How Do I Make a Career as a Shark Feeder?

I haven't figured out if it is a good thing that I dont fear sharks, or if it is a bad thing. Too many people assume that all sharks are aggressive and everyone should fear them. Who decided that? Hollywood when they made the movie Jaws?

I grew up in a family where we were out in the nature when the weather permitted, and with a wild animal loving dad (who by the way caught a snake for me to have as a pet when I asked him to) I was taught to respect everything in the nature. So I do. I dont compete with the sharks on their food by spearfishing. I dont throw fish waste in the water while standing in it. I dont provoke any animal unless I unintentially happen to do so. But I admit I pet a couple of sharks on our anniversary trip to Port Lucaya in Grand Bahama!

When we were making dive reservations I found out that Unexso (Underwater Explorers Society) are doing shark dives, and of course I wanted to add that dive!

I started to get excited about this event some days before we left US. We had done the first two dives in the morning (read my last blog post) and now we were having lunch at Unexsos restaurant "Dive-In", talking to Englishmen about the shark dive. One of them had done that dive during their two weeks vacation from Birmingham and he said that dive is spectacular. "You will get great pictures of the sharks!" 

On the dive briefing on the boat the Dive Master told us to sit still the whole time on our knees, very close to each other so the sharks wouldnt get in between us. The shark feeder, and the photographer was the only ones that had shark suits on, the four of us divers who had paid for this had none which my husband thought was unfair. We saw sharks when we were ascending from the boat, and of course, they saw us. Since we were not allowed to even move our heads to see what was going on behind our backs, I am not sure if they did something special to attract about 15 Caribbean Reef Sharks, or if the sharks knew right away it was food time. The photographer had already sat down in front of us, when a bunch of divers ascended from another dive charter. This shark feeding has been led by Unexso for 15 years, and just recently, said Jarvis (the shark feeder) that the other dive charter had started to participate this event, without asking Unexso. The staff from Unexso said it was okay, that their divers were behaving correct, but what about the liability??

When we all sat there on the bottom of the sea the shark feeder started to hand out fish to the sharks. This was so beautiful! I have always admired sharks swim skills, probably because I have always been a swimmer myself. It seems to be so easy for them. There were not only 15 sharks, a heavy Black Grouper joined the feast, and several big Jacks. The staff said there is a huge Green Moray Eel there too, living under the partial shipwreck behind our backs. Unfortunately we never saw it. 

Then he hypnotised one of the sharks. He did it by fondling the shark just under its nose. I wonder who and how someone found out one can hypnotize a shark by touching it under its nose? Who decided one day that "hey, I wonder if I can hypnotize sharks? I bet I can!"

When the sharks, he did this twice, were relaxing, the shark feeder brought the shark over to us so we could pet its back. I had pictured sharks having the same rubbery kind of scale or skin as dolphins, but they dont. Their skins are more textured, more like a rug instead. Almost like if they have small bristle.

I took 50 pictures during these 25 minutes of shark feeding. Plus one video film. I have enlarged some of my shark pictures, they are printed as posters and for sale in our dive shop. We also bought the video that photographer shot of this dive, us and the sharks, and it is now being seen on the TV monitor we have in the store. I still feel excited when I see that video, and I now have a memory for life! But I wonder, how do I make a career feeding sharks?

Anette Monroe

Owner of Gulfport Dive Center on Gulfport Blvd S.

www. divegulfport.com

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