5 Things More Likely Than a Shark Attack

While surfing around I found this cute little tidbit of info on The Diving Blog.  David Harmon has some really cool things to say.  Check out his site and happy reading.

Humans have an irrational fear of sharks. Most of this, I believe, is simply fear of the unknown. We don’t understand sharks nor most of the ocean and this frightens us. Combined with their poor treatment by the media and entertainment world, sharks overall get a bad rap.







I’m here today to balance the score a little. Statistics put the risk of a shark attack worldwide at about 1 in almost 300 million. That’s a 3 with 8 zeros behind it! And this is only taking into account those who actually go in the water, not your Aunt Mildred who thinks the ocean is “dirty”.



That’s a big number, and big numbers don’t usually mean much to people. Let me put in in more relatable terms. Here are 5 things more likely to happen to you than getting attacked by a shark:



1.Win an Academy Award. Over 50 Oscars are given out each year (including scientific and technical award winners), meaning you are more likely to win the coveted gold statuette this year than get bitten by a shark. Better get crackin’ on that script!

2.Die while scuba diving. While it sucks to think about, over 100 people die a year while scuba diving, often from unknown causes. You’re more likely to die while scuba diving from something like an equipment malfunction than to get attacked by a shark. There, don’t you feel better?

3.Dealt a full house—three times in a row. The odds of getting dealt a full house (three of a kind and two of another kind, one of the highest hands in poker) is 1 in 693.

Let’s say you spend all night playing poker with the guys. You are more likely to get dealt a full house three times in a row than get bitten by a shark. Just how much money did you win last time you played poker?



4.Killed by a falling aircraft. In murky waters everyone’s on the lookout for killer sharks. How often are you on the lookout for falling aircraft? Instead of the Great White Shark you should be looking out for the Great White Airbus.

5.Win a Nobel Prize. Six prizes are awarded. This actually makes your odds of winning any one year lower than getting bit by a shark. However, factor in how often they are awarded, and your odds quickly zoom past shark territory.

In fact, in any one year you are more likely to become a nobel laureate (nominee) than get attacked by a shark. Isn’t it nice to know that the Nobel prize committee cares more about you than Jaws?



Now don’t you feel ridiculous? These numbers are only for getting attacked by a shark. Let’s say lightning strikes and you do get bitten (actually, the chance of you getting struck by lightning is orders of magnitude greater than getting attacked by a shark). Even then, the chance of you dying is still very small (about 1 in 30).



The problem, of course, is that no one lives by statistics. Rather, we live by our emotions. Next time you feel yourself getting a little irrational, start running the numbers in your head. If worse comes to worse, who knows, maybe the sharks will decide to leave Rain Man alone.

Shark con artists

SharkNite 3D Promotion in which a rabid shark rips apart several teenagers is being cross promoted by a white shark operator at the Farallones off San Francisco. They were paid to offer the Grand Prize to someone who saw this film. Is this operator being shark Con-servationists?

PRIZE: One (1) GRAND PRIZE: A trip for winner and one (1) Guest to San Francisco, CA and two (2) tickets for a shark dive excursion. Trip consists of round-trip coach class air transportation from a major gateway nearest the winner’s residence, three (3) days/ two (2) nights standard hotel accommodations (one room, double occupancy). Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): $ 4,500.00. If winner resides within a 100-mile radius of destination, ground transportation will be provided in lieu of air transportation and no compensation or substitution will be provided in lieu thereof. Actual value may vary based on point of departure.

Join us for the best Shipwrecking in the World

We are very excited about the upcoming 2012 season. We have gotten an enormous amount of interest in our 7 Ships in 7 Days package. No passport, no port taxes, no fuel surcharges, no customs, no worries. The best shipwreck diving in the world is right here in the Florida Keys and you can dive them all from the “M/V KATE” and the gang at Blue Iguana Charters. Diving the third largest barrier reef from Key Largo to Key West in seven days.
The addition of the Vandenberg has made this trip even more spectacular and exciting. You might have seen this ship from the movie “VIRUS” in which Jamie Lee Curtis starred in. If you have not had the chance to see the movie, we have it in our large DVD video library aboard the boat.
Some of the wrecks that we will be diving include the USS Spiegel Grove, USCGC Duane, The Benwood, The City of Washington, USCGC Bibb, The Eagle plus….Reef Diving which include the Elbow Reef, Key Largo Dry Rocks, Molasses Reef, Davis Reef, Pickles Reef, Carysfort Lighthouse, and many more beautiful uncharted reefs.
We cater to small groups so your trip is personalized to fit you. No large crowds and tons of people you don’t know. By the end of your trip you will be a part of our family and be ready to plan your next trip. We don’t advertise in large magazines and such we rely on word of mouth from satisfied clients to return and tell everyone they know about us.
So come and join us on an exciting fun filled adventure, on a great dive boat with an awesome crew. We can’t wait to have you aboard the “M/V Kate” so we can start our diving adventure. Give Captain Scotty a email at info@blueiguanacharters.com or call him at 561-385-2385 for all the details or for more information.

