White Shark Tourism: A Dangerous Gamble | Blue Realm | Free Documentary Nature

Blue Realm - Episode 13: White Shark Tourism: A Dangerous Gamble Believe it or not, many scuba divers want to see great whites up close, and photographers want dramatic shots. But how do you get the sharks to where you want them? For decades, it’s been done by baiting, or “chumming” – attracting sharks with food. This practice is being questioned and banned in many countries because of a dramatic increase in shark attacks. In April 2012, a champion South African surfer was killed by a great white and shark tourism operators and documentary filmmakers were blamed. They were chumming in the area at the time of the attack. In Western Australia, 5 deaths are attributed to white sharks in just the first 6 months of 2012. Three surfers have also been killed by the sharks recently in California - more deadly attacks in a year than in the past dozen years combined. And the sharks have even been spotted as far north as Canada and a swimmer was attacked in Massachusetts. What’s going on? ▬