We provide daily dive trips and dive courses around the Komodo National Park.
Looking for tips and tricks about diving, marine life or what to do in Indonesia? Follow us on our blog for weekly updates from the team!
A common question we hear from divers and snorkelers is ‘Is it safe to dive with sharks?’ In short, yes, it is 100% safe to dive with sharks in the Komodo National Park. In fact, in the majority of places in the world it is safer to dive with sharks than it is to try and get chocolate out of a vending machine! So let’s have a little look at why people are so worried about diving with sharks and the actual facts about diving with these amazing animals.
Films & the media
The film Jaws has a lot to answer for, the famous soundtrack springing to mind as people head out to open water. Even as a seasoned dive instructor myself I can’t help but hear that music sometimes when surface swimming back to the dive boat! After the release of the film in 1975 the populations of large sharks plummeted across the globe as people hunted them to ‘protect’ people, most notably in Australia and the east coast of America. Scientists scrambled to explain the importance of sharks to our ecosystem, but the fear that had been instilled from the film was the overriding emotion.
Sadly it seems Hollywood didn’t learn their lesson and still there are films being made that portray sharks as vicious hunters of humans – such as ‘The Shallow’ (2016) and ‘The Meg’ (2018).
With such films being made it is easy to see why people have concerns about getting in the water with sharks; even if someone understands they are important to the ecosystem it doesn’t mean they won’t be scared of them. So let’s look at some facts about sharks and whether or not they pose a threat to us humans.
Can all sharks actually attack us?
There are over 500 species of shark and of that 97% of them are physically unable to hurt humans – either because their mouth isn’t big enough to bite us or they are simply too small to do us any harm (the smallest species of shark, the dwarf lantern shark, reaches just 9 inches!). So already you should be feeling less worried as of all the sharks in the ocean there are very very few with the ability to hurt us!
And those with the ability to do so, do they actually want to? In the movies sharks are portrayed as actively hunting and eating humans, but with the shark attacks that do happen this is simply not the case. Sharks do not want to eat humans, we are not part of their diet and not something they find tasty. Do you think a scuba tank and all that equipment looks appetising to a shark? When they could be saving their dinner for a nice tasty grouper?!
Shark attacks happen due to mistaken identity. Do you know what great white sharks do love to eat? Seals! Seals are a delicious dinner for them. Do you know what a surfer looks like from below?
It would seem that shark attacks are a case of mistaken identity and as soon as the shark bites a human and realises they are not a tasty seal or grouper, they are no longer interested. Sadly, of course, this does lead to fatalities and we are not diminishing that. However, many survivors of shark attacks go on to become fierce advocates for this misunderstood fish.
What species of sharks can attack humans?
There are three species of shark that are responsible for the majority of shark attacks
(None of which are seen in Komodo, by the way!)
These sharks should be treated with respect, in the same way you wouldn’t go and pet a hungry lion or tiger. However, that doesn’t mean we should stop ourselves from enjoying the ocean just because they are there.
How likely is it to happen?
Every year millions and millions of people explore the ocean – swimming, diving, snorkeling, surfing – yet in 2020 there were just 57 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide, 10 of which were fatal. This is the lowest recorded number since 2008! And you know what? None of those happened in the Komodo National Park, or the waters surrounding this area.
Not that we want to scare you, but here are some things more likely to cause a fatality than a shark:
However, you don’t see the media creating horror films about man-eating vending machines! Sadly, the visuals of a shark lends itself very easily to that of a man-eating killer. In actual fact, the majority of shark species are shy creatures who are just trying to survive in a world where mankind is out to get them.
Why should I care about sharks?
Every year over 100 million sharks are killed and this is devastating for our beloved oceans!
To explain this briefly:
Sharks are an apex predator, meaning they help to control the marine life populations below them in the food chain. Without sharks oceans are seeing an increase in larger predatory fish species such as groupers who feed on herbivores. This means there are less herbivores in the ocean, which leads to an increase in ocean plants that suffocate corals. Corals die out and so reef fish are left without homes, meaning they also die out. Not only does that mean no fish (an important food source for millions and millions of people across the world), but also corals are responsible for about half of the world’s oxygen (which they produce through photosynthesis – we’ll have another blog about this later!)
Basically: healthy shark populations = healthy ocean ecosystems = a healthy world
So, ready to come and see some sharks?!
We have had hundreds of divers and snorkelers explore the ocean with us here in Komodo every year, many of whom had never seen a shark before. After getting past their initial fears, they loved getting in the water with the graceful and beautiful creatures.
Swimming with reef sharks is completely safe! Don’t just take our word for it, sharks can be seen at all Scuba Junkie locations (Mabul / Sipadan, Nusa Penida and Sangalaki) and all our crew and guests love them there as well!
We see sharks on a daily basis when out in the Komodo National Park, check out our dive and snorkel packages and come and join us in swimming with these beautiful creatures! Or send us an email for more information
