Hi Graham. I only saw this now. Welcome to an exclusive clan. Awesome isn`t it? Thank you for this input. Enlightened people are always appreciated. Perhaps you could connect with me on Facebook or write georgebigblue@gmail.com

Ciao G

I am inclined to agree with George Askew #5 01:08 am Jan 26 2011 I too have dived with the GWS from Shark Diving Unlimited in Gans Baai, South Africa. The GWS is not the monster killer that eveyone thinks it is. The GWS is very timid and will only approach the boat to investigate the chum trail. It never gets to bite the bait, as this is taken away before the GWS gets near it. They then turn away from the cage and swim off. Now the seals however have a different view to us humans. They get attacked and eaten as they taste so much better than humans. Our fat content is just not right for whitey, so when we are bitten, it is definately a case of mistaken identity. So they are not killer sharks. The South African Bull shark, Zambezi and Tiger Sharks, love to dine on humans etc, in fact anything that looks like food. So please do not condem the GWS to the status of mindless killer, they are far from it. Swim safe and observe.

George Askew #9 06:55 pm Dec 05 2010

Hi Guys. Some of the above comments are valid and some are not.

Now I don’t know how many of you have actually 'swum' with Whitey in or out of cages, but I have done both – on more than one occasion, so that and this below makes me believe I am qualified to comment.

As a long time observer and student of GWS [Since 1960], being the co-founder of the S African GWS Cage diving industry and the promoter who "put it on the map" I would like to express my views.

Cage diving does not entice /cause GWS to attack humans.

Neither does Chumming.

If anything a Cage diving boat with its chum slick will attract GWS to the boat, not send them off seeking their non food many kilometers away.

We are not their normal food.

Most attacks by GWS are a case of mistaken identity.

However there are recorded rare cases of total consumption, and we don’t know why. My view is that the sharks may have been ill etc and unable to get at their fast swimming agile normal food. We cannot condemn an animal for this. It can happen with and animal species.

In S Africa there are well used large bathing beaches very near Seal colony islands [Mosses Bay and False Bay] and GWS are often seen swimming behind the surf, but they ignore the bathers.

Look at a map of GWS populations: You will see NZ is surrounded and yet for the vast numbers of people who enter the sea in one way or another the incidence of GWS attacks is remarkably low.

Bull sharks are not GWS. That animal is in my humble opinion the “Gangster” shark, and I don’t trust it one bit.. In S Africa more attacks and deaths are attributable to this “Bully Boy” of the sea and more Spearos have hassles with them than any other shark. Much as I respect Erich Ritter`s work I don’t thinks what he was doing was too clever – and if my understanding is correct as it was an accidental bite. It could quite easily have taken his whole leg if it was hungry.

The referred to Shark Diving International cage destruction was not the only such incident with this company. Better “Shark Wrangling” and cage design would have prevented the cage damage. Also I don’t believe the cage was constructed strongly enough. Sharks are not very proficient at going in reverse.

On one of our early days, after hours of chumming with real natural food types [Whale and Dolphin meat – supplied by the Museum] - dangling on floats and a what should have been very enticing chumslick of crushed oily fish, fish oil and blood, but with no sharks coming to investigate, I had my associate Pieter pour 25 litres of blood over me inside the cage in an attempt to attract them to the cage. It didn’t work.!!

In Jan 1992 in “Shark Alley” Dyer Island, whilst making the movie “Blue Wilderness” with my good friends – the famous - Ron and Valerie Taylor plus Piet, we became the first people in the world to dive amongst GWS without a cage – spending an hour on the bottom.

We had been attracting and doing some some feeding whilst conducting tests, using the same attractors as just described for about 5 hours. We counted at least 8 sharks around the boat. Despite all this “Heavy Duty” attracting there was never a frenzy. The sharks came in one at a time – as their “Pecking Order” dictated. The Taylors` and I have had a lot of shark experience and believed the GWS was not as dangerous as was supposed.[I had been proposing this in magazines and newspapers since 1978], so we agreed to dive with no cage.

We entered the water and were not torn apart, and quickly swam to the bottom 20ft below standing back to back for the expected rush. But we were quite amazed at their absence. We did not see one for 20 minutes and then some slowly and cautiously appeared on the edge of visibility 25ft away, but every time we made a move to approach them they sped off. They were scared of us!!!

Since we “Opened the door” to cage-less activity many hours have been spent swimming unprotected with these “Pussy-Cat Monsters”.

So guys. I hope this clears things up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Cageless_shark-diving_expedition#History

http://www.sharkmans-world.org/rv.htm

Please feel free to write to me: georgebigblue@gmail.com

Regards George

Once again an off islander coming in to make some cash. Printing money on the backs of the paua divers who Peter Scott is raging up. Locals beware, Peter is no friend of the island and only cares for film crews and the $$$ they will pay him to stir up with white sharks.

Last year he was paid 20k to stir up sharks. This year three film crews will pay him 100k to stir up the sharks even more.

peter scott you have no idea what you are doing at stewart island no real shark experience, and you ARE putting divers lives at risk!

you have been told by the locals not to stir up the sharks more than once and here you go again. Stop before someone is killed and blood is on your hands.

Shame on Peter Scott for killing sharks with his commercial quota system and then trying to make a buck off the sharks at Stewart Island!

While the rest of the planet is trying to save and conserve shark populations he kills and fins sharks each year with his vessel Lady Anna. And to all who are working with Peter and claim to be conservation minded how about we start by not killing sharks in NZ?

peter scott....why don’t you just leave the sharks as they have always been. Creating a feeding frenzy, so you can put caged tourists in the water for financial gains, will get a local fisherman or diver killed. These sharks are already associating boats with getting food, as i have witnessed more than once Foveaux strait is used by many other people, for leisure and work, Your activities are putting people at risk.