A viral photo of a Great White Shark lunging for bait during a cage diving experience undertaken by a young American teacher has raised some eyebrows. The concern is that baiting a shark, so closely to the cage, could be harmful.
Shark diving is a growing industry in South Africa, tourists pay between $100 to $150 to jump in the cage and get close to the sharks – mostly Great Whites. Experts (mostly biologists and the occasional speculative journalist) are torn over whether more frequent cage diving with sharks (with bait) will habituate the animals.
At least, through this picture, the questions around cage diving can be explored and, given the industry seems intent on staying, we can start discussions on standards for cage diving operators.
hype.science 