Gladly he does not like it, and also looks into the slaughtering of the shark.

I hope shows like this will start to affect the politicians to help protect the sharks.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Please join ‘Stop Shark Finning‘ on Facebook as well.

22:00

On 14 December 2010 CDWS received Governor Decree # 357 for year 2010 relating to the opening of some beaches and the restart of some marine excursions in Sharm el Sheikh.

This decree caused a lot of confusion and as a result, chairman of CDWS Mr Hesham Gabr, requested a meeting this evening with the Governor of South Sinai and the Egyptian coast guard in a bid to gain some clarification for CDWS members on what activities are allowed and which are not.

As a result of this meeting, CDWS can now confirm the governor ruled upon the following:

A:  for certified divers with 50 dives or more:

• Diving is allowed in all sites including shore sites.

B:  for certified divers with less than 50 dives:

• Diving is allowed where there are mooring lines only.
• No drift dives are allowed.
• The area north of Naama Bay to Ras Nasrasni remains closed to this category of diver – this applies until 21.12.2010

C:  for beginners courses & intro dive activities,

Diving is allowed only in the following areas  (this applies until 21.12.2010)

• Sharm El Maya
• Naama Bay
• Sharks Bay (from the shore only)
• South & North Lagoona in Tiran
• Nabq Bay

D:  other divers

• For advanced training of divers with 50 dives or more, the same rules as category A applies.
• For advanced training of divers with less than 50 dives, the same rules as category B applies.
• Rescue training is temporarily not allowed due to the following reasons :

1. to avoid prolonged time spent on the surface performing skills.
2. to avoid causing panic to tourists due to the simulated behaviour of the diver playing the role of a victim.

E: Snorkelling

• Snorkelling excursions by boats are allowed only in all areas of Tiran.
• No drift snorkelling is allowed. Other areas remain banned – this applies until 21.12.2010

F:  Glass bottom boats and semi-subs

• Glass bottom boats & semi-subs are working as usual.

G:  Banana, tube and water ski

• Activities of banana, tube and water ski remain banned until further notice.

A copy of the decree will be sent by email as soon as our office receives it tomorrow, Thursday 16 December.

CDWS will keep members informed as soon as we receive further updates from the Governor‘s office

CDWS statement: 9 December 14:00

1. Preliminary findings of shark scientific team

2. Sharm el Sheikh diving restrictions remain in place until further notice

The three international shark experts are continuing to work with authorities in Egypt to determine the causal factors involved in the spate of shark attacks in Sharm el Sheikh. The team is progressing with its scientific research and is verifying available data, as well as evidence gathered through eye witness reports from people both in the water and at the shore at the time of each of the five attacks on snorkellers.

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. Initial investigations by shark experts and marine scientists suggest factors that may have contributed – but are not limited to – the causes of behavioural change in sharks involved in attacks include the following:

*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

*Unusually high water temperatures in Sharm el Sheikh

CDWS would like to make it clear these are NOT the final conclusions, and that the investigation is still ongoing. The CDWS would also like to underline that it has NOT been, or will be, involved in any shark hunts.

The restrictions placed on diving and watersports activities along the Sharm el Sheikh coast will continue until further notice. The majority of areas in Sharm el Sheikh remain open to diving activities for CDWS members and their clients, however, there are restrictions on where these can take place and on client experience.

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 following areas:

- area of Tiran

- all dive sites south of Naama Bay to Ras Mohammed National Park

- the entire area of Ras Mohammed National Park

Diving remains completely banned at this time in the area between Ras Nasrani to the north of Naama Bay. No shore diving is permitted anywhere in the Sharm el Sheikh area.

Under NO circumstances are introductory or training dives permitted to take place in the sea anywhere in Sharm el Sheikh until CDWS members are notified otherwise. However, training and introductory diving activities are able to take place in other resorts, such as Dahab.

CDWS chairman Hesham Gabr said: “It is widely known sharks behave very differently towards divers in the water. However, as an extra precaution, only experienced divers are permitted to take part in guided activities in Sharm el Sheikh at this time. The 50 logged dive limit is a benchmark judged in recognised scuba standards to ensure divers have good buoyancy and control underwater and behave in a calm and controlled manner.”

Egyptian authorities confirmed restrictions currently in place along the Sharm el Sheikh coast, will remain until further notice. Snorkelling activities and other watersports remain heavily restricted – with the exception of glass bottom boat operations – along the whole of the Sharm el Sheikh coastal area.Swimming/snorkelling in the sea is only in designated safe, natural sheltered bay areas within the Ras Mohammed National and the Nabq National Park.

