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CNN Live Saturday

Debate Over Shark Feeding Dive Tours

Aired July 21, 2001 - 17:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: The little boy whose arm was ripped off by a shark two weeks ago is now off the critical list. Doctors have upgraded eight-year-old Jessie Arbogast's condition to serious. His right arm was reattached after the July 6 attack off Florida's Gulf Coast near Pensacola. His uncle, you will remember retrieved the arm from this shark's mouth after wrestling it ashore.

Since then there have been two other shark attacks off Florida's coast. In the wake of those attacks, there's controversy now over dives that permit humans to view sharks in their natural habitat. Critics are worrying that swimming with sharks can encourage them to attack. CNN's Mark Potter reports from Pompano Beach, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): About a half-mile off shore, near Pompano Beach, Florida, nurse sharks gather for their regular feeding. They are not in captivity. Above them, on the "Coral Princess," scuba divers and snorkelers of all ages are getting ready to jump in, having signed on for a shark encounter.

They have been warned not to act in a threatening manner toward the sharks. As the divers gather nearly 20 feet below the surface, the dive master holds out a feeding tube filled with pieces of fish, and brings the sharks close by. They swim all around the divers, but do not harm them. By feeding docile nurse sharks, the dive company hopes to convince its customers that not all sharks are bad.

JEFF TORODE, SOUTH FLORIDA DIVING HEADQUARTERS: We're trying to educate people about sharks, trying to break down some of the misconceptions and de mystify these animals that Hollywood has produced over 25 years of film making.

POTTER: Returning to the boat, divers said they enjoyed the close encounter.

LISA DAIBES, SCUBA DIVER: I think it's a good thing. I think because now these people, myself, will see they're not man-eaters. They're not killers and they shouldn't be slaughtered.

POTTER: But, back on land there are concerns about whether this activity draws sharks close to shore, and increases the likelihood of an attack. A Florida advocacy group argues that swimmers and divers along the coast could be at risk. ROBERT DIMOND, MARINE SAFETY GROUP: What these people are doing is willfully and purposely teaching sharks to lose their natural fear of humans and to approach humans, all humans, investigating to see if these humans have food.

POTTER: Opponents say they also don't buy the idea that shark feeding trips are instructional.

DIMOND: We don't believe there is any educational value ever in changing the natural behavior of a wild animal.

POTTER: But, dive operators in Broward County say there is no harm in feeding sharks offshore, particularly nurse sharks.

TORODE: We haven't had a shark attack in Broward County in 10 years. This by the shark attack statistics is the safest area there is in Florida. It's funny that the shark dives take place here.

POTTER: Some local communities, though have expressed concerns about the potential hazard. But, after holding hearings, the state of Florida refused to ban shark-feeding dive trips.

Mark Potter, CNN, Pompano Beach, Florida.

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