Don't Pet the Sharks!

Article and photographs ©2001-2002, Barry Lipman, all rights reserved. www.barrylipman.com

Shark cage diving! It sounded like a fun and exciting adventure, and Stacey Ann Jones was raring to go. At her summer job at the local dive store she was constantly hearing customers talk about their adventures in various exotic dive locations around the world. Although she was a Divemaster candidate and had a fair amount of diving experience, so far all her diving had been in lakes and quarries. She eagerly anticipated her first dive in the ocean. She really hoped to see real live sharks!

A couple of days before the dive Stacey's mom called me, concerned for the safety of her daughter. I told her about the anti-shark cage and what the captain always said about how no one had ever been bitten while inside it. I told her we could always pull the cage up next to the boat so entry and exit could be made without the need to swim through the sharks. Well, in theory we could, but we never do. I just wanted to ease her concerns. If she only knew what was to transpire…

I've been on a lot of these dives, with a lot of different divers, and I will tell you I see very few divers venture far from the relative safety of the aluminum bars. A tiny number of more experienced and jaded underwater photographers actually swim freely with the sharks, their sense of fear dulled from long years of deliberate denial. I know, because I'm one of them and that is what I do. To better capture the action on film, I swim with the sharks, free from the limitations of the four-by-five cage. (Please kids, don't try this at home; I'm a professional!)

Now don't get me wrong; I'm not a thrill seeker or a risk taker. I get no charge of adrenaline when a shark passes close by or rubs his body against me like a king-sized cat. It's not like that at all. My fear nerve has simply atrophied from years of neglect. Further, as a photographer viewing the scene through the viewfinder of my camera, the sharks all appear to be out there in the picture, with me safely out of the picture and, therefore, out of harm's way. For better or worse, this self-delusional perspective has helped many photographers get the shot. I am convinced if a shark ever did actually bite me, I would try to take a photo of it in the act!

Anyway, the seas were pretty rough the day of Stacey's first ocean dive. This was normal for the North Atlantic in late August. Waves of three to four feet relentlessly pounded the thirty-five foot boat, tossing it and all its contents about. At one time or another almost everyone leaned over the rail to help chum for sharks. Who knows, it may have helped, for the sharks came soon - several big, beautiful, Blue Sharks ranging from seven to ten or more feet in length. Stacey and I hastily donned our gear while rolling about on the wildly pitching deck, leapt off the dive platform, and finned out into the shark infested blue towards the cage.

As expected of any first-time shark diver, Stacey made a bee-line for the safety of the cage, entered it, and closed the door behind her. I swam about trying to get a photo of her in the cage with a shark passing by. Much to my surprise, after less than a minute had passed, Stacey opened the cage door and swam out. What happened next was most unusual, to say the least!

Have you ever seen a toddler persistently chase a dog about, reaching out to pet it and occasionally succeeding, while the dog keeps walking away, generally staying just out of reach? This is what Stacey looked like as she chased after and attempted to pet every shark that ventured even remotely near. I could not believe my eyes! For the next forty minutes I watched in amazement as this diminutive young woman, who had never before dived in the ocean, let alone with big sharks, swam after every shark she could, petting all those she caught up with, just like a small child with a dog. And the sharks did not seem to mind a bit!

I asked Stacey about it afterwards, and she said she was just naturally attracted to touch those big, beautiful beasts as they swam about tantalized by the smell of chum. At no time did she feel any fear. She only swam to the cage at first because that is what she thought she was supposed to do. She left the cage when she decided she wanted to pet the sharks. As we spoke, I remembered what I'd told her mom. I hoped I would not have to explain the existence of all those photos of Stacey petting Blue Sharks, but if I had not taken them, would you ever have believed this story?

Note: Sharks are unpredictable wild animals with lots of teeth. Petting them, touching them, or even diving with them, can be extremely dangerous! I do not recommend this to anyone. When on a shark cage dive, it is best to stay in the cage. The behavior described in the accompanying article could have resulted in disaster!