Holidaymakers can continue to enjoy their holidays in resort and are able to swim in the many swimming pools of hotels and also have access to sunbathe on the beaches.

Any decision to reassess restrictions will be made only when the scientific work by the team of experts is completed. Safety of visitors is of the upmost concern to all the authorities involved.

The scientific work is currently in phase one: the diagnostic phase. Once this is complete, phase two will involve the exploration of options to deal with the factors of the diagnostic phase. The third phase will be the implementation of chosen options. Phase four will cover the long-term measures that will be taken.

-ends-

Editor’s notes:

CDWS:

The Chamber of Diving and Watersports is the regulatory body for diving and water sports in Egypt. Operating under the umbrella of the Egyptian Tourist Authority, CDWS have implemented a set of European standards to which all members must comply.    According to Egyptian Law, it is required that all diving operations be a member of CDWS in order to obtain or renew their operating license issued by the Ministry of Tourism. For more information regarding CDWS visit www.cdws.travel

Shark experts working with the marine scientific team:

Dr George H Burgess, the director of the Florida Program and curator of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History for Shark Research.

Dr Marie Levine, head of the Shark Research Institute in Princeton, USA.

Dr Ralph Collier, of the Shark Research Committee and author of Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century.

For further information please contact Laura Coppa by email laura.coppa@cdws.travel or Mary Gleeson mary.gleeson@cdws.travel

The contents is so good, I decided to post it directly on my webpage.

If there are any copyright issues due to this, contact me and i’ll take care of it.

All, please go and subscribe to their newsletter: www.hepca.com
Also downloadable as PDF file here

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark
(Carcharhinus Longimanus)

Facts about the local population in the Egyptian Red Sea

Sightings of oceanic whitetip sharks at certain dive sites in the Central & Southern Egyptian Red Sea became a  common occurrence in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Found off-shore in tropical and subtropical seas around the globe, they are normally cruising the upper layers of their open-ocean habitat in search of food.
They are easily recognisable sharks, with their broad, large, rounded first dorsal fin, wing-like pectoral fins, and conspicuous colour markings on practically all fins (see fig. 1). These markings do not only identify them on the species level, they also allow for easy  identification of individuals.

Fig 1: The oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)

In October 2004 a photo-identification study of oceanic whitetip sharks was initiated that continues until today (see www.longimanus.info).

Collecting underwater images of these sharks led to a species catalogue containing the individual markings as well as sighting histories of close to 550 identified oceanic whitetip sharks to date.
Taking a closer look at these documented sightings, certain residency and movement patterns have emerged over the last 6 years. The hotspots for oceanic whitetip sightings have been Daedalus Reef, Brother Islands and Elphinstone, with clearly fewer sightings reported from St Johns, Fury Shoals, and South Sinai. Aside from the occasional encounter in spring and summer, the clear majority of these sharks are seen from late September to early December. Most of the oceanics approaching dive sites, dive boats and humans are ranging from ~1.5 m to ~ 2.2 m total length.
On occasion, individuals have become residents of a certain site or area for months at a time, but a more typical pattern is a short stay during one season with a 15-40% chance of resighting in following years.
Single individuals are seen over several years on a regular basis, proving the suitability of the natural markings used for this research (see example in figure 2).

Fig. 2: Underwater images of the dorsal fin (right side) of individual 506, an adult female oceanic whitetip, from 2004 – 2010. The reef where the respective picture was taken is given underneath the information on month and year (© longimanus-project).
Very few animals reaching (or even almost reaching) the reported maximum size for the Red Sea (2.5 – 3 m) have been documented throughout the last 6 years. A total of eleven individuals were identified from the species catalogue before November 2010. Table 1 gives details on where and when these large sharks were photographed.

Table 1: List of the larger oceanic whitetip sharks documented on photographs collected since October 2004.

Figure 3 shows the different body proportions identifying these large specimens, even without accurate measurements being available.

Fig. 3: Proportion of different oceanic whitetip sharks from the Egyptian Red Sea. Top: juvenile, middle: slender adult, and bottom: large adult.

