Feeding white sharks in Cape Town is not for the faint of heart. Shark feeding show at the aquarium Shark feeding
Every self-respecting diver tries to see as much of the underwater world as possible, dive into as many more places and get to know as many marine inhabitants as possible. Of course, underwater it is recommended, and sometimes insisted, that divers not touch anything. But there are places where the exact opposite happens! For example, it is part of some of our club trips, which we have quite often. There they actually play with the divers. But in Playa del Carmen there is another type of entertainment for divers - feeding bull sharks!
And now you won’t be able to play here, but you will be full of impressions. And so, around November, but like all Mexicans, they do not have a clear schedule. Therefore, we recommend considering the end of November as the time of arrival of the sharks, and they are with us until March. If the divers are tasty, they may stay.
In general, from November to March we can enjoy their presence, but this turned out to be not enough, and the local people, having fallen in love with these fish, decided to feed them. And now all divers with certification or equivalent can observe sharks feeding. There are enough sharks to make divers feel like guests at this belly festival.
How do sharks feed?
The first thing we do is, of course, arrive at the place where the boat starts from. It's located right in Playa del Carmen.
Then we collect our equipment and, having gathered our courage (for the first time), we go to the boat. The boat brings us to the site, and we very disciplinedly begin the dive.
As soon as we are directly at the location we need, you will see a rope that everyone needs to grab together and sit on the bottom, close to each other. This way you create the illusion of one whole organism, and sharks do not swim between you and your neighbor.
Then just a show begins, a specially trained person who knows sharks by sight begins to feed them. At the same time, he tries to make sure that the shark grabs the food in front of everyone, and not behind his back. Therefore, you will see a lot of teeth, and the sight will also be unforgettable.
This dive is so impressive that many people sign up to re-feed the bull sharks the very next day. For our part, we try to organize all the logistics and make sure that nothing interferes with your enjoyment of diving with sharks. This includes one dive, we naturally provide cylinders and weights, transfer from your hotel in Playa del Carmen, a dive guide and all fees and taxes. There will also be drinking water on the boat.
If you still have any questions, feel free to do so.
P.S. There have been no untoward shark incidents in Mexico in more than 20 years.
Cape Town is a very colorful place. Having been there, I felt rather contradictory feelings. The thing is that here is a place that is not like either Africa or Europe. I was able to visit Cape Town in August. There are practically no tourists here this month, as it is the “winter” month. No, of course, there is no frost and snowdrifts here, as in Russia, but it is still quite chilly. The temperature is above zero, but an unpleasant cold wind is blowing.
Cape Town has a fairly diverse population. A city where people live more or less peacefully a large number of nationalities.
The Malay Quarter especially caught my attention. It is worth a visit because of its unusual flavor. 
The area is replete with various houses painted in all colors of the rainbow. It's very beautiful and unusual. There is nothing else particularly noteworthy in the quarter, but it is simply a must see. It is so colorful, like the many nationalities that live here.
The streets of the city themselves are not outstanding, everything is the same as everywhere else. Naturally, where tourists visit, there are many cafes, restaurants and hotels. But everything else does not exude luxury. Everything is pretty poor and wretched.
But the city center opposite is built up with modern buildings, shops are full of bright signs. Everywhere is clean and tidy.
While in Cape Town, be sure to visit the pier. There are a lot of ships here and luxury yachts. If you have money, you can easily rent a boat here and sail on the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
There are also many souvenirs that can be purchased for little money. What immediately caught my eye was that the souvenirs were not Chinese, as in many tourist cities. The bulk of souvenirs are made by hand by local craftsmen. Beaded jewelry is very beautiful. Moreover, beads are used not only for decorations, but also for toys, animals and even plates. Really beautiful.
You can also visit excursions and folk art exhibitions in the city.
If possible, go to the local aquarium; admission costs about $30. But you won't be wasting your money. There really is something to see here. Aquariums are simply full of their inhabitants. And the huge tunnel with white sharks will not leave anyone indifferent.
There they told me that there is an extreme excursion in the city - feeding white sharks. 