New owner sought for venerable South Florida lighthouse

Want to own a lighthouse? Here's your chance.

The U.S. government has put the picturesque, 133-year-old Fowey Rocks Light up for adoption. The price is right: Free.

Sure, there's a catch or two. You must run a nonprofit group or local government and prove you can preserve and maintain the historic lighthouse for public use.

And you need a good boat. The Fowey Rocks Lighthouse is on a shallow reef out in the ocean seven miles southeast of the tip of Key Biscayne.
rest of the story
New owner sought for venerable South Florida lighthouse

8 Ways to Freak Out Your Dive Buddy

You may already be doing some of these unconsciously. Here’s how to put it all together and become a complete jerk. Here is some great info from the Coral Reef Travel website.

Use Poorly Maintained Equipment

Upend your gear bag so a hodgepodge of worn-out, corroded and mismatched stuff cascades onto the deck in no apparent order. You can heighten the effect with carefree comments like, “Boy! Haven’t seen this in a long time!” and “Ugh! This sure stinks!” and “Anybody remember which side the reg goes on?” Meet any expression of concern with, “Don’t worry, it worked OK last time.”

For Style Points: Drop your console on the steel deck.

Message to Your Buddy: You will discover equipment problems the hard way.

Wisecrack During Site Briefing and Dive Planning

How deep are we going? “To the bottom, ha ha!” What’s our objective? “To get wet, ha ha!” How much air do we keep in reserve? “I paid for all of it, I’m using all of it, ha ha!” Meet any expression of concern with, “Don’t worry, I haven’t drowned yet, ha ha!”

For Style Points: When checking your tank valve just prior to entering the water, become confused and ask, “Which way is off?”

Message to Your Buddy: You are in fact confused and nervous, and trying to cover your anxiety with humor.

Act Like You’re Having Trouble Equalizing

The idea is that erratic behavior–delaying your descent, moving up and down in the water column, blowing hard with your nose pinched–without explanation to your buddy will make it seem as if you’re in trouble, inducing your buddy to take unnecessary risks to help you.

For Style Points: Blow so hard you cause a nosebleed. When a little blood has mixed with the water in your mask, turn to your buddy to show a mask full of … blood! Embolism! Brain explosion! Watch your buddy’s eyes go wide.

Message to Your Buddy: You take basic skills for granted, as well as being physically prepared to dive.

Play Hide and Seek

Swim off from the descent line at full speed, so your buddy has to huff and puff to keep up. Or, if you don’t have the stamina for this, put on a quick burst of speed when your buddy is looking the other way, then duck behind a stand of kelp or a coral head. Try to force your buddy to spend the entire dive trying to keep track of you.

For Style Points: Swim off downward, violating your agreed depth limit at the same time. Your buddy, if conscientious, will have to follow. Double points if you save this for the third dive of the day.

Message to Your Buddy: You have no interest in your buddy’s comfort and no regard for the buddy system.

Ditch Your Buddy

This is, of course, a classic move. It forces your buddy to abandon any hope of enjoying the dive and go into full rescue mode. Your buddy instead must decide how long to search for you and in which direction, then surface in haste and report to the dive boat.

For Style Points: After returning to the boat, grin, slap your buddy on the back and say, “Great dive, huh? Did you see that ray?”

Message to Your Buddy: You have no interest in rescuing your buddy, either.

Attack All Marine Life

Break off live coral. Pry mollusks and sea stars from rocks. Hack your way through vegetation. Swim with your knife in your hand, using it to chop, probe, dig, turn over rocks and tap your buddy’s shoulder.

For Style Points: Kill something bloody and put its oozing corpse in your goody bag.

Message to Your Buddy: You know nothing about the damage you can do to marine life, nor the damage marine life can do to you.

Create a Low-on-air Emergency

Respond to all air supply inquiries with an OK sign until your pressure gauge reads below 200 psi. You’ll have the biggest impact on your buddy if you save this announcement for when you are below 80 feet or so.

For Style Points: Wild eyes and flailing arms simulate panic well.

Message to Your Buddy: You don’t understand the reasons for maintaining a reserve supply of air–regulator performance and the unforeseen.

Ascend Too Quickly

By not venting your BC as it expands, you allow your ascent rate to accelerate to unsafe levels. Your buddy may feel compelled to keep pace while trying to slow you down, putting you both at risk of arterial gas embolism. At 15 feet, you will have reached such a speed that you will be unable to make a safety stop.

For Style Points: Assuming you reach the boat intact, tell your buddy, “Great dive! Say, are you looking for a dive buddy?”

Message to Your Buddy: You think Boyle’s Law is a TV series.

But Seriously, Folks

We’re joking to make a serious point. Probably most of us have been guilty of one or more of these screwups at one time or another. We knew we were OK, but what did our buddy think? What extra risks did we impose on our buddy? What enjoyment of the dive did our buddy forfeit?

