Heaven On Earth Under The Sea, Destroyed By One Individual’s Idiocy
Visibility: 100 ft | Water Temp.: 77F | Current: None
Owen
Master Scuba Diver Trainer
Why do we endure six foot waves, strong current, and poor visibility?� Why do we endure intemperate waters, seasickness,�and cold rides back to the safety of land?� Why do we risk leaving the security of land to venture to the sea and it’s uncontrolled environment?� The reason why is because of the possibility to enjoy the heavenly conditions experienced by all divers who ventured to Key Largo to dive today (01/24/07).� I chose the adjective heavenly because the dives I experienced this afternoon were nothing short of a religious experience.� High visibility, no current, and calm waters affords humanity the great priviledge of assimilating with nature’s vast array of marine life.� It gives us an opportunity to be a part of their world and interact with them.� Their uniqueness, simplicity,�and beauty is matched only by their innocence.� They struggle to survive, and they make little marine creatures so they may continue to exist.� We are guests in their home and they are quite hospitable.� I, and several other divers with the Rainbow Reef Dive Center, were enjoying this rare, solemn time, with are hosts when it all ended abruptly.� We observed a nurse shark lying on it’s back obviously dying.� I had spoken with other Rainbow Reef personnel who informed me the shark had been there for at least�3 days, the victim of a stabbing to the head.� I know it was a person because I didn’t see any of the marine life carrying knives�on them.� So that leaves only one individual, of one species suspect.� The shark was experiencing a slow death.� I don’t know what the shark was feeling, so I can’t say it was an agonizing death.� I can tell you it was very agonizing to watch.� I can’t envision the situation where this act could have been justified.� Perhaps the shark was inadvertantly caught by a fisherman.� But why stab the shark and throw him back in the water?� Why not just cut the line?� It could not have been self-defense because surely our hero would have sustained an injury during the encounter.� Unless of course he is a�Super-hero.� That might explain it.� Because surely only a�Super-hero has the ability to attack�a shark species that is known for it docile nature and timidness, and come out of it unscathed.� Here’s a thought, and a message to�our�Super-hero, and all would-be Super-heros.� In the future, if you get the urge to stab something senselessly,�try stabbing your own throat.� The only difference�between that and stabbing�the nurse shark is:� #1 – The act will be productive, not idiotic, and #2 – No one will miss you and less people will be upset when they see you�experiencing a slow, apparently agonizing death.� I�have attached the photos of the beauty I, and my fellow divers, encountered on these dives.� I have erased the picture I took of the dying shark.� I�made this decision because my hope is�the vast majority of my fellow diving enthusiasts, and our other�brothers and sisters who have chosen a life on the sea because of their love for it,�are not like our�Super-hero.� You are more interested in seeing the natural behavior of�our gracious hosts that inhabit the sea than a morbid, irrational, idiotic, and�emotionally immature desire to observe how an innocent creature dies.� Nice job Mr. Super-hero, I guess that is how a coward like you gets his kicks.
January 25th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
I have been reading the blogs here for just about a week or two and this one saddens me. I wish the jerk who did this could change places with the poor shark. The world would be a better place for sure.
Kristin
January 25th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Thanks so much for posting this story. It is only through the efforts of fellow divers like yourself that we can hope to have a cumulative effect on the behavior of individual divers out there. We are so blessed to have access to such wonders right here in America…I can’t imagine that a certified diver could bring him or herself to do such a thing. I think the certification process should include compassionate instruction about how to conserve our amazing sea life and we should institute harsh penalties for anyone caught perpetrating such inhumane treatment of sea creatures.
January 30th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
To make a further point on how docile Nurse sharks are, I had my daughter (10 YEARS OLD) lift a six foot nurse shark with me in an effort to teach her not to be afraid of the sharks. I have dove with many sharks, and to me they are my best dives.
What a complete coward and sick individual this person is. He is not a super hero, he is a SUPER ZERO. But don’t just look at what mankind is doing in the wild, look as what the Atlanta Aquarium is doing to Whale Sharks. http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/16456393.htm
Last week you may have heard that one of the WHALE SHARKS DIED “for no apparent reason.”
What a CROCK OF CRAP O LA…..
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/16456393.htm
Whale shark necropsy shows no ‘obvious’ cause of death
OK FOLKS…. This one isn’t that hard to figure out even for me.
Although you have the largest salt water aquarium in the world, OH… you say its 8,000,000 million gallons…. wow…. that’s a lot of water. But,… have you ever wondered why these incredible sea animals swim the world.
Lets do some calculations.. Supposedly the earth has 328, 000, 000 cubic miles of salt water. EVEN IF… you had 2 cubic miles of sea water, which is more then you have (each cubic mile of sea water is approximately (5280)3 cubic feet of water. or double that to (10,560)3 cubic you still couldn’t possibly ever replenish the food and nutrients in the water fast enough to support 1 much less 4 whale sharks.
I knew when I heard the aquarium was going to include them, it was going to be a mistake. I only wish I was more vocal about it at the time.
How many more of god’s creatures are going to die there before you realize that creatures of that size with millions of years of evolution cannot be contained, sustained, or even logistically captured and fed appropriately.
These sharks don’t stay in one place for long, they continually swim the oceans filtering out the plankton from the waters. If they stayed in the same spot ie 8,000,000 gallons of water, they would exhaust the nutrients in no time flat.
If they find the whale sharks did not die of starvation, which they probably did, they probably died of “as they say in the Mel Brooks movies” HIGH ANXIETY.. STRESS, and NO REASON TO LIVE.
I can reasonably predict that there will be 3 more major deaths at that Aquarium within the next two years.
Lets start a write in campaign call it
ATLANTA
LET YOUR BIG FISH
GO HOME.
maxfactor
February 2nd, 2007 at 1:27 am
Max…
I am with you. I have never officially been “diving with sharks” but they are the most amazing creature to me and the thing that keeps me from doing any of the commercially available dives is the fact that I think it is wrong. I live in Cape Coral and one of the doctors I work with actually saw a whale shark off Sanibel. I would LOVE that.
Do the people at the aquarium not consider dying a “change to indicate a problem”? hmmm…
Being human we think we can control, own or “fix” everything. If they had died in their natural environment it would have been sad but since we kept them alive, displayed them, “owned” them it is tragic; not only for Ralph but for us. We have eliminated one of the natural filters, a part of the food chain. Maybe I am too harsh?
I am new to this whole world when compared to oh I don’t know whale sharks, alligators, monkeys, etc but our interference is not helping any more then our lifestyle.
Ok. Well, I am done with my high horse lecture. I am glad someone else feels this way because sometimes it seems like I am actually a weirdo about it.
February 13th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
[LINK]
Nurse sharks bite too. They ripped this guys lip to shreds. We are diving with wild animals
here. HELLO? All these wild animals thrashing each other and eating each other and here is one shark and absolutely no evidence but hearsay and you get all bent out of shape?
Don’t you dare eat another burger or steak or fish or goat. Why don’t you write about what is really harming the environment? It sure isn’t fisherpeople or divers. Anyway, great blog. LOL.
Can’t wait to get down there this spring break and do some diving. Maybe I can help kick some shark-stabbing-burger-eaters’ ass.
April 24th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Jesus the DM pointed the already-dead nurse shark to me on one dive of my yearly January trip. I felt terrible. How could a human being stab such a creature on the head for no purpose other than killing it? I almost hope the sharks eventually get their turn and even things out with this person.
Anyhow, the diving was good and the weather not so bad as the previous year. You can look at some pictures of that trip at http://underseapics.com/kl07.html.
Say hi to everyone for me.