Hello Dennis,
Yes I agree that we are basically saying the same thing. Don't mess around
when the Big Kahuna is in the area. And basically a preditor is a predator,
is a predator. Whether or not you look scared or not, while you are down
you are in his environment, so use caution.
Be well, be wet!
Scuba divers may do it deeper, but, Commercial divers do it deeper and 
ger.
On 10 Apr 97  04:00:55 Dennis Seavey wrote to Scott Owens...
 SO> Nicely put. But I believe you forgot one little fact. While you are
 SO> in thewater, you are in the "incredably huge, insatiable shark-type
 SO> toothyfish's environment. While down there with them, you are just an
 SO> oddity.But intheir eyes, you can change from oddity to main course
 SO> real easy.Afford them their respect? Good idea. But you should also
 SO> throw incaution, common sence, and good old fashioned parania too. I
 SO> have to deal
 SO> with them on a daily basis. I know from which I speak. But you did
 SO> say anawful lot that made sence.
 DS> Actually the carcharadon imaginus is referring to a state of mind
 DS> more than anything else.  It's letting your paranoia run away 
 DS> with you.  As for the level of respect you afford these guys it 
 DS> definitely takes into account that sharks are large predators in 
 DS> their own environment.  The current EMT courses refer to the 
 DS> state of mind I'm trying to convey as "having a high index of 
 DS> suspicion". Call it what you like I think we're talking pretty 
 DS> much about the same thing. 
 DS> I actually have a theory on shark behavior.  Letting fear get the
 DS> better of you makes you look scared.  If you look and act scared 
 DS> the preditor starts to wnoder what you have to be afraid of (ie 
 DS> are you hurt, sick, etc) and goes out of its way to check you out
 DS> .  The less you project the impression that you are something 
 DS> that they should attack the less likely you will be attacked from
 DS> a fish that would otherwise not bother.  This is not to imply 
 DS> that a shark that has other motives to attack other than a "bite 
 DS> reflex" to certain stimulus patterns won't aggressively pursue 
 DS> and attack you, just that it reduces the liklihood of triggering 
 DS> the bite reflex type of attack.  Studies on other preditory 
 DS> animals have shown that you can trigger attacks with certain 
 DS> stimuli, even when the preditor inquestion is not actively 
 DS> feeeding.  The whole idea of respect that is their due includes 
 DS> actively attempting to prevent triggering reflex attacks (thus my
 DS> researvations about feeding sharks and chumming as recreatrional 
 DS> dive practices). 
 DS> Anyway, thanks for writing.
 DS> 
 DS> Be wet and well.
 DS> 
 DS> Dennis
 DS> * SPITFIRE v3.51
 DS> -!- Alexi/Mail 2.02b (#10000)
 DS> ! Origin: BrickYard BBS Gonic, NH  603 332-0419 (1:132/243)
Regards,
-=Scott=-
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