SOUTH AFRICA (12 June 2002) -- A member of a British film crew attempting to film predators attacking "bait balls" during South Africa's famed "sardine run" got the chance to experience predation first hand last weekend - from the prey's standpoint. Tony White, was bitten above the elbow by a bronze whaler (aka copper shark) and had a large flap of skin and tissue ripped from the bone. White and three colleagues were snorkeling with the sardines when sharks - known to stalk and hunt the migrating sardines - suddenly appeared. The other members of the team were able to quickly climb into their boat, and only White was attacked. His friends managed to get him to shore and bandaged his wounds. Luckily, a Natal Sharks Board plane with a police paramedic on board just happened to be in the area, and was able to quickly evacuate and professionally tend to the victim. He was still hospitalized as of Monday night. The attack should not have come as any particular surprise - it was inevitable, considering the rapid proliferation of sardine run adventure tourism along this remote stretch of coast. Until fairly recently, the expeditions were available only to photographers, journalists, scientists, and others professionals attempting to study or document the phenomenon. But not any more. Land sharks saw big bucks in promoting the expensive junkets to everyone. As one operator touts, " Again this year we are opening to the general public, what in the past only film crews from "Discovery" etc and a few fortunate individuals have experienced." And just what is that experience? Just check out the teasers from the web pages of tour promoters: "This moving fish restaurant and ensuing feeding frenzy is a sight to behold and certainly one of the wildest spectacles to occur anywhere on the planet." "Shark lovers will be in their element with the variety of sharks present, Bronze Whalers by the hundreds, Zambezies, Hammerheads, Great Whites etc the numbers and variety truly staggering." | | Tired of sissy dives? Join South Africa's sardine run and feed yourself to the sharks! "Superpods of dolphin, up to a thousand, herd the sardines into tight shoals and then systematically feed on them. Joining into the feeding frenzy are sharks, birds and game fish." And the predators aren't just there - they are gorging. Locals have reported sharks so bloated with sardines that they beach themselves, apparently without even being aware of their plight. According to one photographer, "An amazing thing about the sardine run is that it's total chaos, every predator in the book is out to get a meal". Right - sounds like just the place to drop the wife and kids this summer - especially considering that one of the prime directives for avoiding shark attacks is to leave the water when feeding sharks are present. But the sardine run operators - like their shark-feeding tour counterparts - want no part of such simple, no-brainer messages. So now, myriad tourist-laden vessels cruise the coast every June, dumping zodiac-loads of thrill seekers into the midst of feeding frenzies - the ultimate in irresponsible adventure tourism. The situation brings to mind the now-famous quip of an Australian official last year, who, in response to operators who took tourists out to stand on a dead whale to watch great whites feed, angrily pledged to change the law, to "protect people too stupid to protect themselves". © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