Well, how can you miss this? Well, I was, naturally. In the first rows of those who want to feed the toothy predators. In my understanding, it looked like we were leaving meat for the sharks on the boat, but in reality everything was very, very creepy. The fact is that you had to feed the predators from a cage in which you are put and lowered under water. When I realized what kind of attraction it was, it was too late to refuse and go somewhere else. Before the dive, we explained to everyone that we couldn’t stick our little hands out of the cage if we needed them again. The sharks were fed tuna. Another thing to consider when participating in this show is that the boat you'll be taking out on the ocean rocks a lot. Therefore, half of our group actively emptied the contents of their stomachs overboard. Maybe this is also feeding sharks?)))) In short, after visiting this excursion, I realized that I would never agree to such an event for any money, even if they offered me money for it. 
But fans of extreme sports will definitely enjoy this show.
Of course, I would advise everyone to fly to Cape Town in the summer, when it is warm and you can swim in the ocean and sunbathe. And not just sightseeing. Of course, there are many places worthy of admiration, but still, when traveling to sea town I still want warmth and the sea.
At a time when shark baiting in the media is on the rise, thanks to the demand for the new kind entertainment - feeding sharks - is growing rapidly.
In the United States, he breaks all popularity records.
Feeding sharks is one of the most popular activities in the diving industry. Many divers are against it, while others are completely in favor of it. It is also one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry.
Senator Bill Nelson introduced S.3099, the Sport Fishing Access Act, into the U.S. Senate in 2016. The bill is an amendment to the Shark Conservation Act 2010. The amendment may be made by either operating a vessel to transport a passenger to any location intended to feed sharks or observe feeding.
Feeding in the bill refers to placing food or any other edible substance in the water to feed or attract sharks.
Senator Nelson is from Florida, which already has a ban on feeding sharks in state waters.
State law prohibits feeding, but senators can only make laws affecting state waters, which extend just 3 kilometers from the shore.
Florida tour operators are now organizing underwater shark feeding trips outside of state waters, offering tourists "excursions" as far as 3 km from the shoreline.
Some continue to feed sharks in the waters to sink to the bottom a few meters from the shore.
If this bill becomes law, it will prevent these dives. It would also ban shark feeding on the California coast and elsewhere. popular places water recreation.
Why feed sharks?
There are many points that are raised by opponents and supporters of shark feeding as arguments. One of the strongest points on the positive side of the issue is that feeding has a mission to protect endangered shark species.
The dive operator of Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas said that their sea diving excursions for the predator feeding program attract more than 50 thousand divers a year. This figure indicates that the myths about are not true, and that sharks need our support and protection.
Many scientists touch on the material side of the issue - about the losses that will occur if the sharks disappear. The significant decline in shark populations that is currently occurring means that tourists will be less likely to see sharks while diving.
Therefore, the practice of luring sharks with food increases the likelihood that a diver will encounter a shark. From a tourism point of view, feeding sharks will help attract divers on vacation, making diving the “number one” point of their vacation.
Is feeding sharks dangerous?
The opposing view is that feeding sharks. This will cause the shark to change its feeding habits and rely on divers instead of hunting and performing its ecological functions.
This practice damages local ecosystems by disrupting the food chain and also puts divers themselves at risk.
After all, sharks perceive people as a food supplier, therefore, when they see divers, they rush to this area for food. And if people don’t have food, the sharks become aggressive.
By international statistics Shark attacks All attacks on humans are classified as provoked or unprovoked.
The world's largest provider of dive certification services, PADI, currently offers specialized dive courses and is also involved in shark conservation and protection initiatives.
Many specialty gear stores offer "shark awareness" courses. And the media pays close attention to the diving industry, increasing public interest in the top predators through exciting television shows, the release of thematic magazines, and news feeds.
Conservation communities are also paying attention to the growing interest in shark diving as a lever for creating more sustainable shark conservation practices.
If a shark can be worth more live as a tourist attraction than as a food product, then this type of activity presents a potentially compelling industry case for tourism agencies and organizations involved in developing measures.
This is exactly the kind of analysis that was done in Micronesia. Experts have quantified the value of Palau's shark diving industry and found that its value far exceeds the income from shark fishing.
In the case of Palau, the estimated annual value of one shark to the tourism industry is $179,000 (or $1.9 million over the shark's lifetime).
In contrast, one shark fin can only fetch $108. For Palau, this research has made it possible to make economic sense in permanently protecting sharks in its waters.
Shark diving must therefore remain a successful, safe and sustainable business as much as possible.
