Cristina Zenato Instagram – “Redirect The Shark!”
I want to review this concept as it is diluted within the flurry of social media posts.
I am a great advocate for sharks and our understanding of their world and behavior. To do this, we need to consider sharks by species, location, and behaviors, understand if they are used to human presence, and then adapt to them. No one formula works for all, it’s what I call “One Size Does Not Fit All.”
If we see a shark approaching, for the most part, we will be okay. The sharks that might pose a risk to a swimmer or diver are traditionally ambush hunters, and they are called like that because they ambush.
While we are so used to seeing sharks languidly swimming around divers, we need to remember that a shark in a more active mode can move at the speed of lightning. It is so fast, so sudden, that our “redirect” won’t mean anything.
When I introduce my students to the dive with our particular group of Caribbean Reef, I instruct them to let the sharks come in and to keep relaxed and still so they will come closer. We can do that because we know them, and they know us.
This behavior might not be ideal in other cases and species. We might want to be more alert and present, less “quiet” to indicate to the animal that we are aware of them and simply asking to share their space.
The worry I have about the “redirecting” is that it does not explain and disclose that these sharks are used to human presence; they are not in an active mode and are simply coming closer to a human because humans have conditioned them to do so. There is nothing wrong with conditioning in itself when it is in a known, specific area, i.e., Tiger Beach, but a shark not used to that interaction won’t approach that way. Redirecting is not a solution; sharks generally avoid divers and humans.
I am worried that this trend may cause a false sense of security when, in fact, the best security is learning about sharks as a species, but also as location, as behavior, and how to best enter their world and sometimes, only sometimes, how to decide to stay out of it.
Learn more https://cristinazenato.com/courses/
📸 @kewinlorenzen with @isotta_underwater_housings @neptunic_com | Posted on 29/Nov/2023 19:07:30
