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Dive Pacific Iss 171 Oct- Nov 2019

New Zealand's dive magazine featuring in this issue: Shooting big sharks, up close; Spearfishing at night!; Remembering a great Kiwi dive pioneer, Wade Doak; Forgotten Vanuatu wreck's claim to fame; The invasive Lionfish - in depth, plus all our expert columnists

New Zealand's dive magazine featuring in this issue: Shooting big sharks, up close; Spearfishing at night!; Remembering a great Kiwi dive pioneer, Wade Doak; Forgotten Vanuatu wreck's claim to fame; The invasive Lionfish - in depth, plus all our expert columnists

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Rush hour<br />

properly, stay focused, and work<br />

with the right people.<br />

Yes but how dangerous are<br />

they?<br />

People tend to get very opinionated<br />

on whether sharks are dangerous<br />

or not. They seem to fall into very<br />

polarized camps: those who think<br />

sharks are all mindless man-eaters<br />

out to get us, or at the other end of<br />

the spectrum, those who believe<br />

all sharks are safe to swim with.<br />

I think the reality is somewhere<br />

in between; sharks are potentially<br />

dangerous predators that deserve<br />

respect, but in general are not<br />

likely to pose a problem unless<br />

you put yourself in a risky situation,<br />

ie diving in low light or poor<br />

visibility in areas frequented by<br />

large sharks; diving in sharky areas<br />

without local knowledge; diving<br />

alone or out of your comfort zone;<br />

or not giving sharks the<br />

respect they demand.<br />

Obviously diving with shark<br />

species that hunt large prey like<br />

seals, turtles and game fish pose<br />

significantly more potential risk<br />

than diving with smaller reef<br />

sharks. However all sharks are<br />

opportunistic and if you don’t<br />

maintain regular eye contact or<br />

let your attention wander, they<br />

are instantly aware and will take<br />

advantage of your inattention.<br />

Blue sharks fighting<br />

…sharks are opportunistic and if you don’t maintain<br />

regular eye contact or let your attention wander, they<br />

are instantly aware and will take advantage…<br />

A huge 5.5M female White shark<br />

34 <strong>Dive</strong> New Zealand | <strong>Dive</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>

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