Shark Encounters in Hawaii
Sharks! Do not let the "Jaws" scare you
Next time you freak out over a shark sensationalized attacks in the media, do not panic. You're way more likely to be "scared to death" than to be eaten by a shark. The fact is, heart failure remains the leading cause to deaths in the U.S. by far – 652,486 deaths in 2004. There were just 2 shark-related deaths in the U.S. that year, only one in 2005 and none in 2006. So lay off butter, and dive in!
According to the International Shark Attack File, between 1580 and 2004 were only 1,969 confirmed shark attacks worldwide. In the U.S. during this period, there were 761 confirmed shark attacks, with 39 deaths. Hawaii accounted for 100 of these attacks in nearly 500 years, resulting in 15 deaths. So how does this compared to other types of accidental deaths?
Shark Attack Comparison
• In the U.S., your chances of dying from a lightning 30 times greater than dying from a shark attacks.
• Bees, wasps and snakes kill more people annually than sharks.
• During the 1990s, vehicular collisions with deer responsible for 30 deaths a year in the U.S.
• During the 1990s, dogs were responsible for 18 deaths a year in the U.S.
• Over 1990s snakes responsible for 15 deaths a year in the U.S.
• During the 1990s, pumas were responsible for 0.6 deaths per year in the U.S.
• During the 1990s, the shark responsible for 0.4 deaths per year in the U.S.
• Worldwide, 4 shark deaths were reported in 2003, 3 in 2002 and 5 in 2001.
Hawaii Shark Tours
See sharks up close and personal while immersed in a metal cage is the most exciting adventures in Hawaii – and if you try it, presumably of your life, too! This world famous experience offered by North Shore Shark Adventures on Oahu, available nowhere else in Hawaii.
Watching Grey Reef, Galapagos, sandbar and hammerhead sharks swim within a few feet from you is a primal adventure, an incredible experience you will not likely forget, and one that will achieve a profound effect on your feelings toward sharks.
Some people taking this shark trip has never been to sea before. Many come with a phobia about sharks. After tour their inhibitions and fears disappear and they have a greater respect for sharks and their beauty.
Sharks, nature's most perfect predators (excluding humans) have existed on the planet for over 350 million years – since before even the dinosaurs. In Hawaiian legend, each island has its own shark god. King shark god of Oahu is Kamohoalii, brother of the fire goddess Pele. Also known as Moho, is the provider of the canoe that brought Pele to Hawaii from Tahiti. His cave is said to be an underwater cave off of Pearl Harbor.
The ancient Hawaiians hunted sharks for meat, teeth and skin. Heiaus or temples, was built in honor of the shark gods. Just as each island has its own shark god, many Hawaiian families had personal shark aumakuas or guardian spirits.
Hawaii Shark Encounters
North Shore Shark Adventures was developed by lifelong surfer and diver Joe Pavsek at the behest of his friends. In his other life, Joe is a private detective and artist show his works Honolulu and Lake Tahoe galleries. He has had a dive boat in Haleiwa Harbor since 1975 and has worked on aircraft salvage recovery in Hawaiian waters. Joe has been featured many times on the television show "Let's Go Fishing".
These shark tours leave Haleiwa Harbor starts at 07:00 daily and the last two hours. Using a 26-foot Anderson boat with a swim step at the stern, you will sail to a place about 2 miles offshore. Since the safety of passengers is a primary problem, begins each trip with an informative safety briefing. People can bring their own mask and snorkel – fins not necessary. The sharks you see often inches away from your cage, ranging in size from five to fifteen meters.
People from around the world including England, Ireland, New Zealand Australia, Japan and from almost every state on the mainland have enjoyed the ride. North Shore Shark Adventures has been featured on BBC Outdoors in England, ESPN Outdoors and soon will be the Canadian Wildlife television.
North Shore Shark Adventures operates out of the harbor in historic Haleiwa Town, about an hour's drive from Waikiki. This adventure can be purchased with or without round-trip transportation – hotel pickup from all major Waikiki hotels.
Hawaii Shark Tours Endangered
An advisory panel that oversees fisheries in federal waters around Hawaii recently approved a proposal that would prohibit shark feeding of the commercial tour operators. This came after federal officials met with community members on the North Shore of Oahu in 2006 to discuss the possibility of limiting local shark tours in Hawaii.
The recommendation from the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council will prohibit feeding or chumming for sharks in federal waters around the Hawaiian Islands. The measure, which would ban shark feeding, but not the tour operations have not yet been approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
State of Hawaii previously passed a similar law that prohibits commercial activities from feeding sharks in state waters that stretches 3 miles from shore. The law does not prohibit shark-viewing activities that do not involve feeding the fish. The federal proposal will extend the ban for federal waters 200 miles outside the 3-mile state limit.
Supporters of the federal measure say the ban is necessary Given the large number of sharks they say two North Shore tours attracts. Since passage of the state measure, North Shore Shark Adventures Hawaii Shark Encounters now boat customers accounted for 3 miles offshore from Haleiwa to see sharks up close and personal from a submerged cage.
The owners of the two tour operations say they do not always use bait to attract sharks because they are already in the area. "We do not always feed. We need not," said Joe Pavsek who started North Shore Shark Adventures 6 years ago.
He anchors his two boats near where Crabbe fish. "This is Crabbe, not tour operators attract sharks," he says. If this ban was to come in force, it probably will not hurt his business because Crabbe will still be in the area, he added.
Pavsek also argues that the Western Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council has no jurisdiction over the shark tours. Council is the policy body for commercial fishing, "both tour agree include not their tour operations.
Paul Dalzell, Senior council acknowledged that it is doubtful whether the municipality has an influence on tours activities. A lawyer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) general counsel's office said the shark-viewing was not a fishing activity, and therefore presumably did not fall within the Council.
Now that the case is in legal hands, it is difficult to know how it will be resolved, or how shark tour operations in Hawaii will be affected. It can be hard to tell the sharks from the shark. Federal control of shark tours likely to continue and even increase, so best book soon if you want to be sure to experience this rare and exciting adventures.
Resources:
http://www.hawaiiactive.com/activities/oahu-shark-encounter.html
http://www.myhawaii.net/activities/110-oahu-shark-encounter.html
About the Author
Brenda Mathews grew up in a small Midwestern farming community, where she developed a deep love and appreciation for nature and the means to preserve the land and its resources. She spent many years living in rural, central Illinois, raising a family and participating in a family farm. She presently lives in Hawaii, where she continues to enjoy an active, outdoor-oriented lifestyle, while writing and posting to a daily Blog.
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