Communication is difficult enough on the surface. Under water, we communicate largely through our actions, and our inaction. Our buddy has to respond to the messages they seem to convey, and our unintended signals can endanger others more than ourselves. We at Blue Iguana Charters want everyone to have a fun and safe dive.

Conservation Authority Guy Harvey Reiterates Shark Free Marina Policies

Conservation Authority Guy Harvey Reiterates Shark Free Marina Policies

This just shows that Guy Harvey is a man of his word. He really means it when he says he is looking out for the sharks and the sea creatures come first. Here is a copy of his press release that was put out this morning. Thanks for standing up for the sharks Guy and if there is anything the gang at Blue Iguana Charters can do for you just let us know...

Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) June 16, 2011

Conservation and marine science authority Dr. Guy Harvey, Chairman of Guy Harvey Outpost LTD., announced today that a photographic image of a Mako shark, taken at the weigh in station of the Bimini Big Game Club and circulating on the internet, was authentic. “It is extremely disappointing that this occurred and is a clear violation of my shark conservation principles and efforts”, said Dr. Harvey, an recognized marine conservation authority and acclaimed artist. The Big Game Club operates under license from Guy Harvey Outpost, a company he co-founded to promote sustainable tourism and marine conservation among water sport enthusiasts and the legions of Guy Harvey followers worldwide.

He confirmed the shark was caught by a visitor to the Big Game Club while vacationing in Bimini over the Memorial Day weekend and the resort’s dock staff assisted in hanging the shark up for photographs. The boat's captain, Chase Camacho, confirmed his charter angler fought the shark for over two hours after hooking it while deep drop fishing off the Bimini coast. "It’s important to have a black and white policy with no grey areas when it comes to operating as a Shark Free Marina, particularly when my name is on the door”, Guy said in addressing the event.

“The boat’s captain believed the shark was stressed to the point of dying, and thought it proper to bring it back to the dock so it could be given to the church for distribution to needy locals,” clarified Dr. Harvey, who holds a PhD in Marine Biology and directs shark research worldwide with the efforts of his scientific staff at the Guy Harvey Research Institute. Underscoring a common misunderstanding among anglers on the resilience of sharks, Guy noted “a nearly dead shark has a much better chance of surviving in the water than on the dock. Sharks are very tough animals.”

Professor Mahmood Shivji, Director of the “Save our Seas Shark Center” at Nova Southeastern University echoed Guy’s sentiment. “It’s a food cycle issue. We are dealing with a marine ecosystem such that a dead or dying fish provides food resource to the entire marine ecosystem and its best to let the ecosystem operate without intervention, however well intentioned.” Dr. Harvey characterized the event “an unfortunate learning moment for all anglers.” He went on to acknowledge the angler and captain erred with good intentions, and the shark was donated to the local community as intended but noted “in today’s world there’s nothing to celebrate in bringing any shark to the dock for a photo opportunity”.

With a Guy Harvey designed logo to identify member marinas worldwide, 'Shark-Free' marinas participate in a voluntary program to prohibit sharks from being landed at their facility. “Shark Free marina policies were designed to foster catch and release fishing methods by discouraging any thought of landing a shark for any reason”, Harvey went on to say. “Our Outpost team took immediate action to investigate this when first brought to my attention. Staff has been reminded of their role in helping promote shark conservation awareness by enforcing the policies of a 'Shark Free' marina." The Shark-Free Marina Initiative is a project of The Humane Society of the United States and supported in part by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, an organization Dr. Harvey chairs to foster marine research and conservation.

The Shark Free Marina Institute's web site indicates that as many as 100 million sharks are killed annually, posing a serious threat to the oceans health. The stated purpose of a Shark-Free Marinas is to help reduce the take of sharks and encourage responsible use of the oceans. “With my worldwide efforts to promote shark conservation, particularly in the Bahamas, and my name on the front door of the Big Game Club, I’ve reminded staff that our marina will adhere to the Shark Free Marina Initiative policies, no exceptions” added Dr. Harvey. “We all have to play a part in protecting these magnificent animals.”

Day two and three of our trip

Day two of our adventure begin with a dive on the USCG Bibb. Next stop was a shallow dip on Conch Reef. After the short hop down south we stopped on the wreck of the Eagle for a great dive, be sure and ask Adam about the fish he shot. We had a relaxing dive on Alligator reef, so many juveniles on this reef its unbelievable. The last dive of the day was on the shipwreck of the Thunderbolt, oh how I love this wreck I had to jump in with the guys for a quick dip. After this one we called it a day and motored down to Key West for the continuation of our journey.

Day Three
Day three started off at 8:00 am with a dive on the Vandenberg.....and here we are four more dives latter still on the Vandy. Five dives on the Vandenberg makes for a hell of a day. Now its time for some off gassing, Rum and some of Rita's Seared tuna and Fish for dinner. Next time you need to be on our Shipwreck Trek..