Behaviour towards humans:

The Egyptian Red Sea is THE place worldwide to observe oceanic whitetip sharks underwater. Unlike some of the other shark species in the area, which are easily intimidated by human presence, they are self-confident and inquisitive. This notorious boldness – often wrongly interpreted as aggression – results in close and memorable encounters for  thousands of divers every year.
Throughout the last 6 years a few incidents of oceanic whitetips biting humans in the water were reported from the Central & Southern Egyptian Red Sea. Most of these cases could be linked to illegal feeding and/or baiting activity from liveaboards and all of them involved snorkelers.
No serious incidents with divers have been reported.
Baiting and feeding predators can cause changes in their behaviour. As a consequence, interactions with them might become more unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

Guidelines for diving with sharks in the Red Sea:

Remember, you are entering the realm of highly evolved and perfectly adapted open-ocean predators, who should be treated with respect and caution. While the risks in diving with sharks are minimal, following certain behavioural rules helps to avoid potentially stressful or even dangerous situations.

• Feeding and baiting sharks is illegal across the Egyptian Red Sea! Do not enter the water if there is any sign of this kind of activity in the vicinity.
• Only enter the water if you are comfortable with the situation and confident that you can stay calm.
• Avoid any quick, jerky or erratic movements.
• Be aware that you are most vulnerable on the surface. So descend promptly after entering the water and watch your buoyancy throughout the dive.
• Try to avoid quick ascents, especially with a shark right below you.
• If you want (or need) to leave the water, do so in a calm and orderly fashion.
• Most shark species that are inquisitive enough for close approaches are found in open water, not along the reef. Staying next or retreating to the reef should help avoid a close encounter. If conditions allow it, surface next to the reef and wait to be picked up by zodiac.
• Do not try to touch or in any way harass any shark. This includes not closing off an escape route for sharks you find underneath overhangs, in caves or crevices in the reef wall.
• Do not be alarmed by a shark calmly circling you; just make sure you turn with it and keep it in sight
• Stay alert and look around you from time to time to see if another shark is approaching you from behind/underneath/above. As predators, sneaking up on unknown objects is part of their natural behaviour.
• Generally, sharks are more reluctant to closely approach groups of divers than single ones.

Scientific Outlook:

The Oceanic Whitetip Shark is the only Red Sea shark species, for which any kind of scientific data is available. Using the presence of divers and the widespread use of underwater digital cameras, the collection of underwater images has proven to be a useful tool for the study of these ocean-going predators.
These efforts to collect photographs and videos will be intensified, reaching out to visitors to the  Red Sea and encouraging them to make their footage available to the study.
Additionally HEPCA is funding a pilot tracking project fitting oceanic whitetip sharks with satellite tags. These tags will hopefully provide introductory information unavailable from purely photo-ID based studies, such as dive profiles and geolocation tracks. Subject to future funding, a more extensive study will be conducted, focussing on identifying critical habitats of the species, e.g. reproductive areas and nursery grounds.
To address the lack of data available for other Red Sea shark species, a monitoring program is planned involving diving professionals as qualified volunteers. Further details on these projects are available at www.hepca.com/longimanus-red-sea-shark-id.aspx.

Facts about the Sharm El Sheikh incidents November / December 2010:

Between Tuesday, November 30^th, 2010, and Sunday, December 5^th, 2010, five swimmers were attacked by shark(s) off the South Sinai Coast, between North of Naama Bay and Ras Nasrani.
The first two victims, two Russian women, were attacked in short succession in the early afternoon on Tuesday while swimming off the beach. Both suffered multiple bites resulting in serious injuries. Minutes before one of these attacks, divers photographed a large adult female oceanic whitetip shark and observed it approaching one of the swimmers on the surface.
The following day, two men (one Russian, one Ukrainian) were attacked – again in short succession close to the beach around midday – a few kilometres north of the area of the first attacks. One of the victims was bitten once resulting in minor injuries, the other again suffered multiple bites and serious injuries.  No video or photograph has been available of this attack or the involved shark.
As a consequence, all diving, snorkeling and other watersports activities were suspended in the Sharm El Sheikh area, with the exception of Ras Mohamed National Park.

Fig.4: Satelite map of the Southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula (© Google Earth)

Fig.5 : Characteristical markings of female oceanic whitetip believed to be responsible for at least some of the attacks in South Sinai.

This large female was observed and filmed by divers in Ras Za’atar (Ras Mohamed National Park) on Friday, December 3^rd, 2010, around midday. It showed the typical inquisitive behaviour of this shark species; no aggression was reported.
The information, that the shark implicated in the first 2 attacks was seen in Ras Mohamed was made available to officials immediately.
On that same day, exploratory dives had been carried out by dive professionals along the Sharm El Sheikh coast without encountering any other sharks.

All restrictions on water-activities were lifted and the beaches re-opened on the morning of Saturday, December 4^th, 2010.

