Shark tourism banned in Western Australia
Jul 9, 2012 | 2:56 pm
#1
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Shark tourism banned in Western Australia
Telegraph: Shark tourism banned in Western Australia
With four deaths, I cannot blame them for making an effort to prevent future problems. Ultimately, there has to be a balance between safety and revenue...but if sharks are not normally in the west, I do not blame them in this instance.
I do wonder how much revenue this business brings in...
With four deaths, I cannot blame them for making an effort to prevent future problems. Ultimately, there has to be a balance between safety and revenue...but if sharks are not normally in the west, I do not blame them in this instance.
I do wonder how much revenue this business brings in...
The activity is popular in Southern Australia and South Africa but operators will be prevented from setting up businesses on Australias west coast for fear of attracting more sharks.
Norman Moore, the fisheries minister for Western Australia, quoted research that suggests cage diving can change the behaviour of sharks.
I have decided that Western Australia will not be the place for shark cage tourism, he said, while recognising that the activity can bring in tourism revenue.
He claimed Western Australia, in contrast to Southern Australia and South Africa, had no known areas where sharks congregated.
Norman Moore, the fisheries minister for Western Australia, quoted research that suggests cage diving can change the behaviour of sharks.
I have decided that Western Australia will not be the place for shark cage tourism, he said, while recognising that the activity can bring in tourism revenue.
He claimed Western Australia, in contrast to Southern Australia and South Africa, had no known areas where sharks congregated.
Jul 24, 2012 | 4:57 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Eh. I live in Perth and I dive.
The reality is that you can go "shark diving" on any given weekend off the coast if you have your own boat and gear. It's not organised, but the locals know where the sharks congregate.
I also think this is a bizzare statement, since a lot of the existing tourism income at Ningaloo is based on whale sharks. Which are technically sharks. One would presume this policy isn't going to rule out the whale shark tourism based out of Exmouth? Because they never explicitly stated they were just trying to stop "great white shark" tourism, but "shark" tourism.
The reality is that you can go "shark diving" on any given weekend off the coast if you have your own boat and gear. It's not organised, but the locals know where the sharks congregate.
I also think this is a bizzare statement, since a lot of the existing tourism income at Ningaloo is based on whale sharks. Which are technically sharks. One would presume this policy isn't going to rule out the whale shark tourism based out of Exmouth? Because they never explicitly stated they were just trying to stop "great white shark" tourism, but "shark" tourism.
Jul 26, 2012 | 10:01 pm
#4
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Are the whale shark sightings in Exmouth reliably frequent? Because if they were, I would be very interested in going there. I know some places are good spots but they can't always guarantee any sightings or diving near them.
Jul 27, 2012 | 9:40 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Just a note though, you can't actually dive with them anymore. Snorkelling only. It's a bit frustrating as there's about half a dozen operators up there and they're all looking for whale sharks using a spotter plane. Can get a bit crowded and as they limit the number of people in the water with them at one time, your actual time snorkelling with them can be quite limited.
Definitely worth it if you're going to be in the area anyway.