GIZO, Solomon Islands (19 Sep 2007) -- An Australian man was airlifted to hospital and underwent emergency surgery for leg wounds after a shark attacked him. Corey Howell, who has been living in the Solomon Islands for seven years, was spearfishing when a shark bit him three times severely injuring his left thigh. Authorities said that fish Howell caught probably attracted the shark. Howell was airlifted to National Referral Hospital in Honiara where he underwent surgery to clean and patch up a "rugged wound". While most scuba divers welcome opportunities to observe sharks, and do so without incident, divers have been attacked when spearfishing or diving in areas where commercial scuba diving centers sell shark feeding tours. Due to overwhelming scientific evidence that shark feeding is bad for both people and sharks, it has been banned in Florida, Hawaii, the Cayman Islands, the Red Sea, the Maldives and most international dive travel destinations. Despite high-profile shark attacks and public safety campaigns to ban feeding and other harassment of marine wildlife, shark feeding is still legal in South Africa and the Bahamas, where local officials on retainer to shark feeders continue to ignore public opinion. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK | 
