Shark!
Scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) at Barracuda Point, near Madang, Papua New Guinea, in August, 1997. This shark was part of a coordinated group of about six that was moving very actively in the shallows just inshore of the site's drop-off. I took this photo 'on the run,' as I barged through the group on my way to a rather pressing matter, which is why I'm not too sure about how many were in the group, and can only estimate their lengths as being around the 7-10' range. For the record, I don't customarily attack hammerhead schools.
More of my shark photos from Papua New Guinea are here (including photos of silvertips).
As some of the links below will tell you, sharks have been around for a very long time — as other of the links below will tell you, it's somewhat questionable whether they'll stick around much longer. Actually, that is (hopefully) overstating the case, but risk of local extinction among slow-growing, late-to-mature sharks is very real, especially with the typical focus of many fishing concerns on nothing but maximizing short-term profit. We should know better by now — and we do — and that makes these people's lack of concern and responsibility all that more unconscionable.
Sharks, in all their wondrous diversity, are cool by whatever yardstick you measure them. They are also an integral part of the marine systems they inhabit and — in some cases — rule over. Among the things they are NOT is a sideshow attraction, that is exactly what certain types of shark-diving spectacles have turned them into. These are not pets, they are not tame or audioanimatronic, and they can bite. My personal opinion is that a planned shark dive in which sharks are attracted by feeding is not an educational outing, as many have claimed them to be so as to justify the charges they levy and the specialty patches they award, because it's more a circus act. I think we've had plenty of footage of the white sharks tearing into baits off the back of a boat — a spectacle, for sure, and one for which the originators of the whole gig should be commended (especially because they numbered some of the key proponents in changing even that shark's image for the better, post-Jaws, and pushing for its conservation), but not really something that can any longer claim to be especially educational. Similarly, the kind of shark-feeding extravaganzas that go on in various places are less educational (and then only to the few who can afford to travel there and pay for the dive) than 'gee whiz,' though there is value in appreciating the inherent gee-whizness of our denticled friends...what I am trying to say is that justifying these kinds of shark encounters as an educational tool hints at 'preaching to the choir' because most who participate are probably among the enlightened who already appreciate the sharks' place in the sea, their capabilities, and their innate value and beauty — much of this thanks to relatively recent television and print efforts that have focused less on the sensational than the true.
Chumming for and even feeding sharks is an issue that's painted in shades of gray, and there are certainly cases (especially scientific) for which it is a necessity, but the kind of regular shark-feeding activity that goes on in the Bahamas (in particular) and elsewhere is not good on more than one level. Perhaps there is no harm done from an occasional bit of shark-baiting, but upping the schedule to anything even close to a daily routine is inherently not a good idea for anyone.
Granted, sharks are not going to be something that every diver or snorkeler sees, but catching even a glimpse of a 'wild' shark, without chain-mailed divemasters and floating fish guts pumping up the energy level, is worth much more than seeing the shark as a 'performer' in some underwater dinner show. Besides, who knows what the repercussions could be from modifying the predatory behavior and satiety of these apex predators?
...beautiful shark webpage (in German) by Christopher Schmitt
...includes harrowing footage of scum 'finning' sharks
Should There Be a Shark in Your Medicine Cabinet?
...from Mote Marine Lab
The International Shark Attack File
Unlocking the Mystery of Sharks
...with Sonny Gruber
...interesting stuff from Alex Buttigieg, a Maltese dive instructor instrumental in lobbying for legislation that now protects white sharks in Malta's waters
...including input from Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch (buy his books — they're excellent!)
Shark pictures by Carl Roessler
South African White Shark Research Institute
...an article about diving with sharks from Dive International
Ben S. Roesch's Ultimate Shark Page
Marco Flagg's report of a white shark attack
...also recounted in this article from Diver magazine
The Sinking of the Cruiser Indianapolis
What To Do If You Are Attacked By A Sea Creature
...for children
Sharks — Information and Conservation
Underwater terror — our fear of sharks
...from the owner of the SHARK-L list — also includes Richard Ellis Gallery of Sharks
Introduction to the Chondricthyes
...more commonly known as the bull shark
...at the Waikiki Aquarium
...for children
A review and synopsis of Jaws, the movie