Andy Sallmon, an underwater photographer and supporter of Jim Abernethy, wrote to Shark Diver after seeing their blog posts

(removed, but here are more: -1- -2- -3-) that state that Markus Groh died at Tiger Beach. The implication in their series of posts is that 1) the incident happened at Tiger Beach, 2) the diver died at Tiger Beach, and 3) there might have been a tiger shark involved.  In the articles, they use a photo in blue water of a diver surrounded by sharks, and photos of tiger sharks.

“This is just a blog,” they write.

Be sure to read to the bottom for an update from me, and from Patric Douglas of Shark Diver.

Letter from Andy Sallmon:

From: Andrew Sallmon
Date: February 26, 2008 6:30:01 PM PST
To: staff@sharkdiver.com
Subject: Irresponsible reporting sharkdiver.com

Dear Staff at Sharkdiver.com,

Your report entitled “Death on Tiger Beach- why it Matters” is surely one of the most irresponsible and misleading articles that I have ever read. How can it be that you cannot even get the basic facts of this incident straight when you purport yourself to be such an expert on sharks and shark diving? The attack was over 60 miles South of Tiger Beach and while you don’t specifically say that it was at Tiger Beach your idiotic title(s) certainly imply this.

Why don’t you practice a little more conservative and responsible journalism and try to help the diving public understand what is going on here instead of implying that Bahamas shark operators fall into two categories “cowboys” and “realists”. All of the Bahamas shark operators are concerned deeply over the safety of their divers and the reputation of sharks. They may differ in their opinions but there is one common theme and that is the safety of their divers.

I have first hand experienced hundreds of dives with Jim Abernethy and also a fair number at Stuart Cove’s. Both are run in a very professional and responsible manner and every effort is made to make these dives as safe as they can be, considering that the divers are in the water with large predators and provoked by bait. All divers are fully aware that this will be the case, the risks and protocols are explained and they accept those risks and sign waiver and risk agreements to such. In other words they are aware of and accept the risks.

Do you really think printing a title like this is not “cowboy” journalism? Do you really believe that you are a “realist”? Why are you attempting to editorialize on an event when you don’t even know where it occured? You were not present and did not interview anyone that was. Your opinions would be worth 2 cents if you were at least accurate but since you can’t even get that one right they aren’t worth the electricity it takes to look at your website. You should be ashamed of yourself and I hope that at least you will correct or explain the title.

It has also been opined by Mr. Neal Watson that this “open water” diving with baited tiger and great hammerhead sharks without cages is too dangerous. Yes, it is dangerous, and no one including Jim Abernethy ever said that it wasn’t, but the “other half” of Mr. Watson contradicts his own cautioning for he also has cageless shark dives. He seems to feel that his are less dangerous because they are not with tiger and great hammerhead sharks. Instead he only puts his divers in the water with Caribbean Reef, silky and blacktip sharks. Well, after diving with sharks for over 20 years now in baited situations I have yet to see how you can separate out one species from another underwater. Does Mr. Watson have a gate with a sign that reads “no tigers or hammerheads allowed in this shark feed”?

No one can say what species of shark will show up when blood and fish parts are put into the water. Of course there are areas where some species frequent more often than others but there is no sure fire predictor of what will show up anymore than if I put a gazelle carcass on the African plains somewhere. Could I tell you unequivocally that lions will not show, only cheetahs and leopards which are “safe” cats. While we are examing these ridiculous notions how many people have been bitten by Caribbean Reef sharks? I do not have the exact number but have heard a very experienced and well-known operator say “more than any other shark”.  Doesn’t seem like a “safe” shark to me. Is Mr. Watson trying to tell us that a Caribbean Reef shark would not have bitten Markus Groh on the calf this past Sunday but that a bull shark ot tiger would? If that is the case, that is one of the most absurd things that I have ever heard.

I believe you think that Mr Watson is the “realist” and Jim Abernethy is the “cowboy” I invite you now to defend those also absurd generalizations. While I do not care for Mr. Watson’s opinions I do think he does his best to run as safe a shark dive as possible and that he has a genuine concern for his divers. There are no cowboys or realists here…....Shark diving is only as safe as a shark that you can control and I have yet to see a wild shark that can be predicted 100% of the time. 