On Sunday, December 5^th, 2010, around midday, a German swimmer was attacked by a shark in Garden Bay. She died on site due to the severity of her injuries. A picture taken on the surface during the attack shows the same large female oceanic whitetip shark that had been observed during Tuesday’s attacks, and interacting with divers in Ras Za’atar on Friday. Again, individual markings were used to verify her identity.

All beaches were immediately closed again, and at the time of writing, only dive professionals and experienced divers have been allowed in the water, with further restrictions in place in the area of the attacks. These divers have been asked to report back any shark activity in the area.

On Tuesday, December 7^th, 2010, around midday, underwater photographs taken in Ras Mohamed by some of these divers again show the large adult female oceanic whitetip shark (from Tuesday, Friday & Sunday) interacting with divers at Yolanda/Shark Reef.

Conclusion:
A single large female oceanic whitetip shark has been observed at the site of 3 attacks on swimmers off Sharm El Sheikh, with eye-witness reports available for two. She is still in the general area, and – for the last 8 days – followed a pattern of traveling between the area of the attacks North of Naama Bay to Ras Mohamed National Park and back within 2-3 days.
The severity of the attacks and the amount of human tissue taken (and potentially swallowed) indicates a clear deviation of the normal behaviour of an oceanic whitetip shark. Instead of briefly grabbing for testing or tasting purposes, this female apparently considers human swimmers as a potential food source.

For further information & questions please contact:

Dr. Elke Bojanowski
Biologist and initiator of the longimanus-project                                               
sharks@hepca.com

To submit underwater images of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks, please go to
http://www.longimanus.info/rss_upload/upload.html

Go read it, it puts the situation into perspective.

You can find the article here: Red Sea Shark Attacks in Perspective

The press release can be found here

CDWS update: 8 December diving possible in Sharm el Sheikh

7 December 16.00

The majority of areas in Sharm el Sheikh will once again be open to diving activities for CDWS members and their clients tomorrow (8 December), however, please note that
the same restrictions will apply on where these can take place and on client experience. All snorkelling activities and other watersports – with the exception of glass bottom boat operations – remain suspended in the whole of the Sharm el Sheikh coastal area.

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 following areas:

- area of Tiran

- all dive sites south of Naama Bay to Ras Mohamed National Park

- the entire area of Ras Mohamed National Park

Diving remains completely banned at this time in the area between Ras Nasrani to the north of Naama Bay.

No shore diving is permitted anywhere in the Sharm el Sheikh area.

Under NO circumstances are introductory or training dives permitted to take place in the sea anywhere in Sharm el Sheikh until CDWS members are notified otherwise.

However, training and introductory diving activities are able to take place in other resorts, such as Dahab.

CDWS has asked divers to remain vigilant and report any shark behaviour they see to the organisation’s office in Sharm el Sheikh. This information – where possible – should include location, time and specific type of shark. Please also note down the behaviour, depth, duration at particular depths and how long the sighting lasts for.

This information should be emailed to one of the following people at the CDWS office:

Amr Elbendary: amr.elbendary@cdws.travel Tel: 012 1115508
Ahmed Mansour: ahmed.mansour@cdws.travel Tel: 018 126 8686

Nabil Fadlallah: nabil@cdws.travel Tel: 012 338 7779

Pictures of sharks taken should by sent by email to: sinai.tec@cdws.travel. For videos, please copy these on to a disc and take this directly to the CDWS office in Hadaba.

Three world renowned shark experts have arrived in Sharm el Sheikh and are currently working with the CDWS. These experts are: Dr Marie Levine, head of the Shark Research Institute in Princeton, USA; Dr George H Burgess, the director of the Florida Program and curator of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History for Shark Research; and Dr Ralph Collier, of the Shark Research Committee and author of Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century. Shark behavioural expert Dr Erich Ritter is assisting from his research centre based in the USA.

They have already begun to work together to analyse all the data collected. Further updates on the situation will be provided as soon as available.

CDWS would like to assure all members that the organisation is working continuously with all the relevant authorities and shark experts to try to resolve this situation in the most appropriate and safe way for all concerned. The CDWS also stresses to all members and the public that it does not in any way condone the random killing of sharks.

For further information please contact Laura Coppa by email laura.coppa@cdws.travel or Mary Gleeson mary.gleeson@cdws.travel

Here is the english translation: English Translation

And here is the original in danish: Danish Article

Jesper Kjøller who was interviewed, is a Padi Course director and DIR diver with many thousands of dives in the Red Sea.