Interest in sharks actively attracts tourists in undersea world, says marine ecologist Sean Ryden.I'm very lucky that my job allows me to travel all over the world, take advantage of opportunities to see sharks in person, and study shark diving "in multiple scenarios."
I've encountered a variety of situations - some shark dives have made me feel safe. During others, with other instructors, I was very afraid for my life.
I have seen sharks both relaxed and careful while feeding, as well as angry at human actions.
This gave Sean reason to argue that underwater shark feeding deserves special attention as a mass business, and that the money accumulated in this area is a powerful incentive to save the ocean's top predator, regardless of the experience and knowledge of tourists.
From this point of view, great attention should be paid to investing in the competent training of instructors, strengthening measures and equipping with tools.
Then such safe diving initiatives will be easier to turn into quick profits, making the business highly profitable.
Sean Ryden showed a photo that was taken during this type of dive south of Cancun on the Riviera Maya in Mexico several years ago.
The dive operator approached the people on the shore (including Sean) and suggested an "underwater adventure" to see the bull sharks that naturally migrate to this part of Mexico every winter.
We entered the water at the beach, swam about 50 meters from the shore, and were lowered into the water with additional weights.We waited for the cameraman to join us with a bucket of bait fish to attract the sharks. I saw maybe three bull sharks on the dive.
They began to feed them not far from us. But the sharks were swimming towards us too quickly, we could see stains of fish oil all around us.
Overall it was a scary and dangerous dive with poor visibility and unpredictably behaving sharks. It seemed that an accident was about to happen and the shark would suddenly attack one of us.
And I was constantly aware of how close we were to the shore. And how close, it turns out, these dangerous sharks are to the places where unsuspecting people rest.
In subsequent years, they reached the peak of popularity in the Mexican Yucatan. The first operator in Playa del Carmen legally set up a bull shark diving business off the Yucatan.
He soon had competitors in the business, including some very irresponsible travel agents. Shark diving and feeding have been offered in locations close to crowded beaches along densely populated areas of Playa del Carmen.
The Riviera Maya Hotel Association began to receive complaints from hotel owners and organizers of coastal vacations.
Many local communities have expressed concern about the presence and feeding of sharks so close to shore.
They received great public attention in 2011. In February, a 38-year-old tourist from Canada was seriously injured when a shark bit off her hand and caused severe injuries to her body. And already in March, a shark attacked a tourist from Russia and injured her leg.
Both attacks took place in Cancun, one of the most... popular resorts peace.
The local government responded to the incident by moving her from Cancun to Playa del Carmen.
There were many sharks, mostly pregnant females, as an ill-conceived demonstration of the municipality's decisive action.
The culprit for this situation, in fact, was the lack of a strict code of conduct, safety protocols for client dives, as well as the lack of any control over the activities of this industry at the local government level.
Today, measures to protect sharks and develop the diving industry are deeper and more comprehensive. We can only hope that public awareness will play a significant role in this process.
One of the main spectacles that attracts divers from all over the world to the Fijian archipelago is shark feeding show. Fiji is called the number one place for diving with sharks in the world.
Where is shark feeding done?
Feedings take place regularly Beka Lagoon (Beqa, reads like Benga or even Mbenga), approximately 10 min. by boat from the shore of the main island of Fiji - Viti Levu
What sharks can you see while feeding?
At almost every feeding dive, representatives of seven (!) species of sharks gather: blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, gray reef shark, silver shark, nurse shark, lemon shark and the undoubted stars of the show - bullish(stubby) sharks. Regularly, at least once a month, divers can observe another representative of the main three predatory sharks - tiger shark.
Of course, in addition to sharks, many jack fish, groupers, snappers, etc. feed.
How do sharks feed?
Observation is carried out without a cage. Spectators descend to a depth of approx. 30 m to a specially prepared area (“arena”), one instructor begins feeding, the rest monitor the safety of the guests.
There are always many nurse sharks, they are active and not afraid. Lemons are usually singly or in pairs. The main stars are large bull sharks, taking food directly from the hands of the instructor-feeder.
The dive lasts about 50 minutes.
Recommendations: strictly maintain the position specified by the instructor. Keep your arms crossed or resting lightly on the bottom. Stay calm and refrain from unnecessary sudden movements. Follow the instructors' signals. Please note that if you remain immobile for a long time, even in relatively warm water you can get very cold; it is better to take a thicker suit.