Swimming with Tiger Sharks

Description

This photo was taken by Dennis Hipp.

The diver in the picture is one of the safety divers from our dive. We sat at the bottom of the sea with heavy weights on our belts, arranged in a semicircle. In the center was a safety diver, who can be seen here. The sharks slowly swam towards him. He was the diver who interacted with the sharks and gently redirected them. Behind this semicircle were two additional safety divers. The sharks were attracted using a bait box, but they were not fed. Most of the sharks were known individuals, with most of the tiger sharks being female, some of which were pregnant and exhibited only gentle behavior at this particular location.

Bait diving with sharks can be risky, even with all the precautions in place. While we trained for several days and took every safety measure possible, wild animals are unpredictable, so there’s always some danger. But with professional supervision, the right gear, and a controlled environment, the risks are much lower.

Some believe this practice is harmful to sharks and increases the likelihood of human injury. Others insist that it is an important tool for maintaining and protecting certain shark populations.

Scuba diving is a great hobby of mine; I’ve been doing it for many years. Recently, I also started getting more into underwater photography.

I use a special diving case for smartphones (and my iPhone). The case has a frame where video lights or flashlights can be attached. With enough light and good water quality, it’s possible to get perfect shots, even though it’s just a smartphone camera. I set the camera to RAW format instead of JPG/HEIF and edit the RAW files using standard photo software.