CDWS shark incident update: diving possible tomorrow in Sharm el Sheikh

6 December 2010 14:00

The majority of areas in Sharm el Sheikh will be open to diving activities for CDWS members and their clients tomorrow (7 December), however, please note a series of restrictions apply on where these can take place and on client experience. All snorkel activities and other watersports – with the exception of glass bottom boat operations – remain suspended in the whole of the Sharm el Sheikh coastal area.

Qualified diving clients, who must have a minimum of 50 logged dives, are permitted to participate in scuba activities run by CDWS members in the areas of Tiran and all sites south of Naama Bay. Diving remains completely banned at this time in the area between Ras Nasrani to the north of Naama Bay where the Ras Mohammed National Park teams are currently working.

Under NO circumstances are introductory or training dives permitted to take place in the sea anywhere in Sharm el Sheikh until CDWS members are notified otherwise.

Following discussions with sharks experts and a series of exploratory dives, it was decided that the areas to be opened, which include the Ras Mohammed National Park and popular sites such as the Thistlegorm, were safe for experienced diving activities. CDWS would like to make it clear that no divers have been involved in any of the incidents reported.

CDWS is working with four world-renowned shark experts at this time. Three of the experts will be arriving over the next two days in Sharm el Sheikh to form an advisory team to try to assess and advise on the best course of action following the four shark attacks in areas north of Naama Bay this week.

Dr George H Burgess, the director of the Florida Program and curator of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History for Shark Research, is flying to the resort today. Arriving tomorrow are: Dr Marie Levine, head of the Shark Research Institute in Princeton, USA, and Dr Ralph Collier, of the Shark Research Committee and author of Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century. Shark behavioural expert Dr Erich Ritter is assisting from his research centre based in the USA. The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) is funding all the costs involved.

A Swedish research vessel is currently surveying the topography of the ocean around Sharm el Sheikh in order to supply data to shark experts to assist their work. CDWS enlisted the help of this vessel to carry out the topography survey and secured all the relevant permissions.

CDWS would like to assure all members that the organisation is working continuously with all the relevant authorities and shark experts to try to resolve this situation in the most appropriate and safe way for all concerned. The CDWS also stresses to all members and the public that it does not in any way condone the random killing of sharks.

Therefore CDWS has again suspended diving and all watersport activities in the Sharm area.

Here is the latest press release: From the CDWS site

CDWS statement update Sunday 5 December 22:00

- Diving and all watersports activities suspended in Sharm el Sheikh

- CDWS call in US Shark Experts

CDWS announced this evening that all diving and watersports activities have been suspended along the Sharm El Sheikh coastline tomorrow (Monday 6 December 2010).

The suspension comes following a 4th incident in less than one week involving a shark attack on a tourist. Today’s event took place off the beach in front of the Hyatt hotel, Naama Bay. Unfortunately, the 71 year old German woman did not survive.

Last week, three similar attacks took place involving one Ukranian and two Russian snorkellers. These incidents led to severe injuries, but no loss of life.

CDWS is the regulatory body for diving and watersports in Egypt and would like to emphasise that such attacks are extremely rare and this kind of shark behaviour is causing disbelief amongst the Red Sea diving community.

CDWS has over recent days called upon a number of experts from around the world including Dr Marie Levine (Head of the Shark Research Institute in Princeton), Dr Erich Ritter (a specialist in behavioural ecology), Dr Ralph Collier (Shark Research Committee and author of Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century) and Dr. George H. Burgess (director of the Florida Program for Shark Research) in order to build a team of professionals in the field of shark behaviour.

Dr Burgess is also the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research and the curator of the International Shark Attack File (Florida Museum of National History) and will be the first to arrive in Sharm el Sheikh on Monday evening to join the team here in the resort. Together they will establish the best way to deal with this highly unusual situation and attempt to find the root of its cause.

CDWS chairman Hesham Gabr has called on the organisation’s members to conduct further exploratory dives tomorrow along the Sharm el Sheikh coast in order to report back to the shark experts. He would also like to express his sympathies to the family of today’s victim.

-ends-

For further information from CDWS please contact Laura Coppa by email laura.coppa@cdws.travel

Official Egyptian government spokesman, Mr Ahmed Saleh, Deputy Governor for South Sinai. Tel. +20 10 164 0440

Another shark incident….reports of 2 sharks attacking snorklers in Middle Garden today. All boats recalled….not good news….
about an hour ago.

This is very bad news, lets hope the egyptians dont start to hunt every shark in the red sea.

More information here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11922032

At around 14:40 today there has been an artacin at Nabq 30 km north of Sharm as well.