shot though). Within 15 minutes of my house we have had a bear attack a child on a front porch, one kill a LLama (spelling?) that someone had as a pet and one drag a pony into the woods. Yet despite all that, they do catch and release bears in our state. I would think doing the same with a shark would be the same but what do I know...

Well, considering mosts states have immunity from lawsuits unless they agree to be sued......yes, they let the bears go.

 

[ScrapIron]

I sent an email to the columninst that wrote the story, and he plans to discuss the release of the bull shark by Disney in an upcoming "letters" column. He didn't go into details in his reply that I imagine he'll cover, but did say that Disney was advised against releasing a shark that was accustomed to being hand fed by people. This makes sense. When I did a shark dive in the Bahamas, we were told not to reach out to pet the sharks because to the shark it's the exact same motion being made by the divemaster that's handing it a fish.

I'll be in the tank July 13, second group; wave if you're there.

Cheers.

 

[gregburg]

For the record, sharks are not "hand" fed. They are fed by the CM's, but they do it with a long stick and from above the water (they are not in the water with the stick). Never do you want a shark (in capivity or in the wild) to be hand fed by a person.

-Greg

 

[lamarvenoy]

A bang stick is a long rod with a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun shell in the end of it. When you push the tip of the stick into something firm the shotgun shell crushes the primer and the shell detonates. This is a very effective and humane way to kill a large fish or shark since you are basically shooting it at ploint blank range with a shotgun and no barrel- the damage is severe.I don't know if the story is true but if they weren't gonna transfer it that's probably the safest way to kill it. I believe they have baracuda in those tanks, I can tell you first hand they are way more dangerous than most sharks and I got the stitches to prove it,I forgot to remove my wedding ring when diving a while back and the cudas' love shiny stuff,my fault.

 

[1disneydood]

3. Have you every heard of a shark in an aquarium injuring a diver? We really aren't that tasty to them especially the ones that are at the Living Seas.

Yes.
Witnessed it in fact. Back in the early 90's we had a restaraunt/ dance club with a HUGE 10000 gallon or more tank in it. They had sharks and rays. Well on the weeekend nights there was "diving for dollars" where people would go in and dive for money and bar tabs. Let's just say they had to stop that suddenly one night. And they had scatily clad "mermaids' too all the time. I wish they would have gotten rid of the sharks and kept the mermaids but I guess I can't have everything.

 

[gregburg]

That was a rather bold assumption on my part that aquarium divers haven't had an incident. Suffice to say, the sharks that are in the Living Seas are said to be of the more mellow type, so I would not worry.

-Greg

 

[ScrapIron]

Never do you want a shark (in capivity or in the wild) to be hand fed by a person.

-Greg

Commercial dive outfitters often have shark dives where wild sharks are hand fed; the one I experienced was with UNESCO on Grand Bahama. As to the LS specifically, I was just using the words used in the email reply. Of course, feeding with a pole also has the shark associating people with food, which is an association I wouldn't want a bull to be making if I was nearby.

Cheers.

 

[ScrapIron]

I forgot to remove my wedding ring when diving a while back and the cudas' love shiny stuff,my fault.

Good reminder, seeing as how I'm diving Key Largo next week.

Cheers.

 

[wdwishes2005]

i used to want to learn how to scuba dive...... Then i saw a movie entitled jaws , and now i don't even swim in unlighted pools at night.

 

[mrtoad]

i used to want to learn how to scuba dive...... Then i saw a movie entitled jaws , and now i don't even swim in unlighted pools at night.

Jaws ruined me for life. Too young to see it and it really scared me. I am facinated by sharks but terrified of them as well.

 

[Buzzforprez]

They don't kill the pigeons, they just stopped releasing homing birds because the hawks were preying on them but you believe that they assasinated a shark? Highly unlikely.

 

[ScrapIron]

They don't kill the pigeons, they just stopped releasing homing birds because the hawks were preying on them but you believe that they assasinated a shark? Highly unlikely.

So you believe that The Mouse is going to sit quietly while a major metropolitan newspaper prints a blatant lie. Much more unlikely. If this was not true they would have demanded a retraction by now, this isn't some yahoo typing in secret for an internet forum (like you and me). If you want to call the guy a liar, do it directly.
mthomas@orlandosentinel.com

Anyway there was some followup in today's edition.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ul01,0,4324402.column?coll=orl-home-headlines

I guess this guy:
"I made a deal a long time ago with the sharks. I won't go into their domain if they will stay out of mine. There is too much good fresh water to swim in that is free and clear of predators looking for a free meal.
Joe Herring"
doesn't know that bulls can actually tolerate fresh water and have been known to swim up rivers. One of the reasons they're so dangerous.


Cheers.

 

[BriarDavid]

I can easily see this happening. Bull sharks are very aggresive sharks, and are one of the few sharks that will actually eat other sharks, so it's definitely possible that the shark bit another in half.

Now, terminating it is another question. Disney would be left with a problem. If this shark starts killing everything in the tank, then they're in trouble. If they dump it into the ocean, it's been fed so it's likely to attack humans. I'm not sure if they could put it in a tank by itself or not...but if they could this would be the best choice. Otherwise, as sad as it is, I guess you have to kill it.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

It sure would be tough to find a toilet to flush that one once you get it out of the aquarium!

 

[pat in the hat]

Just got back from Hilton Head Island a few weeks back, and saw two sharks in very shallow water . . . not sure what type, and I don't really care . . . they're sharks, and even a small chomp can permanently disable you!

I limit my exposure (and chances) to a few quick walks just barely in the ocean, and save my swimming skills (Gosh!) for the pool! However, there is a big difference between the open ocean and a tank at the Living Seas at Disney (on a guided tour, no less)! If it interested me, I think that I might do it; then again, my pet dog seems well trained, but I never guarantee that she won't bite . . . just never know what might set an animal off. Heck, we can't predict what will set certain humans off either! :lookaroun

 

[awalte7]

Not saying this is a total lie but it just doesn't seem like something disney would do. I don't think they would put a shark in a tank with humans without first testing it for aggression. I'm sure it would have had to be quarantined first too.I'm also sure they would have done some research about their new fish friend first too. Almost everyone knows bull sharks are nasty!
I also don't think they would have "terminated" the shark. Why not donate it to an aquarium. HAHa bull sharks can live in fresh water, so just toss him into the seven seas lagoon. Or make an exhibit(no swimmers allowed) at tyhpoon lagoon. Put him by the shark diving place and scare the kiddies.
From what I've read, Sharks won't attack a human or even another shark unless they are confused, threatened, or sick. So, maybe this guy was sick and Disney had no choice but to "put him down".