Friendly Fins to discover sharks
- Friendly Fins
- Nov 25, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 7
Friendly Fins to discover sharks
Sharks have always made men shudder, leading them to hunt and kill them. They have always been represented as ferocious beasts, monsters of the sea and terrifying creatures.
How much truth is there in all this? Let's clarify a bit...
Sharks dangerous to humans
Sharks are predators, the top predators of all the oceans. They are at the top of the food chain but not all sharks are dangerous to humans.
So it is good to get informed and accept certain risks before swimming in “risky” places.
There are 13 shark species that are dangerous to humans, which is relatively few considering that there are over 540 shark species known to date. Among these we obviously find the great white shark, the tiger shark, the oceanic whitetip shark, the bull shark and the zambezi shark.
Despite their known dangerousness and shameful media coverage, sharks attacked 80 people in 2020 globally, while mosquitoes kill more than 700,000 people a year.
We don’t think there’s anything else to add.
Where and when we look for sharks
Sharks have colonized all the seas of the world: it will be easier to see them in tropical seas while snorkeling or diving; rather than in temperate seas, because they often remain offshore and also at depth.
What is the experience we are looking for? There will be excursions aimed at seeing large sharks such as white sharks, whale sharks, tiger sharks and more classic diving and snorkeling in the coral reef with the possibility of spotting them. Whatever our purpose, we try to document ourselves first and understand if the experience is right for us. (You can ask us for specific advice!)
How we approach sharks
The watchword with sharks is CALM, in any situation we may find ourselves in.
Let's see:
While snorkeling
Sharks can be spotted while snorkeling in tropical countries, as many of them live in coral reefs even just a few meters deep.
Especially in the Maldives, you will easily encounter blacktip, whitetip, nurse and sometimes grey reef sharks; comfortably floating above them! So…
Don't panic Friendly Fins!
They are sharks that mind their own business and would never think of attacking us unless they were harassed in some way!
Let's not get agitated when we see them, because sudden movements could annoy them.
They are extremely fascinating animals and being able to admire them in their environment is a fortune that should not be wasted.
They are trying to find the fish, not our legs! So let's give them room to "maneuver" without getting too close.
While diving
In many places in the world dives are made to spot different species of sharks. Clearly based on the species there will be a specific behavior to adopt but the general line is:
Never get too close to sharks and do not disturb them in any way, including touching them!
Interpret signs of impatience such as: circling us in increasingly tight circles, pectoral fins slightly lowered, passing by us very quickly… In these cases, move away or exit the water with caution and without ever turning our backs or appearing to be in a panic! Don’t forget that they feel our heartbeat and smell fear!
It is still their home, let's not forget that, let's try to respect them by keeping the right distance! Many of them are shy and if we get too close they will run away. (I don't think the other members of the group are very happy not to be able to admire them!)
Let's listen to the guides! It's essential to avoid unpleasant incidents caused by initiative at the wrong time!
It is everyone's right to see sharks and everyone's duty to respect these simple rules.
Wrong dives:
Not all dives are managed correctly. As always, it is best to pay particular attention to the activities offered by the various centers and their methods. Those who propose too much, often do so for their own interest and without respecting the animals; from here then accidents happen that feed the undeserved bad reputation of these splendid creatures. An example…
The cage diving of the white shark, attracted with the liver blood of other sharks.
Here ignorance surpasses stupidity: killing sharks to attract others… It is no longer tourism but crime, this practice is now illegal but despite this it is still used.
Why illegal?
Because the smell of shark liver blood brings about a notable aggressiveness in the predator, which could become agitated and go against the cage of the cage diver, causing harm to itself and to the tourists…
For what? Simply to further fuel its unjustified reputation as a man-hunter at the expense of unaware tourists and wonderful animals…
Something to think about… All that glitters is not gold…
Don't feed sharks, no to shark feeding:
If we dive to spot sharks and bring food with us to attract them, they will connect humans with food and this can lead to many negative consequences:
First of all, we need to accustom it to our presence, making it vulnerable to poaching.
The day we go to visit them without bringing food, they will certainly not be very happy and then we could get into trouble.
We fuel their aggression and competition, risking finding ourselves in the middle of some argument!
What Friendly Fins Can Do for Sharks
Why is shark fishing wrong?
Sharks have a complex and longer life cycle than most of the fish we typically eat.
Every year, 100 million sharks are fished both voluntarily and involuntarily, through Bycatch (i.e. accidental fishing). The collapse of shark populations is due precisely to indiscriminate fishing that does not take into account the time it takes for a shark to grow and reproduce: fishing specimens that have not yet reproduced causes serious damage not only to the shark but to the entire ecosystem.
They are generally fished for their meat, fins, skin, liver, teeth; the derivatives of which are used in the most disparate fields: from watch straps to beauty masks. The use of these derivatives is very developed in Europe, while Italy is at the top of the list for the consumption of shark meat. Below is a photo taken in a common Italian fish market.
Be careful what you eat
We may not realize that we are eating a shark or using its derivatives. They are often disguised under false names or simply not with the term "shark": porbeagle, blue shark, catshark, sea calf; these are just an example of sharks regularly sold at the fish counter to an uninformed consumer.
When we read unusual terms, let's make sure before buying, now with the internet at hand we can really make a difference, preventing this food fraud.
Sharks are also sold as swordfish slices but with a little trick we can easily understand which animal we are dealing with:
Swordfish has a red muscle in the shape of a “swallow wing” (the one that appears brown when the steak is well cooked on the plate!). Any other shape that this muscle has is not swordfish but shark. Pay attention and you will not be cheated! In addition to not eating a shark, you will not pay a fish with no commercial value for another one that is rich in value!
The famous shark fin soup:
Why is this typical Asian dish always talked about?
This crazy and indiscriminate fishing is also accompanied by an atrocious death, precisely because only the fins are removed and then thrown back into the sea alive, but no longer being able to swim and therefore breathe, they will die suffocated.
Talking about sharks
Unfortunately, a very bad opinion has been given by the famous films of Steven Spielberg that we all know: however, he himself has realized his serious mistake and is now very active for their preservation. If the director himself has changed his mind, why can't we do the same?
After all, it was way back in 1975 when the first film “SHARK” came out… I’d say a lot of things have changed in the meantime!
Only by overcoming the fear fueled by the media can one know the true essence of sharks and present it to others, in a very pleasant word of mouth.
Many times we are asked “do you dive with sharks?” and our answer is always “Yes!" They are extraordinary animals and even though we go to visit them often, we still have all our fingers and toes attached!”
Come with us! Seeing is believing!
And so when you come into contact with these splendid creatures you understand how unjustly they have been insulted by History! The more we learn to know them and make them known, the more we will give them the opportunity to redeem themselves, to be respected and protected!
The FRIENDLY FINS mission is yours!!!
Get to know them better by clicking here!
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