Would You Go Swimming or Diving at Sharm-el-Sheikh at the moment?

1. 84

   CMHypnoposted 13 years ago

   Egyptian officials say its safe, but five tourists have been attacked in the last week?
   
   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … d-off.html

   replyreport
   1. 88

      IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Glad you posted that because my shark Mediterranean hub has been getting hammered this past day or two yet I could see nothing in the news about them. Should have look for sharks in the Red Sea!

      replyreport
      1. 84

         CMHypnoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Yes four people have been badly injured and a German lady was killed - they believe that it was an oceanic whitetip shark.

         replyreport
         1. 88

            IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Yes I've been off reading up about them ( I feel another hub coming on). Its a shame because sharks don't normally eat humans, nor go that close to shore. The white tips have hardly ever attacked anyone either, even though the Red Sea is full of them.
            Usually when a shark attacks a human, it's by mistake. Unfortunately that first charge often kills before the shark realises its mistake.
            I see the Egyptians are hunting them out of the water in their attempt to catch the killer shark, but they will only further disrupt an already precarious ecosystem.
            
            Seems the problem could have been caused by shark divers who regularly throw chum into the water to attract sharks. This teaches sharks to associate humans with food.
            
            Shocking events but an accident waiting to happen.

            replyreport
            1. 84

               CMHypnoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Also they think that cattle and sheep that have been transported from Australia for a Muslim festival have been thrown over the side of transport ships if they died and that this has also encouraged sharks into the area. Or that the sharks have been driven inshore by overfishing in the area which has caused a food shortage for them.
               
               We humans really cannot blame predators for doing what they do, but we really need to look at what we dump in the the seas and oceans and learn to look after this planet as bit better

               replyreport
2. 60

   richtwfposted 13 years ago

   I wouldn't.

   replyreport
3. 88

   IzzyMposted 13 years ago

   Hmmm....and Egyptian officials told the daily Mail they hadn't had a shark attack in the area for 10 to 15 years, yet according to this site http://www.cdnn.info/news/safety/s090602.html there was a fatal attack just last year in 2009.

   replyreport
4. 70

   thisisoliposted 13 years ago

   I would still go diving, there are risks associated with any sport.

   replyreport
5. 67

   Flightkeeperposted 13 years ago

   Since these are all recent attacks, something must have changed.  Are there too many sharks and not enough food that they have started to attack humans?  And how do the Egyptians know it is one particular shark that is the killer?

   replyreport
   1. 88

      IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      They don't know. They were supposedly flying some expert in from Florida the other day to help identify the shark(s) involved, but there's been radio silence since.
      AND they've re-opened the beaches, which seems a bit premature to my mind!
      Here's hoping it was a solitary and very hungry shark that has since been fed and slipped off to the deep waters, and will not reappear.

      replyreport
6. 60

   princess gposted 13 years ago

   Ovbiously not. I can't swim.

   replyreport