The American researchers are Dr George Burgess, Director of the Florida Programme and Curator of the International Shark Attack File at Florida Museum of Natural History for Shark Research; Dr Marie Levine, head of the Shark Research Institute in Princeton; and Dr Ralph Collier, of the Shark Research Committee and author of Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century.
Egypt's Chamber of Diving and Watersports announced today preliminary findings of its “shark scientific team”, a group which now includes the newly arrived Americans.
“Scientists have indicated that their findings, up to now, suggest two species were involved in the attacks: one oceanic whitetip shark and one mako shark,” says the CDWS.
Factors being considered as possibly contributory to the sharks' behavioural change are "one or more incidents of illegal dumping of animal carcasses in nearby waters; depletion of natural prey in the area caused by overfishing; localised feeding of reef fish and/or sharks by swimmers, snorkellers and some divers; and unusually high water temperatures in Sharm el Sheikh".
As investigations continue, diving is being allowed under conditions where scuba activities represent a low risk. Submerged divers are regarded as being appreciably safer than individuals on the surface.
Introductory and training dives, many of which operate from the shore and involve relatively large amounts of surface time, are banned. But experienced divers carrying out reef, wreck and other dives from boats are enjoying unrestricted access within defined areas.
“Qualified diving clients, who must have a minimum of 50 logged dives, are permitted to participate in scuba activities run by boat by CDWS members in the area of Tiran, all dive sites south of Naama Bay to Ras Mohammed National Park, and the entire area of Ras Mohammed National Park,” says the CDWS.
The requirement of 50 logged dives will, however, rule out many a diver more recently qualified to, say, PADI Advanced Open Water or BSAC Sports Diver level and ready to carry out boat-based reef or wreck dives.
Related links
Swimming death escalates attacks crisis
Snorkellers seriously injured by shark
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