Episode 120: What’s the thinking behind opening up a beach again after a shark incident?

Whenever a beach is closed after an incident with a shark, the duration is not based on scientific evaluation of the possible criteria that could have brought in the shark, but simple guesswork. There is no protocol to follow; thus, every governing authority where the respective shore area falls can pretty much freely decide on how to handle the closed area, and when to reopen. 

Episode 119: On the white shark café

In the middle of the Pacific, with a radius of 250 km, lays the white shark café, a place where male and female white sharks gather. Why do they undertake this journey to reach this place and then stay there for months? Although food is a likelihood, it cannot be the main lure. Could it be a mating site? Do white sharks stemming from different populations mingle with each other? This area triggers many questions with not enough answers. However, one question that has not been asked so far is if other such cafés exist in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean.

Episode 118: Where are all the white sharks?

Seal Island, Dyer Island, Dangerous reef are places where white shark sightings could be guaranteed. But that is currently not the case anymore. What happened? Where did they all go? What could have created this situation? Lots of questions to the disappearing of white sharks from some of the main hot spots around the world, but (so far) no answers that could explain it.

Episode 117: Kill them all, and you get the one responsible, or won’t you?

Another vendetta against sharks took place in Queensland. Two people were severely bitten within a few days, and the only approach the governmental agency in charge was to set drum lines and indiscriminately killing sharks. Putting “drum crimes” out there is not just poor judgment; it is also a crime against nature. What is the possible thinking behind such a vendetta…?

Episode 116: Who has done it??

When it comes to sharks, everybody seems to know that white sharks, bulls and tiger sharks are the species most often involved in incidents. But it that true? If we look at the raw data files of incidents, there is a less clear picture. How come?

Episode 115: It sucks to be in cages, or not?

White shark cage diving has its advantages when it comes to people who can’t dive, or are afraid of sharks, but are still curious and willing to go the extra distance to reach those white shark spots. But due to the white shark tourism and regulations doing applied work in shark-human interaction is more than just hampered and turned into such a problem (to get permits) that gaining new information on the subject is pretty much on a standstill.

Episode 114: What to do when it is getting seemingly critical (at least in your mind)

On very rare occasions it might be necessary to use the “emergency brake” during an encounter with a shark since F-G-P-M as well as gill touching have not brought the expected result and one feels that a more drastic approach is needed. How to do that is part of this episode.

Episode 113: Who is the strongest shark out there

They always ask which shark is the largest one, the smallest one, the fastest one… But how about the strongest one? No one ever tried to figure that out. So which shark could be the strongest one out there? Anyone big or fast?

Episode 112: How to get safely away from a shark

The most prominent question people have about sharks is what to do when a shark shows up, meaning, how can they get away from the animal. A summary is given of a previous podcast on the subject, with special emphasis on the general procedure, as well as the procedure should one loose eye contact with the shark.

Episode 111: On rare occasions, you may get a shark right in your face

It is very rare, even for a person who spends day-in, day-out in the water with sharks, that one keeps pushing you. The other day such a situation arose and is described in this episode.