The act of putting a diver in a shark cage may certainly reduce the risk of a bite but it is very limiting to some of us and we do not want to be forced into cages. We accept the risks of open water diving with tiger and great hammerhead sharks, so do not presume to speak on our behalf as one of the “realists”. Will you also make tech divers and wreck divers stay out of deep water, wrecks and caves for their own protection. What about base jumpers, hang glider pilots will they be required to have safety nets? Surely these are activities that are far more dangerous than diving with a shark and the statistics agree. It is not Mr. Watson’s right or yours or your “so-called realists” to tell me that I must be “caged”. I do not argue that it would be safer, but I accept the additional risk and so do many thousands of us. I would like to suggest to you and Mr. Watson and the “realists”, whoever they may be, that if you continue to demand cages for shark diving in the Bahamas then “we” will respond by recommending to all divers that they boycott your respective businesses for you are hypocrits of the highest order.

Mr Watson has never been on the Shear Water nor has he been on a shark dive with Jim Abernethy. I would like to suggest that he has never been to Tiger Beach either but am not 100% sure of this. No one has been attacked at Tiger Beach to date but I do know of other shark feeding operations where divers, usually the feeders have been attacked and sometimes rather badly and odd as it may seem to you they were attacked by Caribbean Reef sharks.

Quite frankly I am getting tired of listening to all the so-called experts and their speculations on shark diving. The truth is that sharks bite sometimes and no matter what a responsible operator does he can only do his best to reduce the possibility. Anyone that wants to dive with sharks knows that it takes bait to get them close enough for a good look or a photograph and unfortunately puts themself at additional risk, yet that choice is ours, not yours. You run your shark dives as you see fit and allow others to do the same. Either accept it or don’t but either way let’s get honest about this activity and let people make their own, hopefully informed, decisions by reporting the facts accurately instead of trying to fan the flames with more sensational editorializing.

There are no safe sharks! Cages keep them out but we don’t want to forced into cages!

Yippe Calle!

Andy Sallmon
www.seait.com

Here is the reply from Shark Diver:

From: Shark Diver
Date: February 26, 2008 7:44:00 PM PST
To: Andrew Sallmon
Subject: Re: Irresponsible reporting sharkdiver.com

Hi Andrew,

That’s a passionate response. Since you cc’d in half the planet we will remind you this is just a blog and not the NY Times. Please take your vitriol and pass it down the line to guys like that Cyber Diver guy.

Cheers, The Crew
www.sharkdiver.com
www.sharkdivers.com
www.guadalupefund.org

Response from Eric Cheng

I spoke with Patric Douglas of Shark Diver at length this evening. Although we clearly differ in opinions, it was a civil discussion, and we agreed that readers both here and there need to direct energy toward more important issues.  Here is an excerpt from Shark Diver’s most recent post (whose URL still bears my name!):

In the coming weeks there will be much bigger issues with serious and long lasting agendas to contend with. Shark Diver stands ready to meet those issues and to work with those within the industry that will see positive things come of the shark diving world. These animals are being slaughtered at an unprecedented rate, dive sites are being pillaged even as I write this blog.

A reality check is in order. We can send unimaginable emails to each other filled with hate and vitriol for the next six weeks, or perhaps channel that same passion into long lasting and positive efforts.

Fundamentally, I agree with what Patric is saying.  The reason I posted Andy’s letter was Shark Diver’s original, dismissive reply.  Since we posted the news, I have heard that some really nasty e-mails and web comments were sent to Shark Diver through their website.  Hopefully, we can keep continuing discourse calm and rational, as anything else would be counterproductive.

I asked Patric to issue a correction about the posts that imply that Tiger Beach was the site of the shark bite. He seemed receptive to the idea, but I see that nothing has been done. I guess he has some reason for keeping them online that way.  I still believe it’s irresponsible to know that you have something so completely misleading on your site and refuse to do something about it. There is simply no ambiguity about the situation… but I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.